Fort Rinella

About the museum

Fort Rinella is one of four coastal batteries that the British built in Malta and Gibraltar between 1878 and 1886 to house Armstrong 100-ton guns. Britain feared losing naval superiority in the Mediterranean to Italy, which had launched the powerful battleships Duilio and Dandolo in the 1870s, and the route to India through the Suez Canal had to be protected. In Malta the guns were placed at the mouth of the Grand Harbour, at Sliema and at Rinella. The battery is an irregular pentagon surrounded by a deep ditch, with the magazine and loading chambers underground.

The 100-ton gun at Rinella reached Malta from Woolwich in September 1882 and was hauled to the fort by about 100 men over three months. It was in position by January 1884. It was worked by an ingenious hydraulic system, which made Rinella the first battery with a gun operated by mechanical means. In 1906, after only twenty years, the 100-ton guns were declared obsolete and the fort was stripped and abandoned; the gun never fired a shot in anger. The fort later served as a position-finding station for Fort Ricasoli, passed to the Admiralty, and was handed to the Government of Malta in 1965.

Since 1991 volunteers of Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna have been restoring the fort and turning it into a living museum. A visit includes a guided tour, a film about the fort and its gun, and historical re-enactments with infantry drill, musketry and artillery displays. A permanent exhibition in the soldiers’ barrack rooms, “Soldiers of the Queen”, covers the British Victorian army, including the British Army in Malta and the Maltese regiments.

Highlights

• Armstrong 100-ton gun in its original emplacement
• Guided tour and film show included in the ticket
• Victorian re-enactments with drill, musketry and artillery displays
• Exhibition on the British Victorian army in nine barrack rooms
• Underground magazine and loading chambers

Permanent exhibitions

• Soldiers of the Queen – Permanent exhibition in nine barrack rooms on the development of the British Victorian army, with uniforms, weapons, regalia, documents and photographs and a section on the British Army and the Maltese regiments in Malta.
• The 100-ton gun and the fort – Guided tour, film and re-enactments about the history of the fort and its Armstrong 100-ton gun.

Operated by

Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna

Admission & discounts

Foundation members enter free. Online booking is the cheapest option. The ticket is valid for one day, with re-entry the same day.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The fort is a scheduled monument with steps, different surfaces and levels, and areas such as the underground loading chambers cannot be reached by wheelchair. The entrance is ramped, and the vehicle gate can also be used. Fully accessible toilets are available. Guide and assistance dogs are allowed; the firing of historic weapons during the displays may upset nervous dogs.

Kids & families

• Baby changing facilities

Parts of the fort are not suitable for pushchairs because of the limited space; pushchairs can be left in the lobby. Baby changing facilities are available.

Getting there & parking

The fort is on the eastern side of the Grand Harbour at Kalkara and is signposted from the Three Cities.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

The Cookhouse serves hot and cold drinks, a cooked lunch or a light snack; the gift shop focuses on military history.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit