The People of Gibraltar

1330s - Puerta de los Baños  - Killed by a Breach in the Wall

This is another medieval sea-gate that was probably incorporated by Abu l Hasan's During his improvements of Gibraltar's defenses in the early 14th century 1  It was still there in the early 17th. Its location was near the Moorish Baths in front of an estate owned by a gentleman called Juan Serrano. 2

This unknown person must have been a gentleman of some substance - the small square in front of what is today the Gibraltar Museum was called La Plazuela de Juan Serrano and the narrow street from it to Main Street was known as la calle que va a la Plazuela de Juan Serrano. 3 None of the early 18th century maps that I have seen show the gate which suggests it may have been destroyed during the 17th by Spanish Engineers. 

Possible location of la Puerta de Baños south of La Puerta de Mar on what would have been the original Moorish Line Wall Defences ( 1720 - Hermann Moll - Adapted )

On the other hand it may have been destroyed during the construction of King's Bastion by the British Engineer, William Green in 1773 during his overhaul of every inch of the Rock's  fortifications. Puerta de los Baños might therefore go down in history as the first city gate ever to be destroyed by Green's newly formed Soldier Artificer Company - eventually to be known as the Royal Engineers. 

King's Bastion - part of the line wall shown in the middle section would have had to be destroyed in order to build it. Puerta de los Baños would have been to the right and just out of the picture ( Early 19th century - Unknown )

General Boyd, who was Governor at the time, was worried that the destruction of that part of the Line Wall would temporarily weaken the Rock's defences. He could, he wrote,  stomach being killed by a breach made by the enemy but not by one ordered by himself. 4

Another anomaly is that it was close to the Puerta de la Mudarra ( see LINK ) offering two weak points in that part of the Line Wall that defended  the middle of town. One disturbing explanation - from my point of view - might be that the Puerta de Mudarra and Baños were in fact one and the same gate and that -  like many others - it had simply changed its name.

Contradicting all the above - but without giving sources for their choices for the location of the Puerta de los Baños - are the local and Spanish historians, Kevin Lane and Ángel J Sáez Rodríguez respectively who both suggest a completely different place for the gate. 

Moorish Gibraltar - H = Puerta de los Baños

Moorish Gibraltar - 8 = Puerta de los Baños   (Kevin Lane )