September 2009
Updated October 2009
Some great cuttings from “The Times of Malta” ( www.timesofmalta.com ) Nos. 31 - 50
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Tuesday, 1st September 2009
The Mtarfa clock tower was built in 1895 as part of the ex-British Military complex. It is located on Clock Tower Street at one end of barrack block D (now converted into private residences).
This tower has a Florentine appearance with a buttressed base of quarry-faced stone and a cordon at the second storey level. Each corner is pilastered and supports a stone balcony with triple mould corbels. Each balcony is linked to each other by a walkway with stone balustrades, where the arched doors are located.
Above each arch are the four faces of the clock. The tower is crowned by a machicolation-type of attic band parapet superimposed by a crenellated parapet. The clock's mechanism which was stalled for a number of years was repaired by volunteers in August 2008.
Mepa scheduled the Mtarfa Clock Tower as a Grade 1 national monument as per Government Notice no. 628/08 in the Government Gazette dated July 12, 2008.
Thursday, 3rd September 2009
Spinola-Dragonara Entrenchment, St Julians
This entrenchment is located on the coast between Spinola Bay and St George's Bay. It is a coastal fortification built by the Order of St John between 1767 and 1770 to retard potential enemy landings at this part of the island.
The entrenchments originally extend from Spinola Bay to Il-Qaliet and continued to St George's Bay. The fortified system consists of a shallow rock cut ditch which served as a quarry for a three- to four-metre high wall built on the principles of baroque fortifications consisting of two curtain walls adjoining three bastions. New gun embrasures were added in 1792 and further military-related improvements were made by the British in the 19th and 20th centuries.
During the 20th century several breaches were made to accommodate development and vehicular, pedestrian and boat traffic. This is one of the best kept stretches of coastal entrenchments of the type, more especially in the areas of Sliema and St Julians. The gateway located within the entrenchment was built together with Dragonara Palace in 1870.
Mepa scheduled the Spinola entrenchment as a Grade 1 national monument as per Government Notice no. 628/08 in the Government Gazette dated July 12, 2008.
Saturday, 5th September 2009
Villa Macedonia
Villa Macedonia located in Triq Sisner, Balzan is a one storey villa that is symmetrically shaped and balanced with a wide stairway leading to a semi-circular portico flanked by corner wings. The portico is supported by eight stone columns, with a cornice at roof level and a balustraded parapet wall above the corniced sections.
A terrace to the left is similarly supported and identical in features. The boundary wall and main gate are of architectural significance. The portal is supported by a number of banded pilasters, partial columns and an architrave. On the frieze above are the name and date in stone relief: VILLA MACEDONIA MCMXXXIV. Above this is a pediment with a family coat of arms. A number of Cyprus trees and other species grow in the garden around the villa, along with a swimming pool, statues, a fountain and other embellishments.
The boundary wall is set in panels, each of which is divided by a banded pilaster topped with a stone ball finial. On the corner splay is a large stone niche with a highly artistic statue of Our Lady of Forsaken Souls (Madonna tal-Abbandunati) which was recently restored.
Mepa scheduled Villa Macedonia as a Grade 2 national monument as per Government Notice no. 628/08 in the Government Gazette dated July 21, 2008.
Tuesday, 8th September 2009
Villa Violette
Villa Violette in Triq is-Salib tal-Marsa, Marsa has a balanced façade consisting of a central doorway with a twin columned portico that supports a closed wooden balcony at first floor supported on a columnaded portico.
There are four plain rectangular windows on the façade, located one on each side of main door on ground floor and on each side of the wooden balcony at first floor. A cornice runs along the front below the parapet wall.
A small door leads to a ground floor wing at the right.
This leads to a five arched veranda overlooking the garden while its roof serves as a terrace for the first floor. To the left is a similar door with a triangular pediment above which leads to a small room flanking Triq San Bernard.
On this side there is an iron gate support by two chamfered stone pillars, each of which is topped by a large stone chalice-like flowerpot.
The villa is located at the top of a ramp and has an underground complex at ground level which together with the sculptured façade at street level, form part of the villa complex and are protected as well.
Mepa scheduled Villa Violette as a Grade 2 national monument as per Government Notice no. 628/08 in the Government Gazette dated July 21, 2008.
Thursday, 10th September 2009
Mtarfa Military Hospital
The Mtarfa Military Hospital in Mtarfa Road was commissioned in 1912, inaugurated in 1917 and opened in 1920. The complex consists of four large blocks and three smaller ones, all linked by a central passageway. All wings are on three floors together with a basement in certain locations, except for a large towered stair-hood at the rear. The façades of the main building and administration wing have verandas on each level and their façades are adorned with a number of badges and carvings in franka stone. The hospital was partially rebuilt during the 1970s.
The ground floor façades of all the blocks are chamfered and all the large blocks are surrounded by pilastered verandas. The rest have large wooden windows set between pilasters of an identical architectural style to match the rest of the complex. All doors and fenestrations are made of timber.
A parapet wall four courses high and composed of stone balustrades runs along the entire roofline.
The building is relatively well kept although alterations were made to the original 'hospital fabric' when the building was converted into a school in the 1970s.
Mepa scheduled the Mtarfa Military Hospital and buffer zone as a Grade 2 national monument as per Government Notice no. 628/08 in the Government Gazette dated July 21, 2008.
Saturday, 12th September 2009
St Oswald's chapel
St Oswald's chapel, located within the grounds of the Mtarfa Military Hospital, is shaped in the form of a Latin cross. The façade and part of the sides are surrounded by a receded veranda which is supported on Doric columns. Abutting the sides are two protruding wings, each with a triangular pediment.
The belfry is large and square, resembling a mausoleum. It has three Florentine windows on each side and each side is topped by a triangular pediment. The belfry is domed with a cross at the top.
St Oswald chapel serves as the Parish Church of Mtarfa since this locality was separated from Rabat.
The chapel was built along with the Mtarfa Military Hospital (later Sir David Bruce). This style of architecture was common to other British military establishments being built during the last decade of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Mepa scheduled St Oswald's chapel as a Grade 1 national monument as per Government Notice no. 628/08 in the Government Gazette dated July 21, 2008.
Tuesday, 15th September 2009
St Lucia chapel located in Triq St Lucy Street, Mtarfa is a plain mediaeval building consisting of a single chamber with a slightly pitched roof, having an east-end apse with altar and a west-facing door.
The façade consists of a central square-headed door above which is a very small rectangular window.
To the left is another door which leads to the sacristy; this was built after the church.
At the centre of the roof is a small bell cot surmounted by a cross and has a small bronze bell. By the main door is a marble slab with the legend: Non gode imunità eclesiastica.
At front and on the left is an enclosed parvis, separated by a stone doorway. The flagstones are a relatively recent replacement. Around the chapel at the rear is a recessed ditch which avoids rainwater damaging the chapel's stone fabric.
This chapel is typical of late mediaeval chapels in Malta, of which a few have survived.
Mepa scheduled St Lucia chapel as a Grade 1 national monument as per Government Notice no. 628/08 in the Government Gazette dated July 21, 2008.
Thursday, 17th September 2009
This limestone statue located in St Oswald Street in Mtarfa is of the saint wearing bishop's robes and mitre. The right hand is holding a book, while the left arm is completely missing from the shoulder and is believed to have held a crosier.
The square stone pedestal is four courses high with another course for the plinth at the base and another serving as a cornice. There is strong evidence of recent pointing of the joints and cleaning or possible restoration of the saint's face. Around the statue is a square wrought iron railing with spear-tipped ornamentation, some of which are broken off.
The actual dating and which saint is represented by this statue are so far unknown. It is tentatively dated to before the arrival of the British in Malta. Originally the statue was believed to represent St Oswald, however, Mtarfa local council believes that the statue is of St. Nicholas.
Mepa scheduled the statue of St Nicholas as a Grade 1 national monument as per Government Notice no. 628/08 in the Government Gazette dated July 21, 2008.
Saturday, 19th September 2009
Villa Bologna located in Triq Sant' Anton Street, Attard was originally constructed by Fabrizio Grech, Grandmaster Pinto's legal adviser as a dowry for his daughter.
The villa was extensively remodelled by Lord Strickland in the 1930s with the use of reinforced concrete which was fashionable at the time. The main building is on two floors with the lower having a groove-jointed panelled façade and embellished by a large, open stone balcony at the front. All windows have decorated pediments with heraldic coat of arms above the main door and above the balcony. There are two large decorative portals on the left and right of the building, each having a banded column on each side, supporting open balustraded balconies.
The rear of the villa is heavily remodelled with a chevron shaped loggia with its roof forming a large terrace above. At its middle is a large portico which also serves as a terrace for the intermediate level. The large gardens are decorated with ornate works including arches and portals and many statues copied from classical works of art. There are trellised paths, gazebos, wells, gardeners' sheds and a lodge with a crenellated roof at the far end of the garden. The extended gardens were meticulously planned in the fashion of those of Villa Frere' in Pietà by Lord Strickland's second wife.
The property is surrounded by high, crenellated walls with octagonal lookout posts at intervals. The main archway leading into the property has grove jointed pilasters and is surmounted by a decorative pediment. There are two other large arches along the front wall, one with a wooden door while the other is walled up. Both have an elaborate pediment including urn type finials.
Mepa scheduled Villa Bologna and surrounding gardens including its boundary wall as a Grade 1 national monument as per Government Notice no. 626/08 in the Government Gazette dated July 18, 2008.
Tuesday, 22nd September 2009
Santa Maria Addolorata Cemetery in Paola is Malta's general public cemetery and was designed by the Maltese architect Sir Emanuele Luigi Galizia. It is designed in the neo-gothic style and divided into a symmetrical and radial arrangement of burial sections and ceremonial paths arranged on the slopes of a steep hill.
The original layout is set within a pentagonal area having parallel sides. The internal avenue network is set around a central diamond-shaped space occupying the highest point and on which the main church was built on a platform.
From this central area radiate eight avenues in symmetrical directions, forming burial areas in triangular shapes. The main features comprise an entrance gate, administrative offices, keeper's lodge and chaplain's quarters, the exedra, church, a number of ossuaries, as well as the boundary wall, monumental stairs and revetments.
The cemetery contains a large number of private mausoleums, chapels, grave monuments and grave-stones of high artistic and architectural quality.
Mepa scheduled the Santa Maria Addolorata Cemetery and ancillary public structures as a Grade 1 national monument as per Government Notice number 628/08 in the Government Gazette dated July 21, 2008.
Thursday, 24th September 2009
The hospital (colloquially known as Boffa Hospital) was originally built in 1922 for the convalescence of sailors. This hospital was damaged during aerial bombardment during World War II and was partly reconstructed after the war as it was originally.
The hospital has a symmetrical façade consisting of a central colonnaded portico with an identical terrace at first floor. The wings are plain having five windows at both ground and first floor on each side. Built in the shape of the letter "H" with an additional block erected later, the building is practically surrounded with a veranda at ground floor and a terrace at first floor, all columned and having wrought iron railings.
On the left side are a series of utility buildings, some of which are not as old as the hospital.
Within the hospital are a number of inscriptions and Second World War relics, including a piece of sculpture from Parliament House in London. Of note are the stained glass windows in the chapel.
Mepa scheduled King George V, Seamans Memorial Hospital as a Grade 2 national monument as per Government Notice no. 628/08 in the Government Gazette dated July 21, 2008.
Saturday, 26th September 2009
This Knights' period powder magazine complex was built in 1756 as commemorated in a marble inscription above the doorway.
The polverista was built in the innermost part of the Grand Harbour at the coast's edge at Ras Hanzir, in the Marsa area, so that it could be supplied by boat and it was built close yet sufficiently away from the fortified settlements for safety purposes.
The complex originally consisted of two parallel, very large vaulted stores with double pitched roofs and pointed stone arches, an identical smaller store, and a smaller vaulted room which were interconnected. The magazines are surrounded by a thick high wall for security and also to contain any explosion of the stores. Access to the complex was restricted by a single central gate.
The exterior walls have flanking buttressed arches at intervals to withstand the lateral thrust of the arched vaults.
The stores were built with an elevated floor forming a basement to prevent dampness. A central courtyard served as a buffer between the stores and to ventilate the magazines.
During the British period these magazines were subjected to a number of adaptations.
The central courtyard and the garde de feu were roofed over, with the former serving as ablutions. The central courtyard was divided into a number of equally spaced divisions by means of thick, segmental stone arches, each having a large ventilator in the ceiling.
Between each arch, other divisionary walls were erected and the whole was roofed over by wooden beams and stone slabs (xorok). Natural light entered through windows in the outer wall which probably doubled as musketry embrasures for defence if required. Indications in support of the assumption that the British had converted the magazines into a small fortified barracks result from the way the new roof over the courtyard was constructed. The roof is sunk behind the outer wall to a depth of a man's height providing a protected position for soldiers to fire from. Mepa scheduled Ras Hanzir Polverista as a Grade 1 national monument and ancillary structures as Grade 2 national monuments as per Government Notice no. 628/08 in the Government Gazette dated July 21, 2008.
Tuesday, 29th September 2009
Villa Gourgion Depiro, located on Triq il-Kbira, Lija is a two storey villa with abutting servants' quarters and stable house. It still has a relatively large garden on its rear which is actually the surviving part of the original extensive gardens and orange groves that stretched to the Lija roundabout.
The Lija Belvedere (which is scheduled as per GN. 360/96 dated 4/06/1996) used to be in the centre of the garden of Villa Gourgion and its entrance is directly in-line with the access to the garden from the villa. However, most of the garden was lost to development and roads, leaving the belvedere isolated in the middle of Transfiguration Avenue.
The entrance hall ceiling of the villa is frescoed and of particular note is the tromp l'oeil in the foyer which changes from a male into a female portrait depending on the direction one looks at it. It has a grand staircase leading to the first floor.
The villa was, on three occasions, the meeting place for the National Assembly whilst drafting the 1921 constitution.
Mepa scheduled Villa Gourgion, gardens and ancillary structures as a Grade 1 national monument as per Government Notice no. 612/08 in the Government Gazette dated July 16, 2008.
Thursday, 1st October 2009
The Chapel of Our Lady of Forsaken Souls in Triq il-Madonna, ?ebbu? is a Baroque chapel which was part of Villa Buleben estate located on the opposite side of the street.
Abutting the chapel is a sacristy having rather plain architecture subdued to the decorations of the chapel. A parvis with five steps is located in front of the chapel. A panelled boundary wall separates the parvis from the street.
The façade of the chapel is richly decorated with an ornate hood mould above the entrance which is flanked by two windows which have diagonal metal bars. The façade is bound by two attached superimposed Ionic pillars on plinths.
The church is topped by a segmented pediment with a central plinth on which there is the crown of Our Lady. A circular lantern bound by scrolls is located in the centre of the chapel.
Mepa scheduled the chapel of Our Lady of Forsaken Souls as a Grade 1 national monument as per Government Notice no. 628/08 in the Government Gazette dated July 21, 2008.
Saturday, 3rd October 2009
The ?al-Resqun catacomb located on the outskirts of Luqa was originally discovered in 1912-13 when groups of tombs of the "Punic Type" were found open half full of stones and dust. One of them close to the public road was cleared in August 1912. It was actually an early Christian tomb with steps leading down to a chamber adorned with a semi-circular mensa. One of the buried chambers had an arch decorated with a scene of human and animal figures carved in relief. The entrance stairway has columns carved in the live rock. It is one of the few of its type in the southern parts of Malta.
Sometime after its discovery the catacomb was covered over by a roundabout, however around 1975, following other roadworks, it was relocated and sealed. In The Times of Malta dated October 13, 1978 an assurance was given that the catacomb was "safe and sound inside a traffic island", but was covered over with soil. The exact location of this complex was rediscovered in 2006 during further road improvement works. The main opening and stairway were then properly lined and covered with a concrete slab for easier removal in case the authorities needed to access them.
Mepa scheduled the ?al-Resqun catacomb complex and buffer zone as a Class B national monument as per Government Notice no. 628/08 in the Government Gazette dated July 21, 2008.
Tuesday, 6th October 2009
Villa Frere on Marina Street, Pietà is a three-storey seafront palace built in the late 18th century. It was the residence of Sir Hookham Frere during his stay in Malta at the beginning of the 19th century. The façade is characterised by a main doorway having a portico consisting of two Tuscan order columns which seem to have been added in the early 19th century as was the fashion. Above the main entrance is a wide open balcony. The façade is painted in a reddish-brown colour making it more prominent.
The pièce de résistance of Villa Frere is its extensive gardens laid out on terraces up the hill where St Luke's Hospital is located. Frere was fascinated by the antiquities and the Romantic Period and this influence can be seen from the features and garden follies still extant in the gardens, such as a belvedere, a Doric Tempietto, arches and other garden decorative features. In one of his letters, Frere describes how he built a retaining wall constructed in very large masonry polygonal blocks known as Cyclopean masonry and which still survives and are sometimes mistaken for archaeological remains. The gardens of Villa Frere actually the inspiration for Villa Bologna's gardens in Lija as designed by Lady Strickland.
Since the 1950s parts of the upper gardens of Villa Frere were encroached by the building of a small state school named after Frere, and by the helipad at St Luke's Hospital.
Mepa scheduled Villa Frere, ancillary structures, gardens and garden features as Grade 2 national monument and the garden follies (Tempietto, belvedere and arches) as Grade 1 national monuments as per Government Notice no. 629/08 in the Government Gazette dated July 21, 2008.
Thursday, 8th October 2009
The chapel of San Mattew tal-Maqluba located in the limits of Qrendi is in actual fact a combination of two chapels, one of which is medieval while the other is of the Knights’ period.
The former, smaller chapel is known as San Mattew i?-?g?ir, which is in relatively good condition with its rear wall supported by a sloping buttress.
The apertures of this chapel are largely modified as the orignal were devoid of any decorations.
The interior of the chapel is a simple rectangular shape with one altar and a small apse decorated with a well-preserved fresco depicting a scallop shell.
This Christian symbol is probably 17th century or later and also features in the early Christian catacombs.
The latter chapel consists of a simple rectangular-shaped building with a single altar despite its considerable size. Entrance into the chapel is by means of three doors, one on the front and the other two at either of the chapel’s sides.
The chapel is connected to the smaller chapel and a sacristy that was built at a later date through two small doors at the sides of the main altar.
Above the main door, one can find organ galleries built by benefactors Dun Mikiel Zammit and Dun Gio Anton Spiteri bearing the date 1834. On April 12, 1942, the larger St Matthew chapel sustained considerable structural damage to its facade following a direct hit by cluster bombs dropped by enemy aircraft.
Mepa scheduled St Matthew’s Chapel as a Grade 1 national monument as per Government Notice no. 1138/08 in the Government Gazette dated December 19, 2008.
Saturday, 10th October 2009
One of the types of street furniture present in Malta is the red, cast-iron telephone booths which are a legacy of the British Period in the Maltese islands. The booths present in Malta are those known as the K6 model, also known as the "Jubilee Kiosk". These were introduced in 1936 and remained as the norm for over 30 years. A Mark 2 was introduced in 1939 since the earlier version was deemed to be too prone to vandalism and theft. It is difficult to distinguish between the two as the main difference is the cable entry at the back. The periods when the booths were manufactured are easily distinguishable from the Royal Crown at the top of the booth.
In Malta there are 68 surviving such telephone booths, 18 of which are pre 1953 while the rest are of the Elizabeth II period.
Telephone Booths have gained local iconic importance and are replicated in miniature as souvenirs and feature in postcards and publications about Malta's heritage.
Mepa scheduled the cast-iron street Telephone Booths in Malta and Gozo as Grade 2 national monuments as per Government Notice no. 829/07 in the Government Gazette dated September 10, 2007.
Tuesday, 13th October 2009
One of the types of street furniture present in Malta is the red, cast-iron post boxes which are a legacy of the British period in the Maltese islands.
There are different types of post boxes ranging from pillar to wall-mounted ones, each of which also varied in size. Other variations include the location of the royal cipher and crown, the typeface of the lettering, and the use of collection plates.
In the 1980s some of the Royal cyphers on post boxes in Valletta were unfortunately chased off on government orders, but thankfully this practice soon ceased.
In Malta there are 160 surviving post boxes from different eras ranging from Victorian through Georgian VI and Elizabeth II. One box at ?ejtun in particular is unique and probably of local design and manufacture, while a few others are very rare and belonging to the Victorian and King George V periods.
Post boxes have gained local iconic importance and are replicated in miniature as souvenirs and feature in postcards and publications about Malta's heritage. Maltapost also issued a stamp book portraying the different types of lette boxes in Malta.
Mepa scheduled the cast-iron Post Boxes in Malta and Gozo as Grade 2 national monuments as per Government Notice number 829/07 in the Government Gazette dated 10 September 2007. The unique and very rare examples of post box are scheduled as Grade 1 national monuments in the same Government Notice.
Thursday, 15th October 2009
Apart from the British Period telephone booths and post boxes, a few other types of cast-iron street furniture are extant in Malta, namely a litterbin, a fire hydrant and a junction box.
The litterbin located in Carts Street, Valletta is in a fairly dilapidated state and is not in use any longer. This fixture is probably unique in Malta and may have some missing elements.
Fire hydrants used to be present in various urban areas as a supply of water in case of fires in the vicinity and included an enamelled H street sign at street corners indicating the presence of such hydrants in the area. This example is located in St Nicholas Street, Valletta and has been restored recently.
Junction boxes were first installed in Malta probably with the introduction of electricity but their use has since been superseded by substations due to technological advancements. This feature is located ion Triq l-Isptar Navali in Kalkara.
Mepa scheduled these cast-iron street fixtures as Grade 1 national monuments as per Government Notice no. 829/07 in the Government Gazette dated September 10, 2007.
