Go Back
SITE VISIT BY MINISTER CENSU GALEA ON RESTORATION WORKS AT COMINO TOWER
pr1384
27/09/2001
27/09/2001
| The Minister for Transport and Communications, the | Hon Censu Galea together with officials from the Malta Maritime Authority and Din l-Art Helwa paid an on-site visit to the Comino Tower, where restoration works are in hand. The Minister briefed the press on the works in progress. |
| The Malta Maritime Authority is funding the | restoration project of this 400-year old tower. The first phase of the work is expected to cost around LM20,000. Work has till now proceeded according to schedule and Din l-Art Helwa expects to terminate this first phase as planned by October. The Malta Maritime Authority is well aware of the society's mission to restore and preserve Malta's heritage sights. Amongst these, the restoration of Comino's Tower stands as a major project which due to its large scale, needed the support of a major organisation. In this regard, the Malta Maritime Authority is proud to be associated with the renovation of one of Malta's finest examples of military structures. The involvement in this project can also be placed into an obvious context. Comino's Tower was built at the time of the Order in a strategic location with a specific role to vigilate upon all maritime traffic within the channel between Malta and Gozo. This goes precisely in line with the Malta Maritime Authority's mission – to regulate and keep a watch on all maritime activity in Malta. In brief, we see Comino's tower as ideally representing the Authority and its mission. This has spurred the organisation to support this project. |
| Din L-Art Helwa have programmed the work on the Tower | in two phases. This first phase covers complete restoration of the external walls, which showed marked deterioration, and of its podium, the 25ft high and 110ft square base on which the tower is built. The podium had been subject to vandalism over the years. Many of its angled hard stone slabs, carefully engineered to create a sloped defensive wall had gone missing leaving an uneven broken surface prone to water penetration. Weeds and caper plants had penetrated the stone work. |
| Restoration and repair of the external elevations of | the Tower have progressed at a good rate during the summer, in fact three of the elevation walls above the podium have been cleaned from vegetation intrusions, repaired and repointed and the fourth elevation will be completed this month. Work is to commence on the lower podium elevation walls which should be completed within the coming few months. |
| Works have reached the phase where the contractor is | preparing the podium for resurfacing. The original access to the Tower well from the roof has been reinstated to take rainwater and prevent future damage to the walls. Maltacom has removed and rerouted communication cables from the East elevation wall to allow restoration of that side. |
| This has been the most ambitious project undertaken | by Din l-Art Helwa since it has presented enormous logistical problems as all materials and work schedules had to be meticulously planned and brought in from Malta and Gozo. A convoy of 13 trucks was shipped from Gozo in early July to transport 300 tons of materials, and equipment. Labourers and volunteers have travelled backwards and forwards throughout the summer months to ensure that the work is terminated before harsher weather sets in. |
| The Santa Marija Tower was built in 1618 during the | reign of Grandmaster Adolf de Wignacourt who personally financed the 18,628 scudi (the equivalent of Stg1553!) needed for its construction, in order to consolidate the defences of the straits between Malta and Gozo. Vittorino Cassar, son of Girolamo Cassar who succeeded Laparelli in the building of Valletta, probably designed it. The Comino Tower's awesome height, built on a small hill 230 ft above sea level, made it a unique vantage point controlling defences between Fort Chambrai, Garzez Tower in Mgarr which sadly was demolished, the Red Tower in Mellieha and the White Tower at Armier. Its bulk was a remarkable feat of military engineering with walls that are 18 ft thick and a podium that is embedded firmly in the natural bedrock. Text books report that its building imposed extremely careful planning as no materials were to be found on Comino, a requirement that had to be repeated this summer, nearly 400 years later. |
| After the Order of the Knights left Malta, the | British Services formally occupied the Tower in 1829 after which it continued to be used to combat smuggling and for quarantine purposes. Vandalism and neglect set in when the Royal Malta Fencable Artillery finally withdrew from the Tower in 1870. |
| Phase Two of the work to the tower is programmed for | next year when the internal parts of the tower are to be cleaned and repaired. |
| Project Leader, Engineer Alan Jones is coordinating | the work with |
the Gozitan contractor, the Baron Group.
Share this Press Release
Other Press Releases:
PR261926
STQARRIJA MILL-UFFIĊĊJU TAL-PRIM MINISTRU “Sodisfatt bil-qbil bejn il-mexx...
PR261925EN
PRESS RELEASE BY THE MINISTRY FOR EUROPEAN FUNDS, SOCIAL DIALOGUE AND CONSU...
