Devil's Tower Road is a road in the

British Overseas Territory The British Overseas Territories (BOTs) or alternatively referred to as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs) are the fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom that, ...

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

. The road, in the northeastern part of the settlement, runs south of

Gibraltar International Airport Gibraltar International Airport, previously known as North Front Airport, is the civilian airport that serves the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The runway and aerodrome is owned by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), and operated by the Ro ...

, from Winston Churchill Avenue southeast to

Eastern Beach Road Eastern or Easterns may refer to: Transportation Airlines *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 192 ...

. It was named after

Devil's Tower Devils Tower (also known as Mato Tipila or Bear Lodge) is a butte, laccolithic, composed of igneous rock in the Bear Lodge Ranger District of the Black Hills, near Hulett and Sundance in Crook County, northeastern Wyoming, above the Belle Fo ...

, a seventeenth-century

watchtower A watchtower or guardtower (also spelt watch tower, guard tower) is a type of military/paramilitary or policiary tower used for guarding an area. Sometimes fortified, and armed with heavy weaponry, especially historically, the structures are ...

that was formerly at the eastern end of the road. By 2011, Devil's Tower Road had been changed to a dual carriageway, with on-street parking eliminated, and the Government's plan to change the name of the road to North Front Avenue met with community opposition. A new access road was planned, such that Winston Churchill Avenue, which crosses the airport

runway In aviation, a runway is an elongated, rectangular surface designed for the landing and takeoff of an aircraft. Runways may be a human-made surface (often asphalt concrete, asphalt, concrete, or a mixture of both) or a natural surface (sod, ...

, would no longer serve as the main road to the Gibraltar-Spain border to intersect with Devil's Tower Road after passing under the eastern edge of the runway. The new road and tunnel, named Kingsway with the approval of

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

, was officially opened on 31 March 2023.

Overview and early history

Devil's Tower Road is a

street A street is a public thoroughfare in a city, town or village, typically lined with Building, buildings on one or both sides. Streets often include pavements (sidewalks), pedestrian crossings, and sometimes amenities like Street light, streetligh ...

, the British Overseas Territory at the southern end of the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...

. The road, in northeastern Gibraltar, generally runs in an east–west direction; it is one of only two roads in Gibraltar to cross the full width of the peninsula. Located south of Gibraltar International Airport, North Front Cemetery, and Devil's Tower Camp, it extends from the

roundabout A roundabout, a rotary and a traffic circle are types of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junct ...

at Winston Churchill Avenue east to Eastern Beach Road and provides access to the northern and eastern sides of Gibraltar. The road was named after Devil's Tower, a seventeenth-century watchtower which was located at the eastern end of the road. The whole territory north of this road was not ceded by Spain to Britain in the Treaty of Utrecht and, therefore, Spain does not recognize the British administration on it.

Recent history

In May 2007, the Gibraltar government revealed plans for a new terminal at the Gibraltar International Airport, as well as the new road to the North Front which – per stipulations in the

Córdoba Agreement The Córdoba Agreement was an agreement between the governments of Government of Spain, Spain, the Government of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom and Government of Gibraltar, Gibraltar to establish a tripartite forum for co-operation on Gibra ...

– was not allowed to cross the runway. It was to be diverted, first passing along Devil's Tower Road. At the junction with Eastern Beach Road, there would be a roundabout. The new road, a four lane road, with two lanes in each direction, would U-turn to the north and parallel Eastern Beach Road. Then, it would go through a tunnel at the eastern end of the runway. After emerging on the north side, the new road would parallel the frontier extending to the west. The road would then split, with one branch leading to the terminal, North Front, and Winston Churchill Avenue, and the other leading to the border itself and the loop of road north of the runway. Winston Churchill Avenue would continue to cross the runway, but would only be used for emergencies or other exceptions. Pedestrian traffic across the runway would be unchanged. In May 2009, the government announced that Devil's Tower Road would be changed to a divided highway, to connect the new road at the North Front with Winston Churchill Avenue. In addition, the route of the road's eastern end would be linked with a new roundabout adjacent to Eastern Beach. The redevelopment of the road continued into 2011. After the change of Devil's Tower Road to a dual carriageway, parking on the road was eliminated. Instead, parking spaces were made available at a new parking garage on Devil's Tower Road and an enlarged parking lot at Forbes' Quarry. In May 2011, the Government of Gibraltar revealed that it was renaming Devil's Tower Road as North Front Avenue, as it would no longer pass in close proximity to the former site of Devil's Tower. The proposal was met with opposition, from both citizens and political parties, owing to the historical significance of the road and perceivedly unnecessary inconvenience to residents. The

Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party The Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party (GSLP) is a social-democratic political party in Gibraltar. The GSLP is the oldest surviving active political party in Gibraltar. Its roots are based in the trade union movement, as its founder and former lea ...

(GSLP)/Liberal Opposition suggested instead that the road be named Bishop Devlin Avenue to commemorate the late Bishop

Bernard Devlin Bernard Devlin, (15 December 1824 – 7 February 1880) was an Irish-born lawyer, counsel to the Abraham Lincoln administration of the United States Government during the most northerly engagement of the United States Civil War, Quebec-bas ...

, the former pastor of St. Theresa's Church for many years, who was said to have always been "uncomfortable for a church to be located in a road of that name." On 2 June 2011, a one-hour silent protest organized by lawyer Patrick Canessa was held over the announced plans to change the names of both Devil's Tower Road and Cannon Lane. The project for a new road has since been cancelled, reportedly for "the contractor's failure to comply with the terms of the contract and to proceed with the works as required by the contract." This decision was met with legal action from the contractor, the Spanish-based Obrascón Huarte Lain. In August 2012, Gibraltar's government began a new tender process for construction of an access road and tunnel, with the closing date for submission of bids 12 Oct 2012.

Notable buildings and monuments

* The North Front Cemetery, established in 1756, is the only cemetery still in use in Gibraltar. A section for

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

was opened in 1848, after Jews' Gate Cemetery on Windmill Hill was closed for burials on 6 May 1848. The North Front Cemetery is the only

Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...

Cemetery in Gibraltar. * The Gibraltar Memorial and the Gibraltar Cross of Sacrifice were erected by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission at the corner of Devil's Tower Road and Winston Churchill Avenue. The monuments commemorate the fallen of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. * The foundation stone of the new St. Theresa's Church was laid in 1992 by Bishop Devlin. St. Theresa's had formally become a parish in 1974. However, Mass has been celebrated for "parishioners" since the end of World War II. *

Devil's Tower Camp Devil's Tower Camp is a military installation located just south-east of Gibraltar International Airport on the isthmus between Spain and Gibraltar. History The site dates back to 1713 when Spain ceded land to the United Kingdom under the Treat ...

is the headquarters of the

Royal Gibraltar Regiment The Royal Gibraltar Regiment is part of British Forces Gibraltar for the British overseas territory of Gibraltar, which historically, along with Bermuda, Halifax, Nova Scotia (prior to the 1867 Confederation of Canada), and Malta, had been d ...

. It is one of the four major remaining

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

sites, the others being the Naval Base, the Airfield, and Four Corners. * The Princess Royal Medical Centre at Devil's Tower Camp replaced the

Royal Naval Hospital Gibraltar The Royal Naval Hospital Gibraltar (RNH Gibraltar), formerly the British Military Hospital Gibraltar (BMH Gibraltar), was a military hospital founded c. 1903 to provide healthcare for British military personnel and local sailors. The facility, l ...

, which closed in 2008. The following year, on 5 March 2009, the medical centre was inaugurated by

Anne, Princess Royal Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950) is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of King ...

. * The Devil's Tower Emplacement is a

monument. A plaque on the

bunker A bunker is a defensive military fortification designed to protect people and valued materials from falling bombs, artillery, or other attacks. Bunkers are almost always underground, in contrast to blockhouses which are mostly above ground. T ...

reads: "The Devil's Tower Emplacement Guarding The Caledonian Canal and Tank Trap which Existed Some Metres In Front Of This Spot During World War II (1939 -1945)."

Gallery

File:North Front Cemetery.jpg, North Front Cemetery File:War memorial in Gibraltar 2005 2.jpg, Gibraltar Memorial File:War memorial in Gibraltar 2005.jpg, Gibraltar Cross of Sacrifice File:Devils Tower Camp, Gibraltar.jpg,

File:Eastern Beach 2.jpg, Princess Royal Medical Centre

References

External links

Google map of Devil's Tower Road

{{Streets in Gibraltar Streets in Gibraltar History of Gibraltar