The New Four Corners

I would like to assuage the public's fears about unwanted people being able to wander into Gibraltar as I myself was apprehended by HM Customs one Sunday morning when I unknowingly took a step too far… 

In the build up to the Spain-Gibraltar frontier being eliminated at midnight on 14 July 2026 there was much talk about the logistics. Surely the whole fence wasn’t coming down? Can people simply wander in and out at any point along the technical ‘line’ that divides the two countries? The arguments rumbled on and on and nobody really knew what would happen until 15 July and even then, we were all kept waiting as El Guapo himself, Pedro Sánchez, rocked up to La Línea in a classy suit and brought everything to a grinding halt. Not for the first time was that area witness to gridlock, but now it was for historic and momentous reasons so anyone who missed their hospital appointments or their flights from Malaga airport simply had to suck it up. 

Sánchez, the first serving Spanish Prime Minister to visit the border in this capacity, called the occasion the fall of "the last wall in continental Europe" and described the long-standing border fence as an "open wound" for cross-border workers. Despite the symbolic cooperation, the tall, dark and debonair Premier remained strictly on the Spanish side of the isthmus and did not step one foot onto Gibraltar territory. 

The most symbolic moment was ‘liftoff’, when construction cranes hoisted the black iron frontier gates off their hinges and up into the air amidst cheering onlookers. What happened to those gates? Unsurprisingly there’s a Spanish gate and a Gibraltarian gate and both were taken into the care of their respective museums/archivists to be repaired and preserved. The remaining chain-link fencing and barbed wire were taken off leaving only stumps and remnants behind. So, it was true, the whole fence had been removed which meant anyone could meander in and out at their leisure. I was curious to see if that was really possible so early one morning I set off to Four Corners.  

My first act of anarchy was to walk into Spain ‘the wrong way’ i.e. north through the Gibraltar customs building. It was surreal going through the empty, echoing corridor with not one official to be seen. Once I passed into Spain, I took an immediate left turn between the original pyramid sentry box and the Spanish passport control room. The fence was not there! Instead, there was a concrete footpath with the gated MOD Four Corners Estate to my left and total open space to my right which led directly to the small dog beach. 

I had reached the furthest western point so turned back and retraced my steps. All the official Spanish buildings are locked so pedestrians must now walk along the pavements in the open air. The light and space are palpable, and the scene is exactly like those familiar old photos where people hold up babies beside the famous pillars. It was like stepping back in time but to an era long before barriers and guards, the instinct to search in one’s bag for passport and ID is still there, that nervous, edgy feeling that questions may be asked. It’s going to take a while before that Pavlovian response ends.  

There’s a row of trees along the Gib-to-Spain traffic loop which create a natural dividing line, and I zigzagged in an out of these towards the rear of the airport terminal. I then walked back into Gibraltar via the commercial goods entrance and turned left towards the tunnel to see if I could get into Spain another way. That area was closed off with a fence and a large Toyota sign, so I returned the way I came and headed east towards the sea along Avenida de La Velada. When I reached the Santa Barbara beach, I followed the boardwalks south and had the bizarre experience of being in a vast, sandy wasteland stretching across the two territories; the old fence had vanished, all that was left were solitary posts. Now in Gibraltar I went to the furthest eastern point where the rocks lead down to the waters of Mala Bahía. There I turned back and strolled along the tarmacked road when I noticed a Land Rover coming my way. It stopped and I was questioned by the three young HM Customs officials seated inside. They asked me what I was doing and then told me I could not remain in that area. When I asked them why, they simply said it was Gibraltar and I was not allowed there (there were no signs telling people not to). If I wanted to walk any further, I must go back into Spain (this involved me taking one simple step to the side),so I followed their orders and away they went.  

As I ventured west along Calle Feriantes, I took in the wide expanse before me and thought of the positive opportunities it could bring, so long as sensible decisions were made. When the Berlin Wall came down huge swathes of land became available, but Berlin is one city inside one country, whereas Gibraltar and Spain will require two different national jurisdictions to swallow their pride and sit together around a drawing board.   

When people enter Gibraltar through the customs building, they are corralled along a tiny pavement and penned in by concrete bollards, why? It’s a nightmare for wheelchair users and the visually impaired and makes no sense. The first thing visitors see are two hideous portacabins which cause an immediate blockage. The classic red phone box has been removed, and it now forms part of a new trio which are (oddly) emblazoned with Union Jacks and situated a long way off by the airport.  

Thousands of people cross the frontier each day and most walk straight ahead to cross the runway into town. By contrast 99% of vehicles turn an immediate left and head towards Kingsway. It’s obvious that the western entry point should now be one wide walkway with bicycle lanes. We have acres of space to play with yet still cars take priority over pedestrians and a prime spot is used as a bus depot; is that really what we want people to see the minute they come out of the airport or through the border? 

It’s difficult not to make Berlin comparisons and today Checkpoint Charlie is a bustling tourist hotspot. It features the iconic US guardhouse, photo-ops with actors dressed in military gear, souvenir shops and museums. The Gibraltar passport control building could be transformed into a heritage centre; the old gates could form a stunning backdrop and there the story of our historic frontier could be told. Spain could do the same on their side and bring back Nacho Falgueras’s incredible six-metre-long mural ‘The Exodus from Gibraltar’.  

I can see it all but can the politicians? 

(*) Rebecca Calderon is an author and playwright. She was actively involved in politics in the past, having been an executive member of the Gibraltar National Party and later the Gibraltar Liberal Party. She subsequently stood as a candidate for the Progressive Democratic Party in the 2011 general election. She has not been a member of any political party since 2013, but since 2022 has been an active member of Action for Housing, a voluntary pressure group.