The Cottonera Waterfront Group plc, a private consortium, has already carried out the restoration of the Caraffa Stores on the Birgu Waterfront, and has begun cleaning work on Fort St Angelo, before commencing restoration on significant parts of the fort. The cleaning of debris from the wardrooms and the distillation plant is scheduled to begin by the year’s end. The consortium is working to a 99-year lease from the government.

The water distillation plant was built by the British around 100 years ago, outside the walls of the fort on the water’s edge, to convert sea-water for drinking purposes. The decision to build the plant was taken by the Admiralty in London in 1903, because of grave concern about the precarious water supply situation and its adverse effects on the naval base in Malta.

The distillation plant was built four metres behind the line of the Grunenbergh battery, around three metres above sea level. It consists of two large rooms which are independent of the bastion wall. Roofing in both rooms is by the traditional system of soft-stone slabs supported on rolled steel joists. The exterior walls are of rough-hewn hard-stone blocks, to withstand the effect of the sea during the frequent winter storms caused by the gregale winds, at a time when the breakwater across the mouth of Grand Harbour had not yet been

constructed.

The fresh water produced by the plant was pumped into an underground 922-ton capacity reservoir at the upper level of Fort St Angelo. Seawater was supplied through a 388-ton capacity underground tank.

Architectural heritage specialist Michael Ellul, who is a consultant to the Cottonera Waterfront Group on the Fort St Angelo project, said that an opening in the bastion wall just behind the plant leads to a flight of stairs with a right angle turn, which is blocked at the upper end and probably leads up to the fort. Another opening in the bastion wall leads to an irregular vaulted room, with a narrow passage with steps, that connects with this flight of stairs.

Adjacent to the distillation plant is a defensive complex of five vaults, each with a separate entrance, and the battery built by Grunenbergh between 1688 and 1690. This guarded Kalkara Creek, which it overlooks. To the east of the plant is a fleur d’eau (water-level battery) which was also built by Grunenbergh. The arches of its vaults were destroyed by a violent gregale in 1848.