Garden Battery

Garden Battery
Tigné Point, Sliema, Malta
Gun emplacement at Garden Battery in 2013
Coordinates35°54′28.7″N 14°30′41.1″E / 35.907972°N 14.511417°E / 35.907972; 14.511417
TypeArtillery battery
Site information
Open to
the public		No
ConditionIntact
Site history
Built1889–1894
Built byBritish Empire
In use1894–1940s
MaterialsConcrete
Battles/warsWorld War II

Garden Battery is an artillery battery in Sliema, Malta. It was built by the British between 1889 and 1894. The battery is located at Tigné Point, between Cambridge Battery and Fort Tigné.

History

The battery was first proposed in 1885, and was built between April 1889 and December 1894 at a cost of £7806, as part of a new series of fortifications meant to house breech-loading (BL) guns.[1]

Garden Battery had a ditch connecting Fort Tigné with Cambridge Battery. It was armed with two 6 inch and one 9.2 inch BL guns on disappearing mounts. The 6 inch guns were located on the ends of the battery while the 9.2 inch gun was in the centre.[2]

The battery's armaments were removed in 1907. From 1937, just before World War II, an anti-aircraft unit was stationed at the battery, and four QF 3-inch 20 cwt anti-aircraft guns were installed. These were removed in 1943, and the battery was decommissioned and handed to civil authorities some time later.

Eventually, the battery's ditch was filled in and other buildings were built over the glacis and gun emplacements.[3] The battery was believed to have been destroyed.[4]

Present day

The site of the battery has been built up, but its remains have been preserved under the new development

In the late 1990s, the green light was given to excavate and dismantle the area of battery to build a tunnel as part of the Tigné Point development project. However, in 2000-2001 The Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) appealed for the preservation of the battery. The developers, MIDI plc, changed the original plans and agreed to preserve and restore the battery.

The area was eventually excavated and the battery was rediscovered in 2005,[5] so the gun emplacements can be seen once again. When development of the area is complete, the battery is to form part of a heritage route.[3][6]

Further reading

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Garden Battery.
  1. ^ Stephenson, Charles (2004). The Fortifications of Malta 1530-1945. Osprey Publishing. p. 41. ISBN 1841766933.[permanent dead link‍]
  2. ^ Forrest, Michael. "Garden Battery: Sliema: Malta: 1889-1894". Victorian Forts and Artillery. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
  3. ^ a b Massa, Ariadne (13 November 2006). "Developers opt to save 19th century battery". Times of Malta. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
  4. ^ "Hotel Removed from Tigné Point development". The Malta Independent. 20 January 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
  5. ^ Cini, George (18 April 2005). "British era battery unearthed in Tigné". Times of Malta. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  6. ^ "'Lost' British military battery being restored". Times of Malta. 13 August 2009. Retrieved 30 January 2015.