The Għargħur Semaphore Tower ( mt, It-Torri tas-Semaforu tal-Għargħur) is a

semaphore Semaphore (; ) is the use of an apparatus to create a visual signal transmitted over distance. A semaphore can be performed with devices including: fire, lights, flags, sunlight, and moving arms. Semaphores can be used for telegraphy when arra ...

tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...

in the town of

Għargħur Għargħur ( mt, Ħal Għargħur) is a village in the Northern Region, Malta, Northern Region of Malta. It is situated on a hilltop between two valleys, and it has a population of 2,768 as of March 2014. Għargħur Festa In Malta, each village ...

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 by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

in 1848, as one of three semaphore towers in Malta. The tower was restored in 2009, and it is now in good condition.

History

The

semaphore telegraph Semaphore (; ) is the use of an apparatus to create a visual signal transmitted over distance. A semaphore can be performed with devices including: fire, lights, flags, sunlight, and moving arms. Semaphores can be used for telegraphy when arra ...

system was invented in 1792, and the British military authorities began to consider installing such a system in Malta in the early 1840s. Initially, it was planned that semaphore stations be established on the bell towers and domes of the island's churches, but the religious authorities rejected the proposal. Due to this, in 1848 new semaphore towers were constructed at Għargħur and

Għaxaq Għaxaq ( mt, Ħal Għaxaq, ) is a village in the Southern Region of Malta, with a population of 4,722 people as of March 2014. It is mainly a residential area surrounded by land used for agricultural purposes. The village's name is probably re ...

on the main island of Malta, and another was built at

Ta' Kenuna Taw, tav, or taf is the twenty-second and last letter of the Semitic abjads, including Phoenician Tāw , Hebrew Tav , Aramaic Taw , Syriac Taw ܬ, and Arabic ت Tāʼ (22nd in abjadi order, 3rd in modern order). In Arabic, it is also gives ri ...

in Nadur, Gozo. Further stations were established at the Governor's Palace in Valletta,

Selmun Palace Selmun Palace ( mt, Il-Palazz ta' Selmun), also known as Selmun Tower, is a villa on the Selmun Peninsula in Mellieħa, Malta. It was built in the 18th century by the Monte della Redenzione degli Schiavi, funded by the Monte di Pietà. The palace ...

near Mellieħa, and the

Giordan Lighthouse __NOTOC__ The Giordan, Ġordan or Ta' Ġurdan Lighthouse is an active lighthouse on the Maltese island of Gozo. It is located on a hill above the village of Għasri on the northern coast of the island. History An earlier lighthouse was known to e ...

near Għasri, Gozo. Each station was staffed by the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

The semaphore system became obsolete with the introduction of the

electrical telegraph Electrical telegraphs were point-to-point text messaging systems, primarily used from the 1840s until the late 20th century. It was the first electrical telecommunications system and the most widely used of a number of early messaging systems ...

, and all the stations in Malta were closed by the 1880s. In

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the Għargħur Semaphore Tower was used as an observation vantage point by men from the 2nd Battalion,

Royal Irish Fusiliers The Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's) was an Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army, formed by the amalgamation of the 87th (Prince of Wales's Irish) Regiment of Foot and the 89th (Princess Victoria's) Regiment of Foot in ...

. The tower eventually became private property, but it was taken over by the Għargħur Local Council in 2004. The building was restored by the local council, the Restoration Unit of the Works Division and Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna in 2009. The restoration mainly focused on the outer walls at ground level, which had been damaged by humidity. The interior of the tower, which dates back to when it was still in use, was also preserved. The tower, known in

Maltese Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of Malte ...

as ''it-Torri tas-Semaforu'', is now sometimes open to the public on special occasions.

Architecture

The Għargħur Semaphore Tower is identical to the towers at Għaxaq and Ta' Kenuna, consisting of three floors, each containing a single room. The floors are linked together and with the roof by a spiral staircase. The signalling equipment, consisting of a wooden pole with three movable arms, was located on the tower's roof.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gharghur Semaphore Tower Telegraph stations Għargħur Towers in Malta Towers completed in 1848 Limestone buildings in Malta