Bradshaw’s was the short name given to several publication covering railway timetables and travel guide books for different places in the world written by George Bradshaw and published by W.J. Adams of London. The first one was Bradshaw's Railway Time Tables and Assistant to Railway Travelling which was published in 1839.
Bradshaw’s 1866 Edition of the Continental Railway, Steam Transit and General Guide for Travellers throughout Europe was short, sweet and mostly uncomplimentary about Gibraltar. Reading it one gets the impression that the only reason why its readers should visit the Rock was because they absolutely had to. The following is the sum total of what they had to say:
Gibraltar: Pop. 15 000 to 20 000 - Hotels - Club House, Griffith’s, Francaise
The Club House Hotel ( 1860s )
The Griffiths’ Hotel (Unknown)
Exchange newsroom accessible. (See LINK) All along the coast of Spain most disagreeable to land and embark, all done by boats and Gibraltar as bad as any.
Main Street with the Exchange and Commercial Library on the left - Surprisingly Bradshaw’s fails to mention the much more well-known – to the British at any rate – Garrison Library (See LINK) ( 1820 – Henry Sandham ) (See LINK)
Conveyances: None whatever inland; steamers on uncertain days, about one or two times a week to Cadiz, to Malaga and to Tangiers.
Tangiers (Africa) . . . Three hours from Gibraltar. Steamers twice a week or oftener, but on no fixed days. . . . It is interesting as having belonged to England from 1662 to 1684.
. . . .The route from Gibraltar to Ronda is very grand, but is three days mule journey and not without danger . . .
Wondrous fortifications; and permission easily got to visit the galleries, from the signal tower of which there is a magnificent view; as also from the many other batteries. The harbour, with the coaling steamers, is interesting; as likewise the markets with many strange varieties of fish. Oranges and other fruit plentiful. Rain water only used here. One extensive and beautiful promenade and a great variety of dresses, Moorish, Spanish and British.
“Wondrous fortifications” with the Moorish Castle (see LINK) in the distance (1860s - Carl Goebel ) (See LINK)
The Signal Station - which was right at the top of the Rock more or less at the end of Charles V Wall (See LINK) - did not from part of the Galleries (see LINK) which were of course excavations inside the Rock. The coaling steamers were coal hulks (see LINK) of which there were more than a few anchored in the Bay were mostly largish sailing ships. The extensive and beautiful promenade must have been that of Kingsway.
( Late 19th century Postcard )
The drive to Europa point and back to the Neutral Ground and village of San Roque is very beautiful. The Military Prison and Convict establishment (see LINK) well worth seeing.
At Gibraltar the currency is different to that of Spain. Accounts are kept in dollars, reals which have no existence of the imaginary value of one-twelfth of a dollar and quarts equal imaginary of the supposed value of one sixteenth of a real.
The coinage in actual circulation consists of Spanish gold and species dollars, one half dollars (silver) Spanish quarter dollars and one eighth dollar pieces not now circulating in Spain, and there being no real quart, any coin of any country or any button if about the size of an English farthing, is current for the one one-hundredth and ninety second part of a dollar, and other pieces of copper in like proportion.
Again, taking Bradshaw’s at face value one would get the impression that Gibraltar was almost cut off from the rest of civilisation. The 1866 ship timetables shown in the book suggests otherwise.
From Alexandria – Egypt – in 8 days on the P and O line.
From Cadiz on the 4th 14th and 24th of every month
To Cadiz, Lisbon, Vigo and St Nazaire on the 9th 19th and 22nd of every month
From St Nazaire to Gibraltar – unspecified French Steamers available
From Lisbon to Gibraltar on the 2nd, 12th and 22nd of every month
All three above on the Fluvial and Maritime Steam-Packet Co
From Liverpool in 6 days every 14 days
From Liverpool to Gibraltar several times a month on Burn’s and MacIver’s First Class Steamers
From London to Gibraltar in 6 to 7 days weekly – Agents Messrs John Hall and Company
From Malta to Gibraltar on the 8th 18th and 28th at 8 am.
From Oran to Gibraltar – once a month
From Southampton to Gibraltar in 5 days by P and O on the 4th, 12t, 20th and 27th of every month
All steamers from England call at Gibraltar
From Vigo to Gibraltar on the 8th, 18th, and 28th of every month by the Fluvial
From Smyrna – unspecified steamers
It was a timetable that would remain more or less unchanged despite the advent of steam right up to at least 1894. All in all a rather uninformative guide to the Rock – apart from the ship timetables!
