The first coastal tower constructed by Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt (1601-1622) was built overlooking Mgarr harbour in Gozo in 1605 and named Garzes Tower after Grand Master Fra Martin Garzes, who left personal funds in his will for the building of the tower.

In his book Heritage Saved, published in 2002, Din l-Art Helwa council member and warden of Wignacourt Tower, Dr Stanley Farrugia Randon, says that in order to increase the coastal defences of the Maltese Islands, Grand Master Wignacourt offered to build more towers at his own expense. The first such tower was constructed in St Paul’s Bay and the Grand Master personally attended the blessing of the foundation stone on 10 February 1610. The tower was rightly named after the Grand Master and its design is attributed to the Maltese architect Vittorio Cassar.

The demolition of Garzes Tower by the British in the 19th century left Wignacourt Tower as the oldest surviving coastal defence post on the Maltese Islands. Other towers built by this Grand Master are St Lucian in Marsaxlokk in 1610, St Thomas watch tower in St Thomas Bay in 1614, Marsalforn watch tower in 1616 (now demolished), the Santa Maria Tower in Comino in 1618 and Saint Mary of Graces in Zabbar in 1620 (now demolished).

As can be seen from the old photograph, taken in 1951 when the tower was used as a telephone exchange, the original entrance to Wignacourt Tower was by a stone staircase that led to the upper floor from where those in the tower used to descend to the floor below by means of a rope or ladder. Though the staircase was eventually removed to make way for the road, the original arched entrance and door still remain. The present main entrance on the ground floor is, unfortunately, not the original.

The soldier in charge of the defence of the tower lived on the upper floor. He had his bed, a place for a fire with a ventilation shaft, a toilet and a well for fresh water. Timber holes in the walls suggest the existence of a secondary wooden floor, supported on beams, intended to provide sleeping quarters. The lower floor was accessible through a trap door and used for storage. A spiral staircase is now in place.

The garrison of Wignacourt Tower, which was commanded by a master bombardier, kept watch for signs of approaching enemy ships. In 1614, only four years after its construction, a strong attack by a Turkish fleet was launched. It seems that at the sight of the tower, the fleet landed at Mellieha, which was undefended until the building of the Red Tower (St Agatha’s) in 1648.

In 1715, a coastal battery was added to the tower to increase its fire power.

The armaments throughout most of the 18th century consisted of two six-pounder iron cannon, similar to the one deployed on the roof, and three 18-pounder iron cannon placed on the battery at the foot of the tower on the seaward side.

In 1770, the garrison in the tower was provided with 12 muskets with bayonets together with 500 cartridges, two pistols, 12 short infantry pikes called spontoons, and a sword.

In the 19th century the tower was used as a police station and as a telegraph post.

In 1970 the Lands Department leased the tower to Din l-Art Helwa after a call in the Government Gazette. When the Council of Europe announced that it would celebrate the Year of Architectural Heritage in 1975, Din l-Art Helwa decided to invest considerable funds in the restoration and preservation of Wignacourt Tower to commemorate the event. The restoration was unveiled on 10 February 1976.

In 1982, an agreement was signed between Din l-Art Helwa and the Socio-Cultural Institute of St Paul’s Bay as a result of which, for many years, the tower hosted an exhibition of traditional agricultural and fishing implements.

In 1994 a number of restoration projects were carried out on the external walls of the tower. Organic growth was removed and highly deteriorated masonry was replaced.

In 1997, the National Tourism Organisation (now the Malta Tourism Authority) generously sponsored further restoration of the tower.

The tower now houses a small museum. In 1998, an exhibition of models of fortifications around Malta, set up by Mr Stephen C. Spiteri, was opened, allowing visitors to become familiar with the history of our fortifications.

On the upper floor, reproductions of items and amenities were put in place to show how the occupants of the tower used to live and the armaments that they used. Some old photographs of the tower are exhibited in the roof turrets, together with other pictures related to Grand Master Wignacourt and his times.

On the roof a cannon on a carriage was restored. Soon afterwards, the local council embellished the surrounding area and floodlit the tower.

Further embellishment to improve facilities for visitors at this heritage site was sponsored by Bank of Valletta in 2004.

In line with the policy of Din l-Art Helwa to open its sites to the public, the tower is open to visitors from Monday to Saturday from 9.30 till noon for a small fee of 50c.

Readers are encouraged to be a guardian of Malta’s heritage by becoming a member of Din l-Art Helwa.

For more details, send an e-mail to info@dinlart

helwa.org indicating name and address, or visit Din l-Art Helwa’s website www.dinlarthelwa.org

Mr Rizzo is the treasurer of Din l-Art Helwa