Streets in Gibraltar - Grand Casemates Square

Grand Casemates Square

Grand Casemates Square (also known colloquially as Casemates Square or Casemates) is the largest of the two main squares within the city centre (the other being John Mackintosh Square). The square takes its name from the British-built Grand Casemates, a casemate and bombproof barracks at the northern end of the square completed in 1817. The square is lined with numerous pubs, bars and restaurants. and acts as the gateway into Gibraltar's city centre for most tourists. In the past, public executions used to be done at Casemates Square of this street. Main Street extends southward from the square. The area at one time constituted part of the Spanish town Villa Vieja. It was later referred to as Casemates, a term which refers to an arched chamber in a fortification. The damage to this area during the Siege of Gibraltar (1727) was sufficiently severe that the British opted to demolish the buildings and make an esplanade.