Binissaida and Cala de Sant Esteve

Menorca has a rich paleontological heritage. There are exceptionally well-preserved archaeological sites close to Cala Sant Esteve.

 

Nice farmhouse about a mille from Cala Sant Esteve. Along the Camí de Cavalls. I think its name is Binissaida Nou or Binissaida d'es Barracons.

During the third British occupation of Menorca, the British governor, General Stuart, ordered the building of various Martello towers at strategic points around the island. The Torre d´en Penjat, or Hangmans Tower, built in 1798, by Engineer Captain Robert D´Arcy, is just one of them. Situated to the south of the port of Mahón is a bay called Sant Esteve, which hugs the southern side of the castle of San Felipe, leaving the fortress vulnerable to attack.

Initially the tower was called Stuart´s Tower, later changed to Hangman´s (Penjat) Tower, after the name of the hill where the convicts from San Felipe were executed.

The tower was built on three levels. The ground floor was used for storage. The first floor was the entrance and is where the troops were housed, and the top of the tower was for combat. On the territorial side of the tower there was a dry moat commanding a 180 degree view from north to south, and the other side of the tower was protected by different ground levels.