Madliena Tower Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Madliena Tower
Torri tal-Madliena

Part of the De Redin towers and the Victoria Lines
Madliena, Pembroke, Malta
View of Madliena Tower from the southeast
Map of Madliena Tower as it is today
Coordinates	35°56′11.7″N 14°28′23.1″E / 35.936583°N 14.473083°E / 35.936583; 14.473083
Type	Coastal watchtower Artillery battery
Site information
Owner	Government of Malta
Controlled by	Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna
Condition	Tower intact Battery largely destroyed
Site history
Built	1658 (tower) 1908–1909 (battery)
Built by	Order of Saint John (tower) British Empire (battery)
In use	1658–1940s
Materials	Limestone
Battles/wars	World War II

The Madliena Tower (which in Maltese is Torri tal-Madliena), was first called Torre della Paulina. It is a small watchtower located in Madliena, near Pembroke, in Malta. This tower was finished in 1658. It was the fourth of the De Redin towers, a series of towers built to protect the coast.

Later, between 1908 and 1909, the British army built an artillery battery (a place with big guns) next to the tower. Both the tower and the battery were used until World War II. Today, the battery is mostly gone, but the Madliena Tower is still in good shape.

History of Madliena Tower
Madliena Tower Today
Images for kids
See also

History of Madliena Tower

Madliena Tower was built in 1658. It stands on high ground on the north coast of Malta, above the shore. It was likely built where an old medieval watch post once stood. From the tower, you can see Saint Mark's Tower to the west and Saint George's Tower to the east.

Original Design and Defenses

The tower was built like other De Redin towers. It had a square shape with two floors and a small tower on the roof. After 1741, a special hole called a fougasse was dug in the rocks nearby. A fougasse was like a simple mine that could throw rocks at enemies. An entrenchment (a type of ditch or trench for defense) was also built close to the tower in the 1700s. However, not much of this trench remains today.

This is the fougasse found near the tower.

British Use and Changes

When the British took control of Malta, Madliena Tower continued to be used by the military. A small kitchen was built next to the tower, but it was already in ruins by 1908.

The tower was in a very important spot for the Victoria Lines. These were a series of defenses built across Malta. Madliena Tower helped to close the gap between Fort Madalena and Fort Pembroke. Because of this, the tower was changed to help defend the coast. It became like a Martello tower, which is a strong, round defensive tower. Around the late 1860s or early 1870s, its top wall was rebuilt. A round area was added to the roof to hold a large gun. This gun was a 64-pounder, meaning it fired very heavy cannonballs. However, it seems the gun was never actually put there.

The Night Practice Battery

In 1908, a "Night Practice Battery" was built near Madliena Tower. This battery had two smaller 12-pounder guns. It was finished in March 1909. The battery's special device for finding targets was placed on the tower's roof. Two storage rooms were also built for the battery's weapons. The Royal Malta Artillery used this battery until the 1920s.

In 1935, a powerful searchlight, called a "Defence Electric Light," was added to the tower. The tower was used again during World War II. A concrete area was built to hold a gun that could defend the beach.

Madliena Tower Today

The tower in 2007, before it was restored.

Today, the original tower and the concrete gun area from World War II are still standing. However, very little is left of the Night Practice Battery. Over the years, some temporary changes and structures were added next to the tower. The original door on the second floor was blocked up. A new steel door was put at the bottom of the tower.

In 2009, the tower was given to a group called Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna. This group works to protect Malta's heritage. Since then, the tower has been restored using money from the European Regional Development Fund. During the restoration, the original doorway was opened again. Any damage to the tower's structure was also fixed.