A garrison of two
The towers watched and signalled rather than fought — hence their size.
Frank Vincentz — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Frank Vincentz — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Frank Vincentz — CC BY-SA 3.0
A small coastal watchtower of 1658, standing today among restaurants and modern buildings on Spinola Bay in St Julian's. The tower belongs to the De Redin series, thirteen towers built by Grand Master Martin de Redin within a few years to close the gaps in the coastal warning system. Their design is uniform and economical: a small two-storey square with a lookout turret, enough for a garrison of two or three men whose task was to watch and pass the signal rather than to fight. What makes this tower in particular striking is its surroundings. St Julian's is now the centre of Malta's nightlife and hotels, and neighbouring Paceville is the busiest area on the island. A seventeenth-century tower standing in the middle of that makes the contrast the experience. Practical points: the tower is seen from outside free at any hour and is not regularly opened for interior visits. The visit is minutes on a walk around the bay. The location is about twenty minutes by bus from Valletta.
The towers watched and signalled rather than fought — hence their size.
A 1658 tower in the middle of Malta's busiest, most modern district.
De Redin closed the system's gaps fast with one cheap standard design.
Spinola Bay, St Julian's
Not on its own. But you will probably be in St Julian's anyway — most of the hotels and restaurants are there — and Spinola Bay is a fine sight in itself. The tower is a detail on the route that adds a historical layer to a district that otherwise looks entirely modern.
The Wignacourt towers are older, larger and more strongly fortified, built to withstand a limited attack. The De Redin towers are smaller, cheaper and quicker to build, tasked only with watching and signalling. The difference reflects a change of priority: from defending a point to covering the whole coast with a warning network.
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