Delimara Tower ( mt, Torri ta' Delimara), originally known as ''Torre della Limara'', was a small
watchtower
A watchtower or watch tower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is to ...
on the
Delimara Peninsula
The Delimara peninsula (''Maltese: Dellimara'') is a peninsula located on the southeastern tip of the island of Malta's South Eastern Region, forming half of Marsaxlokk's coast on Marsaxlokk Bay. The towns of Marsaxlokk and Birżebbuġa are loca ...
, in the limits of
Marsaxlokk
Marsaxlokk () is a small, traditional fishing village in the South Eastern Region of Malta. It has a harbour, and is a tourist attraction known for its views, fishermen and history. As at March 2014, the village had a population of 3,534. The ...
,
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
. It was built in 1659 as the tenth
De Redin tower, and an
artillery battery was later built nearby in 1793. Both the tower and the battery have been demolished.
History
Delimara Tower was built in 1659 at the tip of
Delimara Point. It followed the standard design of the
De Redin towers
The De Redin Towers ( mt, Torrijiet ta' De Redin) are a series of small coastal watchtowers built in Malta by the Order of Saint John between 1658 and 1659. Thirteen towers were built around the coast of mainland Malta, eight of which still surv ...
, having a square plan with two floors and a turret on the roof. A feature unique to Delimara Tower was that it had
machicolations. It also had a buttress at the base, implying that it had some structural weaknesses. A similar buttress still exists at
Triq il-Wiesgħa Tower.
Delimara Tower had
Xrobb l-Għaġin Tower in its line of sight to the northeast, and
Bengħisa Tower to the southwest. A mortar battery was built near the tower in 1793.
Both the tower and battery were demolished by the British to clear the line of fire of the nearby
Fort Delimara
Fort Delimara ( mt, Il-Fortizza ta' Delimara) is a polygonal fort in Marsaxlokk, Malta. It was built between 1876 and 1888 by the British as part of a chain of fortifications intended to protect Marsaxlokk Harbour. Today, the fort is still intact ...
.
References
De Redin towers
Batteries in Malta
Towers completed in 1659
Buildings and structures completed in 1793
Demolished buildings and structures in Malta
Marsaxlokk
Former towers
1659 establishments in Malta
{{Malta-geo-stub