The Penny Black was the world’s first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It was issued in Britain on 1 May 1840, for official use from 6 May of that year and features a profile of the Queen Victoria.

All London post offices received official issues of the new stamps but other offices throughout the United Kingdom did not, continuing to accept postage payments in cash only for a period. Post offices such as those in Bath began offering the stamp unofficially after 2 May 1840. (read more)

published May 28th, 2015

Elizabeth II (born 21 April 1926) is the first child of Prince Albert, Duke of York (later King George VI), and his wife, Elizabeth, Duchess of York (later Queen Elizabeth).

On Wednesday, 6 February 1952, Princess Elizabeth received the news of her father, King George VI’s death and her own accession to the throne, while staying in a remote part of Kenya. The Coronation took place in Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953. It was a solemn ceremony conducted by Dr Geoffrey Fisher, Archbishop of Canterbury.

In winter 1953 Her Majesty set out to accomplish, as Queen, the commonwealth tour she had begun before the death of her father. With The Duke of Edinburgh, she visited Bermuda, Jamaica, Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand, Australia, Ceylon, Uganda, Malta and Gibraltar. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited Gibraltar during the 10th and 11th May 1954. (read more)

published May 19th, 2015

The Ceremony of the Keys – Whenever His Excellency the Governor hosts an official banquet for honoured guests, the Port Sergeant will march into the dining hall in slow time preceded by a single drummer. He reports to the Governor:

(read more)

published January 4th, 2014

Article X of The Treaty of Utrecht 1713 (English translation)

The Catholic King does hereby, for himself, his heirs and successors, yield to the Crown of Great Britain the full and entire propriety of the town and castle of Gibraltar, together with the port, fortifications, and forts thereunto belonging; and he gives up the said propriety to be held and enjoyed absolutely with all manner of right for ever, without any exception or impediment whatsoever.

(read more)

published July 5th, 2013

The Mail Cart

The extension of rural deliveries to each household completed in 1897 saw the need for horsed mail carts as these communities were often not conveniently served by rail to allow mail from Head and Salaried Post Offices to be transported there.

(read more)

published June 22nd, 2013

The Gibraltar Football Association (GFA) was formed as the Gibraltar Civilian Football Association in 1895, changing to its current name in later years. It is the seventh oldest national football association in Europe and one of the oldest associations in the world.

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published May 31st, 2013

The first Gibraltar International Literary Festival will take place from 25th to 27th October 2013. The Festival, which will form part of our annual calendar of cultural events, will bring together a number of world-renowned writers who will take part in debates, discussions, interviews and talks on a variety of subjects.

(read more)

published May 18th, 2013

The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was the ceremony in which the newly ascended monarch, Elizabeth II, was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ceylon, and Pakistan, as well as taking on the role of Head of the Commonwealth.

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published February 2nd, 2013

The online philatelic business, www.wopa-stamps.com which is a division of the Gibraltar Philatelic Bureau has been awarded the 2012 Federation of Small Business Award for Innovation & Achievement in Gibraltar.

WOPA competed against many other businesses for the award and the prize was awarded to its Managing Director, Glendon Martinez at the Federation of Small Business annual dinner held on the 15^th November 2012 which was attended by over 150 business managers and saw presentations from the Chairman of the Gibraltar Federation of Small Businesses and the Chief Minister of Gibraltar. (read more)

published November 22nd, 2012

The Arabian Oryx (Oryx leucoryx) is a medium-sized antelope with a distinct shoulder hump, long, straight horns, and a tufted tail. It is a bovid, the smallest member of Oryx genus, native to desert and steppe areas of the Arabian Peninsula. The Arabian oryx was extinct in the wild by the early 1970s, but was saved in zoos and private preserves and reintroduced into the wild starting in 1980. In 1986, the Arabian oryx was classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List, and in 2011, it was the first animal to receive Vulnerable status again after having been listed as extinct in the wild. It is listed in CITES Appendix I. As of 2011, populations were estimated at over 1000 individuals in the wild, and 6000 – 7000 individuals in captivity worldwide.

(read more)

published November 14th, 2012

Gibraltar is commemorating the bicentenary of the birth of Charles John Huffam Dickens (7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) with a wonderful issue alongside institutions from all over the world, most notably the ‘Dickens 2012’ official celebration in the United Kingdom.

Charles Dickens was an English writer, generally considered to be the greatest novelist of the Victorian period and responsible for some of English literature’s most iconic novels and characters. During his lifetime Dickens’ works enjoyed unprecedented popularity and fame, and they remain popular today. It was in the twentieth century, however, that his literary genius was fully recognized by critics and scholars.

(read more)

published November 12th, 2012