The Maltese nobility and the last Gourgion

Abstract

The Gourgion Tower, which was situated in Xewkija, was built during the time of the Knights. This was a large village house or a villa in the countryside that was built in such a way that it could withstand an attack by the Turks. So it was more of a fortified villa than a tower. It served the purpose of security and prestige for the owners. This building was unfortunately demolished by the Americans in the Second World War to make way for an airfield in those areas. Although there was the intention to rebuild it as it was after the war, the idea was never carried out and the owners took compensation in the form of cash instead of rebuilding the tower. It is said that the authorities had paid seven thousand pounds sterling to the owners, which in today’s money comes to around €641,340. This was a good sum at the time when you consider that a day’s wage of an unskilled worker was a shilling (1/-) or fifty cents of today.