University College London deepens engagement with Northern Defences

A group of 60 students from University College London (UCL) recently visited the Northern Defences as part of the institution’s ongoing academic engagement with Gibraltar.

This marks the largest UCL cohort to visit the site since visits began in 2017.

Students visited the Northern Defences for the first time when works had hardly commenced and the area was almost inaccessible.

Over the years, the area has been exposed and students allowed to witness how historical sites have been adapted to serve modern-day uses.

Visits have in the past usually been of 15-25 students, but the 60 visitors this year suggests growing student interest.

The UCL visits provided an international perspective on the significance of the Northern Defences and their integration into Gibraltar’s cultural and educational landscape.

Professor Jason Dittmer who has been leading the team said: "We visit Gibraltar to learn about its historical importance, but also to study how the past is being used creatively to make the Gibraltarian present and future.”

“The Northern Defences are a great example of a historical site that is being conserved but also made useful to Gibraltarians.”

“We also visit to practice methods of geographical fieldwork, and this year students mapped the cultural landscape of Gibraltar, walking every street and utilising new technologies to produce maps.”

Professor Dittmer has also contributed to the newly launched local teacher education resource package presented at the 2025 Education Conference, supplying maps and data to support learning and enhance understanding of the site’s historical evolution.

Carl Viagas, Government project manager who has worked closely with UCL, said: “The relationship has developed from a collaboration in providing guided visits of the defences and explaining their significance to a friendship between nerds.”

Future plans involve a collaboration in research and developing the teacher resource package to include the possibility of material to a local history GCSE level.