Malta Culture 365

Xlendi flour mill interior sourced from XV Architecture When the threat of nuclear war became imminent, the British Services in the Maltese Islands prepared a civil defence system aimed at ensuring a supply of food for the population of the Islands. These preparations took the form of a number of flour mills which were excavated in live rock and were self sufficient as regards the power required to run them. These flour mills were each composed of a pair of large silos where the grain was stored, archimedian screws which transported the grain to the milling machines, and the machines proper. The milling machine ran was started by first firing up a starting engine which would then fire up the engine proper of the milling machine. The machine functioned through a series of leather belts which provided traction for all the moving parts. Of particular note is the fact that the milled grain was segregated into its different components by the machine itself and the miller's work...

Ġnien tal-Kand, Żejtun On becoming Governor of Malta, Sir Alexander Ball felt that the Maltese Islands needed some more greenery and thus set about planting trees wherever possible. Another method of adding greenery was through the opening of gardens, such as the Mall gardens in Floriana, which were previously inaccessible to the local community. Ball also created new gardens which were to be managed by the Luogotenente di Casale  who also served as police officer, magistrate and general liason between the local population and the administrators of the Islands. A number of these gardens were constructed in various localities around Malta as a perk for the Luogotenente and at the same time with the aim of using the gardens as experimental areas for agricultural and horticulture purposes. Ball wanted to avoid a repeat of the mistakes the French made and thus wanted to have a buffer between the locals and the administration. The Luogotenente would facilitate the...