Pinto Battery
{{Short description|Former artillery battery in Birżebbuġa, Malta}}
{{for|the battery in Mistra Bay|Mistra Battery}}
{{Infobox military installation
| name = Pinto Battery
| native_name = Batterija ta' Pinto
| location = Birżebbuġa, Malta
| image = Pinto Battery building and bar.jpeg
| image_size = 300px
| caption = Pinto Battery's blockhouse
| type = Artillery battery
| coordinates = {{coord|35|49|36|N|14|31|58.5|E|type:landmark|display=inline}}
| ownership = Government of Malta
| controlledby = Private tenants
| open_to_public = No
| built = 1715–1716
| used =
| builder = Order of Saint John
| materials = Limestone
| height =
| condition = Blockhouse intact but heavily altered, gun platform largely destroyed
| battles =
| events =
}}
Pinto Battery ({{langx|mt|Batterija ta' Pinto}}), also known as Għżira Battery ({{langx|mt|Batterija ta' Għżira}}) or Kechakara Battery,{{cite book|last1=Farrugia Randon|first1=Stanley|title=Heritage Saved – Din l-Art Ħelwa – 1965–2015|date=2015|publisher=Miller Distributors Ltd.|location=Luqa|isbn=9789995752132|page=119}} is a former artillery battery in Birżebbuġa, Malta. It was built by the Order of Saint John in 1715 and 1716 as one of a series of coastal fortifications around the coasts of the Maltese Islands. The battery has been heavily altered over time, and the blockhouse now houses a bar and a garage, while the gun platform and parapet have been largely destroyed, with only the general outline still visible.
History
Pinto Battery was built in 1715-1716 as part of the first building programme of coastal batteries in Malta. It 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.{{cite journal|journal=L-Imnara|last=Camilleri|first=Alex|date=2008|title=It-Toponomastika ta' Malta: Il-Port ta' Marsaxlokk u Madwaru|url=http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/L-Imnara/L-Imnara.%2009(2008)1=32/09s.pdf|volume=1|issue=32|pages=23–24}} Construction of the battery cost 1109 scudi.{{cite web|last1=Spiteri|first1=Stephen C.|title=St. Thomas Tower and Battery|url=http://www.militaryarchitecture.com/index.php/Fortifications/st-thomas-tower-and-battery.html|website=MilitaryArchitecture.com|accessdate=25 June 2015|date=18 October 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619012034/http://www.militaryarchitecture.com/index.php/Fortifications/st-thomas-tower-and-battery.html |archive-date=19 June 2018}}
The battery originally consisted of a semi-circular gun platform, with a parapet containing eight embrasures. Its gorge had a large rectangular blockhouse protected by a redan. The battery's entrance was located within the redan.{{cite web|title=Għzira Battery|url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1410.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626112851/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1410.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 26, 2015|website=National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands|accessdate=13 August 2015|date=28 June 2013}} It was originally armed with cannons.
Present day
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20150626112851/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1410.pdf National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands]
{{Batteries in Malta}}
Category:Artillery battery fortifications in Malta
Category:Hospitaller fortifications in Malta
Category:Military installations established in 1715
Category:Limestone buildings in Malta
Category:National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
Category:18th-century fortifications
Category:1715 establishments in Malta
Category:18th Century military history of Malta
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