Extensive restoration and conservation works are well under way on Fort St Angelo, which will allow its intriguing and multi-tiered history to be fully enjoyed by locals and tourists alike.
The project is expected to be completed by June 2015
For years, the fort had been entirely closed off to the public and was allowed to slip into a sorry state of disrepair. It was the last property to be vacated by the British Forces in 1979 and was handed over to the Maltese Government.
Heritage Malta is making use of €1.5 million allocated for emergency works in the 2010 budget and €13.5 million allocated by the EU Regional Development Fund to turn the historic fort into a veritable heritage experience.
During a walkabout of the fort yesterday, Parliamentary Secretary for Culture José Herrera was told that the project is expected to be completed by June 2015.
Dr Herrera asked Heritage Malta for a report every six months, in order for the ministry to keep track of the progress of the rehabilitation works.
Standing majestically at the tip of the promontory of Vittoriosa, Fort St Angelo is a complex site with structures dating back to various periods in history.
Although its origins are shrouded in mystery, the fort dates back to the Classical period, the first centuries AD. It was continually used throughout history and remnants of its medieval past are currently being unearthed and studied.
According to senior curator Godwin Vella, excavations demonstrate that the medieval fortress followed the configuration of geology – that is, the fortifications “clothed” the rock.
Today’s layout of the fort is largely attributed to the design of Don Carlos de Grunenbergh who, in the late 17th century, paid for the construction of four gun batteries on the side of the fort facing the entrance to Grand Harbour. Grunenbergh was also responsible for the construction of the rest of the enceinte around the upper part of the Fort, as well as the main gate. His coat of arms adorns the newly restored main gate.
In 1608, Caravaggio was briefly kept as a prisoner in one of the underground cells within the fort, before making his escape.
The fort passed under the control of the British Admiralty in the early 20th century.
During the early 1980s it suffered extensive damage by its makeshift transformation into a tourist and leisure resort, as epitomised by the construction of a swimming pool on the ramparts. The swimming pool has now been removed and the face of the rock is being cleaned up.
In 1998, Upper St Angelo, including the Magisterial Palace and the Chapel of St Anne, were formally handed over to the Sovereign Military Order on a 99-year lease.
The following year, the former warrant officers’ quarters, the early 20th century distilling plant and most of the underground spaces were leased for 99 years to the Cottonera Waterfront Group.
Heritage Malta was entrusted with the remaining spaces of the Fort in 2007. The restoration works have been divided into three main tenders: archaeological investigations, projected restoration of fortifications and the restoration of historic buildings. The archaeological investigations are at an advanced stage.
Works on the fort’s entrance ramp have been nearly concluded, while restoration works of the Sally Port leading to de Guiral battery are under way.
A call for tenders for the reconstruction of the roof of the entrance, which had received a direct hit during World War II, will be issued later this year.