The horseshoe of dock cut into the rock below the Immaculate Conception church was the original Royal Navy dry dock at Malta and saw a century of British warships in for repair. The dock fell out of use in the 1990s and has been gradually reimagined as a public waterfront — a paved promenade, a cluster of cafes and restaurants, and the Malta Marittima's superyacht berths line the basin.
A slow walk around the dock takes about half an hour and gives the best low-level views of the bastion walls. The view back up at the church facade from the south side is the classic Bormla photograph.