history of san Roque
Prehistoric remains show the signs of life long ago and proof of the later settlements of Romans, Visigoths, Arabs and Castilians. But the main creation and subsequent growth of San Roque came about after the 4th August 1704, when Spain lost Gibraltar to the British. By 1706, the Spanish, most of whom rejected the occupying British offer to continue living under the foreign jurisdiction, had taken up residence in the Ermita (Hermitage) de San Roque, around which the construction of the town of San Roque began. To this day San Roque still has the same Coat of Arms which was originally conceded by los Reyes Católicos (Catholic King and Queen) to Gibraltar. Felipe V always referred to San Roque as "The City of Gibraltar", with the epithet "Most Honourable and Most Royal". During the 20th Century the municipality became an important industrial area and from the 1950's onward it began to develop as a tourist destination, especially in the area of the estuary of the Guadalete River. Since that time the municipality of San Roque has gradually grown, while the Village has retained much of its original identity and charm.
