Missing part of sally-port stairway identified

A stairway uncovered at Fort St Angelo has been identified as the upper part of the sally-port stairway on the de Guiral Battery.

A sally-port is an opening in a fortification, from which its defenders could enter and leave. The stairway, which was built in the 16th century, was filled in and covered up in 1942, after being badly damaged during an air raid.

Commander Bowerman, who served at Fort St Angelo during the war, wrote in 1947, in The History of Fort St Angelo, that "the sally-port leading down to the battery was hit on April 10, 1942 and was blocked, and is now filled in at the top".

Fort St Angelo, then known as HMS St Angelo, was the headquarters of the British Navy during World War II and received 69 direct hits by high-explosive bombs in the years 1941 and 1942 alone.

The stairway would originally have led down to the capstan - a gouged-out piece of rock - which was used to hold in place the mammoth chain that stretched across the creek from Fort St Angelo to Senglea Point, during the Great Siege. The chain was used to keep out invading ships. The capstan was destroyed around three years ago when heavy weather knocked a barge against it that had been abusively lashed to it.

Architect Michael Ellul, the heritage specialist who is architectural and restoration consultant to the Cottonera Waterfront Group, which is responsible for the works, said the de Guiral Battery was hastily built in early 1565 when news reached Grand Master Jean de Valette, from his spies in Constantinople, that an attack on Malta by Turkish forces was imminent. Its defence was entrusted to Commander Francisco de Guiral, of the Langue of Castille, from whom it took its name.

The battery, Mr Ellul said, also stood guard over the chain that stretched across the creek. That chain was more than 200 metres long and made of hand-forged iron in Venice. At Senglea Point, it was fixed to a huge anchor that was previously used for the Knights' flagship, the Great Carrack. The anchor was embedded in rock and secured with heavy stone blocks. At Fort St Angelo, the chain was secured to the recently-destroyed capstan.

The restoration of the de Guiral Battery is being carried out by the Cottonera Waterfront Group, which will be working on those parts of Fort St Angelo that have not been left under the responsibility of the government.

The upper part of the fort is held by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta under a 99-year lease and has already been restored. Architect Martin Attard Montaldo, who is project manager for the Cottonera Waterfront Group, said the first phase would involve cleaning out the considerable debris.

The second phase of the project will be mapping, which involves taking a detailed record of the present state of the fort, including 1.5km of tunnels and vast vaults. The damaged masonry will be replaced and the walls re-pointed. The Cottonera Waterfront Group has already carried out similar clearance and restoration work on the nearby Caraffa Stores, in a project that cost Lm150,000.

The restored space at Fort St Angelo may eventually be used for conference facilities and support services.

"It is only constant use that will keep the fort alive and prevent it from falling into complete disrepair once more," Mr Attard Montaldo said.