What is O'Hara's Battery and can visitors go there?

Short answer

O'Hara's Battery is a 9.2-inch gun emplacement at the highest point of the Rock, inside the Gibraltar Nature Reserve. Entry falls under the Nature Reserve ticket, but the official Nature Reserve page currently says the site is undergoing refurbishment, so check before you go.

Detailed answer

O'Hara's Battery sits on the southern summit of the Rock, at 426 metres according to the Ministry for Heritage, and is one of the Upper Batteries alongside Lord Airey's and Spur Batteries. The Mediterranean Steps finish at O'Hara's and Lord Airey's Batteries.

The battery was built between 1888 and 1890 and is named after Lieutenant General Charles O'Hara, Governor from 1795 to 1802. The site previously held a late 18th-century watchtower, known as O'Hara's Folly, intended to observe the Spanish fleet at Cádiz. After it was struck by lightning it was demolished in 1888 by gunfire from HMS Wasp. The first gun was a 6-inch breech-loader, replaced by a 9.2-inch Mark IX gun by 1900 and upgraded to a Mark X in 1935. The battery was fully manned in the Second World War and the gun was last fired on Wednesday 7 April 1976. Its range is around 26 kilometres.

After restoration the battery reopened to visitors on Wednesday 21 June 2023, with access to the gun platform restricted until work on the gun was complete. However, the Nature Reserve's own page for the battery now says the site is undergoing refurbishment and is not open to the public. Contact the Nature Reserve ([email protected]) before planning a visit.

When open, the battery is within the Nature Reserve and follows its hours: 09:00 to 18:15 from 1 October to 30 April (last entry 17:45) and 09:30 to 19:15 from 1 May to 30 September (last entry 18:45). The Nature Reserve ticket costs £30 for adults, £22 for children aged 5 to 11, and is free for children under 5. The Nature Reserve tickets page currently lists the cable car as closed for refurbishment.