Conservation News

A new set of timber apertures were installed at the beautiful echauguette part of the Saints Peter and Paul Counterguard in Valletta which is one of the very few left that remain intact. The new apertures were built according to original designs using traditional methods and materials. Some years back it was thankfully restored by the Restoration Directorate. Besides making it secure these apertures will also protect the interior of the delicate structure from the corrosive effect of the prevailing winds following years of being open. Built after 1630, this echauguette forms part of the Combined War Headquarters held in trust by Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna. Besides serving as a look out it has also served for a time for the storage of gun powder until proper gunpowder magazines were built by the Hospitaller Order of St. John. During the last war it was used as a Mine Watching Post. It can be visited between Mondays and Saturdays as part of a guided tour of the complex.