Tombrell Battery
{{Infobox military installation
| name = Tombrell Battery
| native_name = Batterija tat-Tumbrell
| location = Marsaxlokk, Malta
| image =
| caption =
| map = Tombrell Battery map.png
| image_mapsize = 300px
| map_caption = Map of Tombrell Battery and the nearby entrenchments
| type = Artillery battery
| coordinates = {{coord|35|49|43.7|N|14|33|48|E|type:landmark|display=inline}}
| ownership = Government of Malta
| controlledby =
| open_to_public =
| built = {{circa}} 1722
| used =
| builder = Order of Saint John
| materials = Limestone
| height =
| fate = Demolished
| condition = Only rock-hewn ditch remains
| battles =
| events =
}}
Tombrell Battery ({{langx|mt|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.
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.{{cite web|title=Delimara Gas and Power Combined Cycle Gas Turbine and Liquefied Natural Gas receiving, storage and re-gasification facilities - Environmental Impact Assessment - Appendix Two Volume One|url=http://www.mepa.org.mt/EIACMS/documents/Delimara/B02i_CCGT-LNG_DPS_EIS_App02i_ESRs_A4_Simplex.pdf|website=MEPA|publisher=ERSLI Consultants Ltd on behalf of Enemalta Corporation|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150329025345/http://www.mepa.org.mt/EIACMS/documents/Delimara/B02i_CCGT-LNG_DPS_EIS_App02i_ESRs_A4_Simplex.pdf|archivedate=29 March 2015|pages=26–28|date=20 December 2013}}
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.{{cite web|last1=Spiteri|first1=Stephen C.|title=Campaigning for Rihama Battery|url=http://www.militaryarchitecture.com/index.php/Conservation/campaigning-for-rihama-battery.html|website=MilitaryArchitecture.com|accessdate=12 June 2015|date=28 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171002070440/http://www.militaryarchitecture.com/index.php/Conservation/campaigning-for-rihama-battery.html |archive-date=2 October 2017}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20150615025448/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1405.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:Buildings and structures completed in 1722
Category:Buildings and structures demolished in the 19th century
Category:Demolished buildings and structures in Malta
Category:Limestone buildings in Malta
Category:National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
Category:18th-century fortifications