The wonderfully-historic Wardija Tower in Zurrieq has finally been fully restored – and it’s never looked better.

This project, carried out by the Restoration Directorate, is part of a series of local interventions spurred forward by the Local Councils Restoration Scheme.

Zurreiq’s Wardija Tower, also known as 'Torre del Guardia del Giorno', was built by Grand Master DeRedin in 1659.

During his time as Grand Master, De Redin built an impressive 13 towers which are all practically identical – except for the Wardija Tower, which is significantly smaller in size. 

The tower’s restoration included restoring its façades, which had extensive damage. Nonetheless, stone replacement was kept to a minimum.

In all other cases of deteriorated stonework, plastic repair techniques were used. Any cement-based pointing and recent repairs were removed, and new pointing was carried out to match the original pointing.

Many stone roofing slabs were fractured, and the supporting arched structure was also heavily deteriorated due to severe water infiltrations.

Unfortunately, these elements were too far gone and had to be replaced with new material. The roof was thankfully restored to prevent further water infiltration.

Apart from that, further replacements were needed as all the apertures were found to be unserviceable.

“These restorations will attract more people to Malta to visit our country for historical and cultural heritage purposes”, Minister for National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government Owen Bonnici said before thanking all the workers involved.

Are you planning on visiting this newly restored historic gem?

Facebook/Department of Information Malta