St Thomas Tower

Saint Thomas Tower stands on the headland of il-Ħamrija above Marsaskala Creek in southern Malta. Built in 1614 as the third of six Wignacourt towers, it was designed to stop enemy landings in the sheltered bays nearby. The tower’s thick walls and four corner bastions rise from a rock-hewn ditch, giving it a commanding presence over the shore. A wooden drawbridge once spanned the ditch, and part of it still survives today. In the early 18th century an artillery battery was added to the seaward side to strengthen its defences.

The tower was raised after an Ottoman raid landed at St Thomas’ Bay in 1614, costing 13,450 scudi to build. It remains Malta’s largest watchtower and the only one still holding its original drawbridge. During the French blockade of 1798–1800 Maltese insurgents stormed and captured the tower. Later the British used it until the 19th century, mainly as a prison with only minor changes to the structure.

Today the tower sits in a small plaza on the town side, surrounded by modern buildings. After years as a restaurant and pizzeria, it was cleaned and restored by Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna. The gun platform of the battery has been rebuilt, and the tower now houses a museum about piracy and corsairing in Malta. Exhibitions and re-enactments have marked its 400th anniversary, and the restored site is open to visitors.