Della Grazie Battery is a fortification

Fortification

Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...

 by the British

British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

 on the island of Malta

Malta

Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...

. It stands above the shore to the east of Grand Harbour

Grand Harbour

Grand Harbour is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It has been used as a harbour since at least Phoenician times...

, close to the present day town of Xghajra

Xghajra

Xgħajra is a small village in Malta on the coast, about halfway between Valletta and Marsaskala. Its local football club is known as the Xghajra Tornadoes F.C...

. Construction started in 1888 and was completed in March 1893. The battery was constructed to take advantage of the improved breech loading guns then coming into service. It was equipped with two 6 inc and two 10 inch breech loading guns in disappearing mounts.

The installation takes the form of a polygonal fort

Polygonal fort

A polygonal fort is a fortification in the style that evolved around the middle of the nineteenth century, in response to the development of powerful explosive shells....

, irregular hexagonal in plan, with two caponniers defending the forward ditches. Access to the fort is via a gatehous and causway across the rear ditch.

The battery takes its name from the much earlier Wignacourt tower

Wignacourt towers

The Wignacourt towers are a series of fortifications on the island of Malta built by the Knights of Malta.The initial towers of this type were built under the auspices of Grand Master Fra Aloph de Wignacourt...

, the Santa Maria delle Grazie Tower

Santa Maria delle Grazie Tower

Santa Maria delle Grazie Tower was a fortification on the island of Malta. It stood above the shore to the east of Grand Harbour, close to the present day town of Xghajra...

that stood close to the present battery. The original tower was demolished to clear the field of fire of the present battery.

The battery is now in the care of Xghajra council and is being restored to form the focal point for a public space, Battery Park.

The gallery below shows views on an anti-clockwise tour of the exterior of the fort. The rear section of the left hand ditch and the right half or the rear ditch are private property and inaccessible to photograph.

External links

• http://www.xghajra.gov.mt/locality.asp