To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the British Occupation of Manila and Cavite (1762 – 1764), the Philippine Map Collectors Society and the Embassy of the United Kingdom have collaborated to shed more light on and draw lessons from this little known event in Philippine history.
The British invasion and two-year occupation of the capital of the Philippines during Spanish colonial times had profound effects on our history. It brought new political ideas to the Philippines, and helped open the country to foreign commerce. After the British left in 1764, the defensive perimeter of old Manila had to be completely redesigned. Wide open spaces were created around the walls of Intramuros and along the original moat. Today, we still enjoy these open spaces in the form of parks, public gardens, wide avenues, and formal sites for public buildings.
