Tombrell Battery

Tombrell Battery (Maltese: Batterija tat-Tumbrell) was an artillery battery in Delimara, Marsaxlokk, Malta. It was built in around 1722 by the Order of Saint John as one of a series of coastal fortifications around the coasts of the Maltese Islands. The battery was demolished at the end of the 19th century, and only its rock-hewn ditch survives today.

Tombrell Battery
Batterija tat-Tumbrell
Marsaxlokk, Malta
Site information
Type	Artillery battery
Owner	Government of Malta
Condition	Only rock-hewn ditch remains
Location
Map of Tombrell Battery and the nearby entrenchments
Coordinates	35°49′43.7″N 14°33′48″E
Site history
Built	c. 1722
Built by	Order of Saint John
Materials	Limestone
Fate	Demolished

History

Tombrell Battery was built on a small headland known as Tombrell Point, which is part of the Delimara peninsula. It is believed to have been built in around 1722, but its actual date of construction is not yet known. The battery consisted of a semi-circular gun platform, with guns mounted en barbette. Its land front was enclosed by an unusual combination of a redan and a blockhouse, and it was surrounded by a rock-hewn ditch. An irregular entrenchment wall flanked either side of the battery.

Tombrell Battery was demolished by the British military at the end of the 19th century to clear the line of fire of Wolseley Battery.^[1]

Present day

Today, only the battery's rock-hewn ditch can be seen. The site is covered by a small mound of rubble, and the battery's foundations are possibly buried underneath. An archaeological excavation would be required to study the site properly.^[2]