Situated at the beginning of the 800 metre long parade of shops we call Main Street, 'Casemates' has café bars and restaurants of all descriptions from where you can sit and relax and watch the world go by. All of Gibraltar's life will walk past you and you may even spot the odd famous face from film or television in Gibraltar for a break. It was originally a barracks but more than that as its name suggests it was a store for ammunition hence the shape of all the buildings at one side of the square. The name comes from the Italian word Casamatta meaning 'Armed House'. It also was the site of Gibraltar's public executions the last one taking place in the 1860's in full view of the Garrison.
Looking to the south of the square you will find Main Street and it is along here that you will find everything a shopper would wish for! From perfume, alcohol, tobacco, clothing, linen to electrical goods like camera's, games consoles, DVD's and everything in between. As you get halfway up Main Street spend time to look at the piazza which stretches in front of our Parliament. Behind Parliament is John Macintosh Square which is also home to City Hall. Further south you will see the Courts of Justice inside of which John Lennon and Yoko Ono were married in March 1969, the King's Chapel is along a bit and next to that the Governors Residence, called the Convent, which was built in the late 1490's and was originally a convent for Franciscan Friars. This building sits resplendent across from the office of our Chief Minister known as No 6 Convent Place. Continue your walk through the arches of Referendum Gates and you will be at Trafalgar Cemetery and the Cable Car base station and Alameda Garden a further 5min walk beyond that.
How to get there:
Casemates Square is what locals call the start of the Main Street and is located at it's northern end. You can catch buse no3 or no9 from the frontier that will drop you off at Waterport from where you simply have to walk through the original city gates. Alternatively you can catch the no3 bus to the southern end, where you will also find the Cable Car base station and the Alameda Gardens, from where you can walk north back towards the frontier down the full length of the Main Street.