Gibraltar Caves Project

The Gibraltar Caves Project was born in 1989 out of a contact between the present Curator and a team from the British Museum and the Natural History Museum in London. It all started with the revisiting of the magnificent Gorham’s Cave site which had been partially excavated in the 1950s. The project continues to the present day, with annual excavations by an international, multidisciplinary team. One result of this work has been the inscription of the Gorham's Cave Complex as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Gibraltar Caves Project has expanded over the years to include the production of an inventory of Gibraltar’s caves, currently at 214. It has also involved varied excavations of archaeological sites (other than Gorham’s Cave) representing Neanderthals (Vanguard and Ibex Caves), Neolithic peoples (Europa Point Cave and Goat’s Hair Twin Caves) and the Bronze Age (Bray’s Cave) among others.

In addition the Gibraltar National Museum takes an active role in the study of the natural history of the limestone caves, particularly its bats and rock-dwelling birds (particularly Crag Martins and Pallid Swifts).

The team regularly collaborates with the Gibraltar Botanical Gardens and the Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society in some areas of mutual interest.