Cutting a mortar out of solid rock was not an original event in Gibraltar. There was one already in existence below a fountain in the area now known as the Alameda Gardens. According to local historian George Palao the mortar had probably been constructed by either the Moors or the Spaniards just after the arrival of gunpowder in Europe and anywhere from the late 14th to the 15th century. But Healy’s was much bigger – and had the advantage of being better known. It was British.
It is hard to tell who Healy was – he is usually referred to in the literature as Mr. Healy – but he may have been a civilian working for Gibraltar’s chief engineer Lieutenant Colonel Green. If so Mr. Healy didn’t last long. Less than a year later Green became fed up with the difficulty of imposing military discipline on his civilian employees, created the Soldier Artificer Company – the future Royal Engineers – and got rid of the lot of them (From Neville Chipulina)
The plans are from 1975 – George Palao – Guns and Towers .
Cutting a mortar out of solid rock was not an original event in Gibraltar. There was one already in existence below a fountain in the area now known as the Alameda Gardens. According to local historian George Palao the mortar had probably been constructed by either the Moors or the Spaniards just after the arrival of gunpowder in Europe and anywhere from the late 14th to the 15th century. But Healy’s was much bigger – and had the advantage of being better known. It was British.
It is hard to tell who Healy was – he is usually referred to in the literature as Mr. Healy – but he may have been a civilian working for Gibraltar’s chief engineer Lieutenant Colonel Green. If so Mr. Healy didn’t last long. Less than a year later Green became fed up with the difficulty of imposing military discipline on his civilian employees, created the Soldier Artificer Company – the future Royal Engineers – and got rid of the lot of them (From Neville Chipulina)
The plans are from 1975 – George Palao – Guns and Towers .
