One of the smallest and most overlooked squares in Gibraltar is Governor’s Parade. The name is derived from the nearby residences of the first three British governors during the early 18th century. It was temporarily renamed Gunner’s Parade when a Royal Artillery Barracks was built on the site in 1802. Two years later, a shopkeeper who lived here was the first person to contract yellow fever, an epidemic that would kill over 6,000 people within the first 12 months. The same year, the prestigious Garrison Library building was finished on the plaza’s eastern edge. Fifty years later, St Andrew’s Church was dedicated on the south side.
