Fort Cambridge gets its name from its location: the old fort that defended the Sliema peninsula from the first years of the 19th century until Malta ceased to be a British colony in 1964. Within the grounds of Fort Cambridge is the Cambridge Battery, a fort built in the shape of a pentagon in the second half of the 19th century. Once it stood surrounded by soldiers’ barracks and by the homes of British army officers, built in the Edwardian style in the early 1900s. Now it is a historical attraction, which is being carefully restored and will be surrounded by gardens open to the public. The battery once held one of the famous 100- tonne guns that defended Malta. The other gun is at Fort Rinella, which Fort Cambridge resembles closely in design. Both Fort Rinella and Fort Cambridge were built by the British as a reaction to the unification of Italy in 1871, and the upgrading of the Italian naval fleet.
Before the Crimean War in 1854, Malta was used as an assembly point for the whole of the allied fleet. The island became an important staging-point for the British army and navy. The harbors were full, particularly when the Suez Canal was opened in 1869. By 1860, Malta was being restocked with new and more powerful guns and gun emplacements. After 1866, timber ships began to be replaced by iron-clad vessels, and so bigger coastal guns were needed to penetrate this armour-plating. All the barrack and guard rooms had windows which were covered by iron grilles, through which muskets could be fired. There once was an infantry parapet on the roof. The main gate was reached only by means of a Guthrie rolling bridge, which could be rolled back into the fort.
Fort Cambridge offers a brilliant choice of one-, two-, three- or four-bedroom apartments, duplexes and penthouses. There are 380 to choose from spread between three freestanding blocks oriented north, south, east and west. Almost all of them have a view and extensive parking. Many of them have wide terraces and balconies, and the uppermost floors give spectacular vistas over the sea and Valletta. Large windows and facades of recycled greenish glass contribute to the overall effect of sea and sky, light and air. These are contemporary spaces to make the most of life in the 21st century.
