The hill upon which the Gazebo stands was retained when the land was being excavated for the construction of the original Dockyard.  It was used as a vantage point to give His Majesty King George III a good view of the Dockyard to the north and Plymouth Sound to the south.  It is said that he requested the hill be retained and not levelled along with the rest of the land.  The Gazebo was erected on the top of the hill in 1822 and the clock on the south side is inscribed with the words: 'To Perpetuate the Recollection of the Visit of His Majesty George III of Blessed  and Glorious Memory, and of His Majesty's Admiration of the Rock on Which it Stands, and the Scene Around, This Building was Erected in the Year 1822.'  It comprises a single room with four concave sides of French doors, in a rendered wooden frame, with eight fluted Doric columns and a tent-shaped lead covered roof.  It is accessed by a winding, pebbled path which passes a "grotto" and an ornamental fountain.

Under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 the whole site has Grade 2* Listed Building status.