Maħsel Battery

The Maħsel Battery (Maltese: Batterija tal-Maħsel) was an artillery battery in Marsaskala, Malta. It was built by the Order of Saint John in 1714–1716 as one of a series of coastal fortifications around the coasts of the Maltese Islands. The battery no longer exists.

Maħsel Battery
Batterija tal-Maħsel
Marsaskala, Malta
Coordinates35°51′19.1″N 14°33′58.2″E
TypeArtillery battery
Site history
Built1714–1716
Built byOrder of Saint John
MaterialsLimestone
FateDemolished

History

Maħsel Battery was built in 1714–1716 as part of the first building programme of coastal batteries in Malta. It defended St. Thomas' Bay along with Riħama Battery on the opposite side of the bay, and Saint Thomas Tower and Battery commanding the headland to the north of the bay.[1]

Maħsel Battery's design was similar to that of Riħama Battery, having a pentagonal gun platform and a blockhouse. It was sometimes erroneously of as a redoubt, but it was actually a battery as it had a cannon.

In 1761, an entrenchment wall was built close to Maħsel Battery, part of which still survives. The battery itself no longer exists.[2]

References
  1. "The South East Malta Coastal Defence". Wirt iż-Żejtun. 18 May 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  2. Spiteri, Stephen C. (28 August 2012). "Campaigning for Rihama Battery". MilitaryArchitecture.com. Archived from the original on 2 October 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
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