Information about a “Windmill Fort Ricasoli” associated with Fort Ricasoli (in Kalkara, Malta) — but also many ambiguities and contradictions. Below is a summary of what is known — and what remains uncertain — about that windmill and the overall fort.
What is Fort Ricasoli
Fort Ricasoli is a large bastioned fort in Kalkara, Malta, built by the Order of Saint John between 1670 and 1698.
Its position is on a promontory called “Gallows’ Point”, on the north shore of Rinella Bay, guarding the entrance to the Grand Harbour along with other fortifications.
Over centuries, the fort saw multiple uses: by the Knights, later the French (1798), then the British; it was the site of the 1807 Froberg mutiny; a naval hospital; and it took damage during WWII.
After being decommissioned (1960s), parts of Fort Ricasoli were used for industrial purposes (tank-cleaning, container depot) and — more recently — as a film-set location for major productions.
Because of its historical and architectural value, it has been included since 1998 in the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites as part of the Knights’ Harbour Fortifications.
🌬️ The “Windmill Fort Ricasoli” — what the sources say
There is a record for “Windmill Fort Ricasoli” in a database of Maltese windmills.
An engraving dated 1834 shows a “Windmill Fort Ricasoli” in the distance, as seen from the harbour area.
The broader context for windmills in Malta: Historically, the Knights erected many windmills (tower- or post-mills) across Malta, starting from the 16th century and more intensively during the 17th–18th centuries, to grind grain for the population.
So: yes — historically there was a windmill (or at least a windmill marked on 19th-century map/engraving) associated with the area of Fort Ricasoli.
⚠️ What we do not know (or what's ambiguous / contested)
No clear modern remains: I did not find credible, up-to-date sources (site plans, heritage-inventory entries, archaeological reports) that document surviving parts of the windmill — tower, sails, mechanism — at Fort Ricasoli today. The main fort remains (bastions, walls, casemates) are documented; but nothing conclusive about a surviving windmill structure.
The windmill’s date of demolition (or disappearance), or how and when it fell into disuse, is not clearly documented in publicly available sources. The “Windmills of Malta” database lists it, but does not provide a demolition date.
Many modern references to Fort Ricasoli focus solely on the fortress (its bastions, decay, restoration), with no mention of any windmill — suggesting that the windmill (if it existed) did not survive, or is no longer a visible / recognized part of the site.