Garden Battery restoration project nears completion

The Garden Battery restoration project at Tigné Point, between Fort Cambridge and Fort Tigne is almost complete, MIDI plc said.  

With an investment of over €12 million, the company said that the restoration work undertaken at both Tigné Point and Manoel Island was one of the most significant restoration initiatives of local heritage to ever be carried out by the private sector in Malta.

Built by the British between 1889 and 1894, the coastal artillery fortification was constructed as part of a line of defence for Marsamxett Harbour, along with Grand Harbour. It remained in use up until the early years of the 20th century, but after World War II, the defensive unit became obsolete with the battery being built over to accommodate the British Services buildings known as Tigné Barracks.

The disused battery was rediscovered in the early 2000s when excavation works at Tigné Point started. It was on its discovery that MIDI plc decided to alter the original plans to retain and preserve the battery and to incorporate the entire area into the Tigne Point development.

This led to the redesign of the Tigne North phase including the underground Trunk Road, delaying the development by five years and costing an additional €7 million, the company said.

Moreover, it said that the most challenging task to undertake was during the construction of the Trunk Road, linking Qui-Si-Sana to Tigné Seafront, which subsequently had to be diverted under the gun emplacements.

“The restoration works associated with the Garden Battery were complex due to the various site constraints and the development of the Q2 residential block and The Centre commercial block which were undertaken concurrently. The prime objective of the restoration works was to retain and reinstate as much of the original fabric as possible, in particular, the raised gun platforms and the inclined masonry hoods.”

It said that while the original fabric has been lost over time, the restoration project has successfully preserved the original layout of the battery.

“In order to complete the area, MIDI has recently submitted an application (PA09938/18) to the Planning Authority for the final phase of the development of Tigne Point, which also includes the landscaping and proposed reuse of the Garden Battery area.”

The application states that MIDI will be looking into creating an accessible open public space together with amenities, measuring circa 2,500 sqm, for the residents of Tigne Point and Sliema to enjoy. On completion, the space will then form part of a heritage trail which will link Fort Cambridge to Fort Tigne and which will connect to an uninterrupted pedestrian promenade around the Tigne Point peninsula, from Qui-Si-Sana to Tigne Seafront.

Restoration works completed to date include Fort Manoel and the surrounding areas, Fort Tigné, the Garden Battery, the Cattle Shed, St. George’s Chapel and the Garrison Chapel.

The extensive restorations work's kicked off in 2001 and has included intensive studies, planning and conservations work's by a team of experts.