Gibraltar Museum

The Gibraltar Museum is a national museum of history, culture and natural history located within the city centre of the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. Founded in 1930 by the then Governor of Gibraltar, General Sir Alexander Godley, the museum houses an array of displays portraying The Rock's millennia-old history and the unique culture of its people. The museum also incorporates the remains of a 14th-century Moorish bath house. Its director since 1991 is Prof. Clive Finlayson.HistoryBackgroundThere were several unsuccessful attempts to establish a museum in Gibraltar during the 19th century. Important local finds could not be kept on The Rock because there was no museum. This meant that the first known adult Neanderthal skull (the so-called Gibraltar skull) went to the Natural History Museum in London. This was only the second Neanderthal fossil ever to be found, and it was excavated at Forbes' Quarry on the north face of the Rock of Gibraltar in 1848.