Censu Galea, Minister for Competitiveness and Communications, paid a visit to Delimara lighthouse which has been fully restored in collaboration between the Malta Maritime Authority and Din l-Art Helwa.

Built in 1854, the Delimara Lighthouse has served as a beacon to shipping as well as a landmark of British architecture in the southernmost tip of Malta. In March, 2006, the Malta Maritime Authority entered into an agreement for the lighthouse to be restored and administered by Din l-Art Helwa.

“This was a challenging restoration due to the high elevation of the lantern, and involved the removal of later structures which detracted from the architecture of the building,” Mr Galea said.

The main phase of the restoration is now complete, and what remains is the conclusion of the bathrooms and the difficult restoration of the light mechanism, most of which is intact and in place.

The Malta Maritime Authority has previously collaborated with Din l-Art Helwa on the restoration of Santa Marija Tower on Comino, where it funded the restoration of the tower, contributing e60,564 (Lm26,000) to save it. In the case of the Delimara lighthouse, the authority has funded e30,282 (Lm13,000) of the restoration works.

Until 1896, the lighthouse boasted a static red lantern but this was replaced by a more powerful gasoline lamp, operated by a hand-wound mechanism that produced beams of alternating red and white light flashed at intervals of 30 seconds. Its arc of visibility ranged from a bearing of 19 to 295 degrees up to a range of 19 nautical miles.