| Balbani Battery | |
|---|---|
|
Batterija ta' Balbani | |
| Birżebbuġa, Malta | |
| Type | Artillery battery |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1715–1716 |
| Built by | Order of Saint John |
| Materials | Limestone |
| Fate | Demolished |
Balbani Battery (Maltese language: Batterija ta' Balbani), also known as Bengħisa Battery (Maltese language: Batterija ta' Bengħisa), was an artillery battery in Birżebbuġa, Malta. It was built by the Order of Saint John in 1715–1716 as one of a series of coastal fortifications around the Maltese Islands.[1]
Balbani Battery was part of a chain of fortifications that defended Marsaxlokk Bay, which also included six other batteries, the large Saint Lucian Tower, two smaller De Redin towers, four redoubts and three entrenchments.[2] The nearest fortifications to Balbani Battery were Bengħisa Tower to the south and Fresnoy Redoubt to the west. Construction of the battery cost 1855 scudi.[3] It had a pentagonal platform with a blockhouse at the rear, which was also defended by a redan.
The battery was demolished, and its site is now occupied by part of the Malta Freeport.[4]
References[]
- ↑ de Boisgelin, Louis (1805). Ancient and Modern Malta: Containing a Full and Accurate Account of the Present State of the Islands of Malta and Goza, the History of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, Also a Narrative of the Events which Attended the Capture of These Islands by the French, and Their Conquest by the English: and an Appendix, Containing Authentic State Papers and Other Documents - Volume II. London: Richard Phillips. p. 189. https://books.google.com.mt/books?id=ZIU-AQAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA190#v=onepage&q&f=false.
- ↑ "Vendôme Tower". http://www.eh4-marenostrum.net/virtualtour/Marsaxlokk/trail_2/09/Vendome-Tower.pdf. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
- ↑ Spiteri, Stephen C. (18 October 2010). "St. Thomas Tower and Battery". http://www.militaryarchitecture.com/index.php/Fortifications/st-thomas-tower-and-battery.html. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
- ↑ "About Birzebbuga". http://www.birzebbuga.com/aboutbirzebbuga.html. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
The original article can be found at Balbani Battery and the edit history here.