The main land front ditch of Birgu
was an important element of the city’s fortified enceinte. By the 18th century
the ditch was controlled by various defensive features including two casemated
batteries, an extensive caponier and various sally-ports. In modern times, the
ditch area has largely served as a sort of public garden but its rundown state meant
that it remained mostly under-utilzed. The ERDF 039 project has sought to
exploit the ditch’s potential by creating an aesthetically pleasing and
creative recreational environment. The restoration works were aimed at
repairing the consumed masonry and rocky fabric of the enveloping counterscarp,
as well as the repair and restoration of the casemated battery facing Kalkara
Creek and other features originally forming part of the covertway (pas-de-souris, sally-ports etc). In the course
of these works, a large eighteenth-century caponier of communication was
unearthed inside central area of the ditch and these remains were incorporated
into the new layout as an archaeological feature. The works also involved the
clearance of a large mound of debris dumped into the ditch in the post-war
period.