A Squadron of the Red arriving in the bay before Gibraltar, with the flagship firing a salute to alert the town and fortress beyond

Captured from Spain in July 1704, during the War of the Spanish Succession, and ceded to Britain in perpetuity at the Peace of Utrecht (1713), Gibraltar, standing as it does at the gateway to the Mediterranean, has been a vital pillar of British foreign policy for two-hundred-and-fifty years. Despite numerous Spanish attempts to dislodge the Union Flag, including the Great Siege of 1779-83, the 'Rock' has remained resolutely British to this day and has provided a safe haven for the Royal Navy for generations of sailors and their ships.

A comparable but smaller view of Gibraltar by Francis Swaine was sold at Sotheby's, London, 14 March 1984, as lot 12.

For a note on Francis Swaine, please see lot 15.