page_title: Saint Thomas Tower
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Saint Thomas Tower / History
caption_attribution_description: English: St Thomas' Bay- Hydrophone Listening Station image: offshore view of the coastline of a headland, with white cliffs to the left, fortifications in the centre, and a number of tall aerials towards the right end of the headland.
context_page_description: Saint Thomas Tower, also known as Fort Saint Thomas, is a large bastioned watchtower in Marsaskala, Malta. It was built in 1614, the third of six Wignacourt towers. An artillery battery was added to the tower in the early 18th century. Saint Thomas Tower is the largest watchtower in Malta.
context_section_description: Saint Thomas Tower was built above the shore on the seaward face of the headland of il-Ħamrija in Marsaskala. It is a substantial fortification intended to prevent the landing of troops in the sheltered anchorages of Marsaskala Creek and St Thomas' Bay. Construction of the tower was approved in July 1614, at the time of the raid of Żejtun, in which an Ottoman fleet managed to land at St Thomas' Bay. The tower was named after a chapel dedicated to St Thomas which stood close to where the tower now lies. It cost 13,450 scudi, 6 tari and 4 grani to build, making it the second most expensive Wignacourt tower, after Saint Mary's Tower.
  The tower's architect is unknown. There are claims that it was designed by Vittorio Cassar, but these are disputed since Cassar was probably dead when work on the tower began.
  The tower has very thick walls and has four pentagonal bastioned turrets projecting outwards on each corner. The tower's entrance was through a vaulted doorway with a wooden drawbridge. The drawbridge is still partially intact and it is the only original one to have survived in Malta. The tower is surrounded by a rock-hewn ditch.
  After the De Redin towers were built, St Thomas had Żonqor and Xrobb l-Għaġin Towers in its line of sight, but these are now either in ruins or completely demolished.
  In 1715, St Thomas Tower was reinforced by the addition of a battery on the seaward face. Construction of the battery cost a total of 382 scudi, 8 tarì, 11 grani and 1 piccolo, which was less than the cost of construction of other batteries around the coast.
  During the French blockade of 1798–1800, the tower was stormed and captured by Maltese insurgents.
  The tower remained in use by the British until the 19th century. The British did not make any major alterations to the tower (like they did in Saint Lucian Tower), and only some minor changes to the structure were made. At some point, the tower was also used as a prison.
caption: Painting of St Thomas Bay in World War I, viewed from the sea. The tower is visible in the centre.
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