Gibraltar National Museum

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Gibraltar National Museum
Bomb House.jpg
Ordnance House or "Bomb House", home to the Gibraltar National Museum.
Gibraltar location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within Gibraltar
Established24 July 1930 (1930-07-24)
LocationOrdnance House, 18–20 Bomb House Lane, Gibraltar
Coordinates 36°08′20″N5°21′16″W / 36.1390°N 5.3544°W / 36.1390; -5.3544
Type National museum
Director Prof. Clive Finlayson
Website gibmuseum.gi

The Gibraltar National Museum is a national museum of the history, culture and natural history of Gibraltar located within the city centre of the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. Founded in 1930 by the then Governor of Gibraltar, General Sir Alexander Godley, the museum houses an array of displays portraying The Rock's millennia-old history and the unique culture of its people. The museum also incorporates the remains of a 14th-century Moorish bathhouse. Its director since 1991 is Prof. Clive Finlayson. [1]

Contents

History

Background

There were several unsuccessful attempts to establish a museum in Gibraltar during the 19th century. Significant local finds could not be kept on The Rock because there was no museum, resulting in the first known adult Neanderthal skull (the so-called Gibraltar skull) went to the Natural History Museum in London. [1] This was the second Neanderthal fossil to be found and was excavated in 1848 at Forbes' Quarry on the north face of the Rock of Gibraltar. [2]

The first known collection established in Gibraltar was due to the Reverend John White, chaplain at Gibraltar from 1756 to 1774. Encouraged by his elder brother Gilbert White, he collected zoological specimens which he studied and sent to England. He took advice from Giovanni Antonio Scopoli and also later wrote in England, what is considered the first detailed zoological account of Gibraltar. However, Fauna Calpensis was never published, and it and his collections are now lost. [3] The next known recording of something that could resemble a museum dates from 1830. St Bernard's Hospital is recognised to have had a room for specimens of natural history and morbid anatomy. Again, no remains of such collection are kept. [4]

The first proposal to open a museum in Gibraltar was discussed in 1835 at a meeting of the Gibraltar Scientific Society - a group of British Army officers who met at the Garrison Library. The first museum was established and housed in rented accommodation. The museum became so important that the society changed its name to the Museum Society. One of the milestones of the existence of the Society was the presentation of the Gibraltar skull on 3 March 1848, although its importance was not recognised at the time, it was to the Society, by its secretary, Lieutenant Edmund Flint of the Royal Artillery. [5]

Foundation

The museum's establishment is credited to General Sir Alexander Godley, who was installed as Governor of Gibraltar in 1928. Upon his arrival, he gave an opening address in which he highlighted his reformist aims, which would: "help to restore [Gibraltar] to its prosperity which had been showing signs of waning". One of the elements of this reformist mission was the creation of a national museum. After nine months in office, on 30 July 1929, the Gibraltar Society was launched. Its primary objective was to assist the colonial authorities in the foundation of a museum. Godley was able to get two adjacent military quarters for use as a museum. The choice was fortunate as under one of them, Ordnance House, the former residence of the assistant director of Ordnance Stores, lay chambers of a bathhouse from the Moorish period, which had been used as a semi-underground stable. [6] [7]

The Gibraltar Museum was opened on 24 July 1930 and on the first anniversary (10 July 1931), the Gibraltar Museum Ordinance was passed as "An Ordinance relating to Ancient Monuments and Antiquities and to provide for the management of the Gibraltar Museum". [4]

In the 1970s, the Gibraltar Museum housed the first office of the Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Society (GONHS). Founders of the organisation included then curator of the museum Joaquin Bensusan and Clive Finlayson, the current museum director. [8]

Name change

In 2018, the Heritage Trust Act 1989 which provided the legal framework for the management of the museum, was replaced with the Heritage and Antiquities Act 2018. The new legislation updated the name of the museum to officially recognise it as the national museum of Gibraltar. [9]

Displays

An open-air archaeological exhibit at the Gibraltar National Museum. Gibraltar Museum open-air archaeological exhibit.jpg
An open-air archaeological exhibit at the Gibraltar National Museum.

The Gibraltarian

Rooms dedicated to Gibraltarian social history. [10]

Cinema

Film about the history of Gibraltar. [10]

The Rock – world symbol for three millennia

Rooms dedicated to The Rock as a symbol, from the Pillars of Hercules to today including Phoenician and Carthaginian collections. [10]

Natural history and prehistory

Rooms devoted to the natural history of Gibraltar including reconstructions of past landscapes, walk-in cave and Neanderthals. [10]

Marine biodiversity

A room dedicated to the variety of marine species living around Gibraltar's coastline. [10]

The Great Siege

Room dedicated to the Great Siege of Gibraltar (1779–1783). [10] This was an unsuccessful attempt by Spain and France to capture Gibraltar from the British during the American War of Independence. This was the largest action fought during the war in terms of numbers, particularly the Grand Assault of 18 September 1782. At three years and seven months, it is the longest siege endured by the British Armed Forces.

Rock model

A sample photograph showing how the model includes every house and roadway. Gibraltar Model 1865 (5).jpg
A sample photograph showing how the model includes every house and roadway.

The John Fernandez Rooms include a 8 metres (26 ft) long scale model of Gibraltar and also includes old photographs of Gibraltar. [10] The model was completed in 1865 from a survey by Lieut. Charles Warren R.E. who later took a leading role in the Jack the Ripper investigations. [10] [11] It was made at the direction of Major General Edward Charles Frome R.E. and painted by Captain B.A. Branfill in 1868. [10]

Devoted to The Rock's Latin name, Calpe. A 19th-century fox hunt and a Royal Navy reserve unit. [10]

Urban excavations

A room containing medieval artefacts excavated within the city of Gibraltar. [10]

External excavation

An open-air excavation covering seven centuries of Gibraltar's history. [10]

Moorish baths

Central room of the Moorish Baths at the Gibraltar National Museum. Gibraltar Moorish Baths.jpg
Central room of the Moorish Baths at the Gibraltar National Museum.
Plan of the Moorish Baths in Gibraltar. Plan of Moorish Baths.png
Plan of the Moorish Baths in Gibraltar.

Located within the museum's basement level lie the remains of a Moorish bath house built around the 14th century during the rule of Marinid dynasty. [7] These private baths are known to have been within the Palace of the Governor of Gibraltar. [7] The building was used as stables while the building was under control of the British military with a floor of one of the rooms was raised so high that horse-drawn coaches could be moved into the remaining space in the room. [7] The site is now smaller than it was originally as the building suffered extensive damage during the Great Siege of Gibraltar. It is one of the best-preserved Moorish bath houses in Europe. [12] In 1906, Mr. Budgett Meakin, an authority on Moorish antiquities, wrote of these baths:

Except in the Alhambra there is nothing in Spain to compare with it; and in Morocco such baths may not be entered by Nazarenes or Jews, so that its interest is exceptional. [13]

Excavations in the museum's garden revealed a water conduit, dating to the Spanish period. This conduit enters the garden from Line Wall Road and is thought to have run off an aqueduct that run along that road from wells south of the town. It then runs through the rooms and into a cistern under the interior patio. [4]

The baths consist of rooms similar to the Roman Hypocaust system of baths with a normal temperature room for undressing, a cold room and a hot room. Channels under the floor would allow warm air to circulate as a form of underfloor heating. This process of bathing would act like modern saunas whereby moving between hot and cold temperatures cleanses the body by sweating. [7]

Projects

Curators/directors

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock of Gibraltar</span> Monolithic limestone promontory located in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar

The Rock of Gibraltar is a highly strategic monolithic limestone mountain 426 m (1,398 ft) high dominating the western entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. It is situated near the end of a narrow 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) long promontory stretching due south into the Mediterranean Sea and is located within the British territory of Gibraltar, and is 27 km north-east of Tarifa, Spain, the southwestern tip of Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The rock serves as an impregnable fortress and contains a labyrinthine network of man-made tunnels known as the Tunnels of Gibraltar. Most of the Rock's upper area comprises a nature reserve which is home to about 300 Barbary macaques. It is a major tourist attraction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gorham's Cave</span> Cave and archaeological site in Gibraltar

Gorham's Cave is a sea-level cave in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. Though not a sea cave, it is often mistaken for one. Considered to be one of the last known habitations of the Neanderthals in Europe, the cave gives its name to the Gorham's Cave complex, which is a combination of four distinct caves of such importance that they are combined into a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the only one in Gibraltar. The three other caves are Vanguard Cave, Hyaena Cave, and Bennett's Cave.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gibraltar 1</span> Hominin fossil

Gibraltar 1 is the name given to a Neanderthal skull, also known as the Gibraltar Skull, which was discovered at Forbes' Quarry in Gibraltar. The skull was presented to the Gibraltar Scientific Society by its secretary, Lieutenant Edmund Henry Réné Flint, on 3 March 1848. This discovery predates the finding of the Neanderthal type specimen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clive Finlayson</span> Gibraltarian zoologist, paleoanthropologist and paleontologist

Prof. Clive Finlayson MBE FLS is a Gibraltarian zoologist, paleoanthropologist and paleontologist. He is the incumbent Director of the Gibraltar Museum. Finlayson has published various works mainly based on his research which includes ongoing excavations at Gorham's Cave in Gibraltar, the last known site of the Neanderthals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forbes' Quarry</span> Cave in Gibraltar

Forbes' Quarry is located on the northern face of the Rock of Gibraltar within the Upper Rock Nature Reserve in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. The area was quarried during the 19th century to supply stone for reinforcing the fortress' military installations. In the course of the quarrying, a limestone cave was found. The second ever Neanderthal discovery was made within this cave when Cpt. Edmund Flint found the skull of an adult female Neanderthal in 1848.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vanguard Cave</span> Cave and archaeological site in Gibraltar

Vanguard Cave is a natural sea cave in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar which is part of the Gorham's Cave complex. This complex of four caves has been nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2016. The cave complex is one of the last known habitations of the Neanderthals, with a period of inhabitation from 55,000 to 28,000 years ago. It is located on the southeast face of the Rock of Gibraltar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geraldine Finlayson</span> Gibraltarian historian

Geraldine Finlayson is a Gibraltarian scientist and CEO of the Gibraltar National Museum. She was Director of the John Mackintosh Hall until October 2011. She has played a major role in developing the "Gibraltar method" of archaeological research, especially that carried out underwater, and is one of a team of scientists who have made major discoveries about the nature of Neanderthal culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nun's Well, Gibraltar</span>

Nun's Well is an ancient underground water reservoir in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It is located at Europa Point, and is thought to be of the Moorish period. It represents some of the earliest evidence of an artificial water supply in Gibraltar. The name of the cistern is thought to be derived from the nuns associated with the Shrine of Our Lady of Europe. In the eighteenth century, Nun's Well supplied the military with water. In the early nineteenth century, it provided water for the brewery that was built next door. In 1988, the Royal Engineers constructed what is now the main building, which has a castle-like appearance. Nun's Well became the focus of controversy during the 2010-2011 restoration of the site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles V Wall</span> Defensive wall in Gibraltar

The Charles V Wall is a 16th-century defensive curtain wall that forms part of the fortifications of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. Originally called Muralla de San Benito, it was built in 1540 and strengthened in 1552 by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. The wall remains largely intact and extends from South Bastion, which was once at the water's edge in the harbour, to the top ridge of the Rock of Gibraltar.

Gibraltar 2, also known as Devil's Tower Child, represented five skull fragments of a male Neanderthal child discovered in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. The discovery of the fossils at the Devil's Tower Mousterian rock shelter was made by archaeologist Dorothy Garrod in 1926. It represented the second excavation of a Neanderthal skull in Gibraltar, after Gibraltar 1, the second Neanderthal skull ever found. In the early twenty-first century, Gibraltar 2 underwent reconstruction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gibraltar Nature Reserve</span> Protected nature reserve in Gibraltar

The Gibraltar Nature Reserve is a protected nature reserve in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar that covers over 40% of the territory's land area. It was established as the Upper Rock Nature Reserve in 1993 under the International Union for Conservation of Nature's category Ia and was last extended in 2013. It is known for its semi-wild population of Barbary macaques, and is an important resting point for migrating birds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moorish Wall</span> Defensive wall in Gibraltar

The Moorish Wall, also known as the Philip II Wall and formerly the Muralla de San Reymondo is a defensive curtain wall built in the 16th century that formed part of the southern fortifications of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It was completed by 1575. The wall ran from the top of a steep cliff above the lower section of the Charles V Wall up the slope of the Rock of Gibraltar to its crest, north of the upper section of the Charles V Wall and is now within the Upper Rock Nature Reserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gibraltar Heritage Trust</span>

The Gibraltar Heritage Trust is a non-profit charity established by statute on 1 May 1989 to preserve and promote the cultural natural heritage of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar.

The Gibraltar Caving Group is an organisation based in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It forms the Caves and Cliffs Section of the Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society. The group of skilled cavers and climbers has multiple roles, engaging in cave exploration and research, avian rescue, and rare plant discovery. It performs surveys and clears areas with limited access. However, it is perhaps most well known for the discovery that four of its members made in December 1996. While exploring tunnels in the southern portion of the Rock of Gibraltar, they found the entrance to Operation Tracer, also known colloquially as Stay Behind Cave. Rumours of a covert World War II observation post had circulated in Gibraltar for decades. The Gibraltar Caving Group continued its exploration and evaluation of the facility under the auspices of the Gibraltar Museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ibex Cave</span>

Ibex Cave is a limestone cave on the Rock of Gibraltar which has yielded stone artifacts of Mousterian tradition. It was discovered in 1975. It is so named as an ibex skull was found within the cave which would have been hunted by the Neanderthals of Gibraltar thousands of years ago. Ibex Cave was named and excavated by the Gibraltar Museum in 1994. Its first formal description was in 1999.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neanderthals in Gibraltar</span>

The Neanderthals in Gibraltar were among the first to be discovered by modern scientists and have been among the most well studied of their species according to a number of extinction studies which emphasize regional differences, usually claiming the Iberian Peninsula partially acted as a “refuge” for the shrinking Neanderthal populations and the Gibraltar population of Neanderthals as having been one of many dwindling populations of archaic human populations, existing just until around 42,000 years ago. Many other Neanderthal populations went extinct around the same time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince's Lines</span>

The Prince's Lines are part of the fortifications of Gibraltar, situated on the lower slopes of the north-west face of the Rock of Gibraltar. They are located at a height of about 70 feet (21 m) on a natural ledge above the Queen's Lines, overlooking the landward entrance to Gibraltar, and run from a natural fault called the Orillon to a cliff at the southern end of the isthmus linking Gibraltar with Spain. The lines face out across the modern Laguna Estate, which stands on the site of the Inundation, an artificial lake created to obstruct landward access to Gibraltar. They were constructed to enfilade attackers approaching Gibraltar's Landport Front from the landward direction.

The University of Gibraltar is a degree-awarding higher education institution established by the Government of Gibraltar through the University of Gibraltar Act 2015. The founding of the university was described by Gibraltar's Chief Minister Fabian Picardo as "a coming-of-age" for the British Overseas Territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moorish Baths, Gibraltar</span> Medieval in Gibraltar, Gibraltar

The Moorish Baths are located in the basement of the Gibraltar Museum in the city of Gibraltar, a British overseas territory. One of the best-preserved Moorish bath houses in Europe, the early 14th century baths bear resemblance to the Roman hypocaust system, and have four chambers with pillars.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Heritage of Gibralter[sic]: A Reply". CAM Bulletins. Commonwealth Association of Museums. May 1998. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  2. ↑ Finlayson, Clive & Geraldine (1999). Gibraltar at the end of the Millennium: A Portrait of a Changing Land. Gibraltar: Aquila Services.
  3. ↑ Foster, Paul (2007). "The Gibraltar collections: Gilbert White (1720–1793) and John White (1727–1780), and the naturalist and author Giovanni Antonio Scopoli (1723–1788)". Archives of Natural History. 34: 30–46. doi:10.3366/anh.2007.34.1.30. ISSN   0260-9541.
  4. 1 2 3 "Museum History". Gibraltar Museum. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  5. ↑ Keith, Arthur (1994). The Antiquity of Man. Anmol Publications. pp. 180–1. ISBN   9788170419778.
  6. 1 2 Ellicott, Dorothy (1975). Our Gibraltar. Gibraltar Museum Committee. pp. 131–132.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Gibraltar Museum". Gibraltar Info. Archived from the original on 3 January 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
  8. ↑ "GONHS is 30 years old this week" (PDF). 2006 PRESS RELEASES. Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Society. 16 December 2006. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  9. ↑ "Heritage and Antiquities Act 2018" (PDF). Laws of Gibraltar. HM Government of Gibraltar.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Gibraltar Museum". DiscoverGibraltar.com. Archived from the original on 5 September 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  11. ↑ Beckett, Ian (2006). Victorians at War p.53. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 272. ISBN   9781852855109.
  12. ↑ "Famous Places To Visit in Gibraltar". Europe Travel Hub. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
  13. ↑ "Gibraltar Museum". Gibnet. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
  14. 1 2 "Pasado, presente y futuro del Museo de Barbados" (PDF) (in Spanish). UNESCO. 1986. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
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