20
ViGiLO - Din l-Art Ħelwa
ISSUE 56 • NOVEMBER 2021
REVERSING THE DAMAGE The Qolla l-Bajda Battery in Gozo by Stanley Farrugia Randon
Built on a promontory between Qbajjar Bay and Xwejni Bay in Gozo, this gun battery is semi-circular, partly ringed by a parapet (with six embrasures), and its gorge occupied with two blockhouses linked together by a short loopholed wall containing the main gate. The flanks of the blockhouses overlooking the main entrance into the battery were pierced with musketry loopholes. A low flight of steps provided access, via a wooden drawbridge, to the main entrance. A sea-filled moat protected the seaward front of the battery. The Qolla l-Bajda battery has undergone considerable alterations to its structure, including some carried out to convert it into a catering and entertainment venue.
