Wignacourt Tower, as it was c.1863 (before the buildings and the road encroached!)

At some point on a visit to Malta, you’re bound to spot a coastal defence tower dating from the time of the Knights of St John. Summer visitors reclining on Ghajn Tuffieha or Golden Bay beaches will see one rising on the rocky peninsula between the bays. Another easy-to-spot tower acts as a cafe on the Sliema to St Julian’s seafront.

Until recently, I’d never visited one. But my son’s fascination for these ‘mini-castles’ as he put it meant we ended up twice at the Wignacourt Tower in St Paul’s Bay within as many weeks. Amazingly, given the tower’s small, squat shape, we spent a good hour or more over the detailed displays of maps, texts and models and enjoyed a very thorough guided talk.

Malta’s national trust, Din l’Art-Helwa, runs Wignacourt Tower and last month, February 2010, it celebrated the 400th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone of the tower. It also marked the 34th anniversary of the restoration on the tower by Din l-Art Helwa.

Victor Rizzo, the treasurer of the organisation, talks here about Wignacourt, Malta’s oldest surviving coastal tower.

Wignacourt Tower

The first coastal tower constructed by the Knights 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 this tower.

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 tower was constructed in St Paul’s Bay and the Grand Master personally attended for the blessing of the foundation stone on 10 February, 1610. The tower was rightly named after the Grand Master. Its design is attributed to the Maltese architect Vittorio Cassar.

As Garzes Tower was demolished by the British in the 19th century, it leaves Wignacourt Tower as the oldest surviving coastal defence post on the Maltese Islands.

Layout & Living Quarters
The original entrance to Wignacourt Tower was through a stone staircase which led to the upper floor; from here, occupants would have to use a rope or ladder to descend to the floor below (today’s entrance at road level). 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 for visitors.

The Tower in Action
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 construction, a strong attack by a Turkish fleet was launched. It seems that at the sight of the tower, the fleet entered through Mellieha which was not defended until the building of the Red Fort in 1649.

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 6-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 its seaward side.

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. The restoration was inaugurated on 10 February 1976.

The Tower as a Museum today
The tower now houses a small museum. In 1998, an exhibition of models of fortifications around Malta, set up by Dr. Stephen Spiteri (now Superintendent of Fortifications) was opened. The upper floor houses reproductions of items to show how the occupants of the tower used to live and the armaments they used. In the roof turrets some old photos of the tower are exhibited together with other pictures related to Grand Master Wignacourt and his times. On the roof, is a restored cannon.

Visitor Information
The tower is open to visitors from Monday to Saturday from 9.30 till noon for a small fee of €2. For further information, see the Din l’Art-Helwa website.

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Kiosk Kitsch - American diner style. Just one of the wonders of this walk.

If you mention Qawra, Bugibba and St Paul’s Bay all in the same breath to a local, it’s likely to trigger the same emotions as mentioning ‘Bognor’ to someone from Britain. That is, images of a slightly tawdry traditional seaside town that’s seen better days.

These northern resort towns in Malta are largely the domain of British tourists, and the Maltese traders here – from hoteliers to street hawkers – tend to offer up goods and services that will look very familiar to any British person. One hoarding today advertising a snack bar had the words ‘chip butty’ on it. I am not sure continental visitors – and there were some Germans and Italians walking the front today – would know what that is.

But in winter, the couple of kms walk are largely reclaimed by the Maltese – you’ll see sporty, Lycra-clad power walkers, joggers, and lots of families with pull-along sit-on toys, bikes with outriders and buggies just about making it to McDonald’s. Here, an outdoor play area can work out any extra energy the kids have left (though the Golden Arches has removed the much-loved castle replacing it with a ‘gym’ that seems only open when animation is on hand).

There are plenty of things to amuse you (and any kids) on the way. Kiosks take pride of place, underlying the Maltese propensity to never be far away from refreshments.  Many of them are open on a Sunday walk, serving anything from hot and cold drinks to meals.  They also provide shelter from the wind, and rest for tired legs. Here are some other highlights en route:

1. Planets for the kids
The Malta Astronomical Society has devised a ‘planet walk’ with scale models of our solar system along the Qawra to Bugibba stretch. Kids love rotating the planets and reading the info on them, and racing to find the next one!

2. Views of St Paul’s islands
Don’t look landward (at the architectural mishaps dating from the ’60s – ’80s), look seaward. This front has some of the most interesting views of any paved stretch of coastline. Natural, rugged parts, St Paul’s Island with its statue, Selmum palace on the ridge across the bay, and so on. Just before the Wignacourt Tower are mounted binoculars (50c to view) with narration (choose from around five languages) about St Paul’s Island. It’s called, apparently, ‘religious tourism’ by the Malta Tourism Authority.

3. Spray & Wind
This side of Malta tends to get the prevailing winds in winter, so even when you’re well back from the sea, the wind blasts the spray your way. As you round the Bugibba bay area, expect to get wet if the wind is very strong! It’s exhilerating though, and a great New Year’s walk.

4. Name & Sign spotting
In the built-up stretch in Bugibba, enjoy spotting weird shop names on establishments, open all hours and days, selling various souvenirs, jewellery, papers and unclassifiable goods. Bars, kiosks and restaurants have great names too. A particularly amusing sign post indicates that ‘horse bathing’ is not permissible here. Anyone seen this road sign in another country, I wonder?

5. Wacky street furniture & public loos
As you round corner on the last part towards Wignacourt Tower, the seafront takes on a more contemporary feel in its lighting and in the ship’s bow design of the concrete stairway to the higher road. We’ve changed local council district here, and it shows! In the same style is the latest in public toilets right by Sirens’ Waterpolo pitch and restaurant-bar. These have to be the ultimate in public conveniences in Malta, so use them before the graffiti takes hold.

6. Wignacourt Tower
A perfect end to the walk, this stocky watch tower was built by order of Grand Master Olof de Wignacourt in 1610 and is the oldest surviving one in Malta. It is run by Malta’s National Trust, Din l- Art-Helwa (this fair land, in literal translation). Trust volunteers open it most days, but do check the website for full details of opening times. The Sunday we were there, the man in charge was exceptionally knowledgeable and gave our group a comprehensive guided tour of this small, but charming heritage site. His talk covered the entire history of the Knights in Malta plus copious details about their fortifications and defences.

Photo: Alex Grech

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