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Rosia Bay
Apart from the many tunnels, walls, gates, and castles that make up the
Gibraltar landscape, what makes the town a truly great tourist destination
is its beaches and bays, of which there are many and to where many
visitors flock during the hot summer months. Single people, married
couples, and even entire families come to the many Gibraltar beaches
during the dry season not only to cool off, but basically to have some fun
and a few moments of relaxation.
Of the numerous bays in Gibraltar, some can get to be quite spectacular,
not only because of the natural attraction of the waters, but also because
the places themselves have rich historic past that visitors will find
quite remarkable. A good example of such a bay is Rosia Bay.
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A Unique Attraction
Rosia bay can be found on the southeastern Gibraltar coast and is
considered a unique attraction of the town in that the place is partly
a beach and partly a port. Throughout the hot months of summer, the
area is visited practically everyday by many beach enthusiasts,
especially the local ones, as there are several great amenities that
they can avail of. These include several excellent cafes and bars that
serve full meals, cool drinks, and great snacks all at competitive
prices. Local tourists, however, appear to prefer bringing their own
food, as picnic boxes abound all around Rosia Bay during the summer.
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A particularly huge attraction at Rosia Bay is the parking spaces
which are usually available, although availing of them can become a
bit of a problem sometimes. Nevertheless, the situation at Rosia Bay
is a lot better when compared to other areas in Gibraltar where
parking can get to be a major hassle.
Along Rosia Bay, one can find two smaller bays, namely, Little Bay and
Camp Bay. Since Rosia Bay is basically a cove, the beach area is naturally
sheltered and is very small, although it does have two distinct types of
swimming pools, namely, the paddling pool and the open-air type.
Rosia Bay though is more than just a beach. It also happens to be a pier
area, and for this, Rosia Bay gets to assume a bigger and greater role in
the general economic set-up of Gibraltar.
Port areas are naturally important for any given town simply because they
serve as entrance points through which various goods coming from different
countries come in and affect the lives of the local people. As such, they
become meeting points of different cultures, enabling an exchange of ideas
to take place and resulting to a faster rate of change and improvement in
the economic and social arena. Rosia Bay, being a port area, has been
playing such a role for centuries and has significantly helped in the
overall growth of Gibraltar.
Rosia Bay Landmarks
Aside from being a beach and a port area, Rosia Bay can also be a good
vantage point from where one can have an excellent view of several
prominent landmarks. These structures can be found very near the Bay and
in its surrounding environs as well. Many of them are considered
historical sites of Gibraltar land and attract a great number of visitors
all year round. This naturally enables Rosia Bay itself to experience a
surge in visits at regular times.
One historical site that can be found near Rosia Bay is Parson’s Lodge,
which is located on its southern side. This pre-Spanish artillery fort
practically covers the entire length of this particular area of the Bay
and is actually a dominant structure there.
Across Rosia Bay, Nelson’s Anchorage stands anchored. The site is formerly
the old Gibraltar port where the alleged remains of Captain Nelson was
brought after the HMS Victory docked at the Bay. Nelson’s Anchorage was
built in 1627 by the Spaniards and is presently known as a museum. Of
course, when one is in the vicinity of Nelson’s Anchorage, one can get a
magnificent view of Rosia Bay itself and of the adjacent Gibraltar Strait.
Standing above the Bay is the Victualling Yard, a portion of a vast naval
complex which serves as a form of drop-off points of water that has been
purified from the nearby Rosia Water Tanks. From the Yard, the waters are
then sent to the ships that are docked at Rosia Bay.
Nearby is the Napier of Magdala Battery, another Gibraltar historic site
since it is the home of the 100 Ton Gun. Originally, four of these guns
were produced sometime in 1970, with two of them sent over to Malta while
the other two remained in Gibraltar. Of the last two, one settled in
Victoria Battery, a site that was eventually transformed into the present
fire station of the town.
Past Rosia Bay, one will see a tunnel which, if taken, will enable one to
reach Europa Point, considered as the southern tip of Gibraltar. Europa
Point, of course, is famous for three prominent structures, namely, the
Europa Point Lighthouse, the Shrine of Our Lady of Europe, and the
Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque.
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Early History
Rosia Bay was primarily known as a British naval base. The navy found
great usage of the place in the midst of the French Revolution and
during the Napoleonic Wars when there was an absolute need for large
military bases. Many British military officers and men, especially
those from the navy who became weary from long battles, were also
known to take on, not only water, but food as well, from the
Victualling Yard that was eventually built along Rosia Bay primarily
for the purpose of providing the men with the basic necessities. |
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The Rosia Water Tanks
From the ancient naval base stationed at Rosia Bay, there eventually arose
a complex facility primarily intended to look after the welfare of the
naval personnel who have practically made the naval base their second
home. Thus was born the Rosia Water Tanks, an 18th century complex
facility that consisted of three general divisions, namely the Victualling
Yard, the Rosia Water Tanks, and the Rosia Bay. Additionally, several
smaller buildings that housed other important naval functions were built
within the facility shortly thereafter.
In simple terms, the water cisterns functioned as storage and purifying
stations of the water that was taken from the Bay. The Victualling Yard
roofs then collected the purified water and gravity fed this to the ships
that were docked along the coast of Rosia Bay. The Victualling Yard
primarily served as the main quarters where food was served for the sake
of the navy personnel.
The Rosia Water Tanks procedure that was used then was fairly simple. Yet,
it also happened to showcase the kind of ingenuity and craftsmanship that
the builders of the complex had at that time given the limited supply of
materials that they had.
In particular, Portland cement then was hardly available. Still, the
facility was built by making use of bricks and mortars that are sand and
lime-based. A complex form of finishing product was used to enable the
cisterns to have water-proofing capabilities. The tank roofs, on the other
hand, were vaulted and designed in a way that they have sloping surfaces
that allow them to direct water straight to the settlement tank, then on
to the storage tanks.
The entire system was well-secured, keeping all stored water absolutely
clean and pure especially with the building of an extremely high wall,
such that roof access was limited to authorized personnel only. The high
wall ultimately has made the facility safe and secured, to the point that
the public at large has hardly caught sight of how the entire water system
actually operates.
A Tank History
Built between the years 1779 to 1804, the need to construct
water tanks along the banks of Rosia Bay came about as a result of a visit
by then Admiral John Jervis, Lord St. Vincent to the place sometime in
1799. While staying along the Gibraltar shores, the good Admiral came to
the realization that initially, a stable water provision system should be
readily available in that particular area basically for two reasons. One,
the place is very close to Rosia Bay. Two, nearby stands a British naval
base, the only such facility in the entire Mediterranean region, whose
personnel and crew constantly needed to be provided with the basic
necessities, most particularly, water. While assistance may be sought in
the neighboring towns, in particular, Ceuta and Tetuan, still, these could
not constantly provide the needed supplies as they will necessarily have
to look after their own welfare first.
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Eventually, Admiral St. Vincent was recorded to have stayed in a house
situated inside a compound along the Bay and asked that the
Victualling Yard be moved to the Rosia Bay area that was near the
house where he was then staying. Simply put, the new location was more
suitable as it afforded easier access to Rosia Bay aside from being
kept safe from the gunfire that came from Parson’s Lodge and directed
towards the enemies situated along the Mediterranean sea.
Additionally, the house was not within gunfire range, particularly gun
fires coming from the northern side. |
As for the Rosia Water Tanks themselves, there are several records of
a significant number of British battleships docking at Rosia Bay from
where ostensibly, they made use of the then gradually growing number
of facilities within the naval complex. One of these, the Royal
Sovereign and Swiftsure, logged in a November 3, 1799 statement in its
ship records that declares that they came away with approximately 29
fathoms of water that came from the Bay.
Two Spanish battleships, St. Juan and 2 French Prizes, meanwhile, were
also recorded to have made a stop-over at Rosia Bay at around the same
year where they took on, not just water, but several sets of fresh
vegetables and beef.
Needless to say, there are strong indications that as early as then, Rosia
Bay has been actively involved, not only in shaping the history of
Gibraltar, but in helping shape the course of world history as well.
Trouble at the Tanks
Today, however, trouble is brewing in the Rosia Bay area. For starters,
the Rosia Water Tanks, considered a national treasure in Gibraltar, is
presently in danger of being demolished. In its place, a set of modern
flats and low-cost houses is set to be built, all in the name of progress.
Ironically, the housing project was given the title Nelson’s View in
reference to the late Captain Nelson of the Battle of Trafalgar.
Nevertheless, several cause-oriented organizations are spearheading a move
to have the planned demolition of the Rosia Water Tanks stopped. One of
these is the Save the Rosia Tanks Campaign, a group that is presently
asking for support in order to urge the government to change its decision
with regards to the building of several modern flats along the Rosia Water
Tanks area. The group said that while it supports the plan of the
government to provide Gibraltarians with affordable housing, this should
not be made at the basic expense of a certified Gibraltar national
heritage — the Rosia Water Tanks.
Another trouble hovering over the Rosia Bay horizon is the recent reports
that the Bay is suffering from an oil spill based on a sighting made by a
ship that has since remained anonymous. The said spill allegedly
originated from the western corner of the Gibraltar Strait, although the
source has yet to be determined. The Gibraltar Port Authority has
reportedly taken samples in efforts of identifying what kind of oil has
unfortunately engulfed the waters of Rosia Bay.
More recent reports, however, said the cause of the oil spill has already
been identified, and the culprit charged in court. Yuriy Boroday, the
captain of MV California, was asked to pay a fine of 500 pounds for
causing the oil spill on the Bay which took place when the cargo ship
docked at Gibraltar Bay for re-fueling purposes. The incident was purely
unintentional as a crack had unknowingly leaked in the fuel tank of the
ship. This caused the leakage, leading the oil to flow towards the ballast
tanks, then out into Rosia Bay.
The oil spill was considered quite minor and was known to have eventually
self-dispersed. Consequently, the Gibraltar Port Authority made no efforts
to adapt the appropriate counter-pollution actions as these were not
necessary.
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