Malta Culture 365

 The Malta Railway The Malta Railway was the name of the company which ran the train line locally between 1883 and 1931 with a halt between 1890 and 1892. There were a number of stations along the single track between Valletta and Mdina, however the company went bankrupt in 1931 due to competition with the buses which were cheaper and a more convenient means of travel. First railway trip on 28 February 1883 There are a few sites and Facebook pages with information available such as  Alan Edwards'  page  Malta Railway 1883 - 1931  or The Malta Railway Foundation Facebook page amongst others where the information can be obtained from. Above road crossing in Attard Hamrun station Road crossing Princess Melita The contemporary map below gives a good idea of the extent of the rail and tram network at the time, however it is a bit difficult to comprehend in relation to the sprawl of development in the past 90+ years.  The Google map ...

The Victoria Lines Walk The Victoria Lines are a line of fortifications that span across Malta. The intent of the North West Front as the original name of the lines was planned to be was to focus the defence on the south east part of Malta which was more heavily populated and had less beaches, and thus was more defensible. The lines run along a natural barrier known as the Great Fault and further defends this natural step in the landscape. This significant military endeavour spans across 12 kilometres and is for the most part easy to walk along taking in the vistas of the more rural part of Malta. The construction of the Lines commenced in the late 19th Century and they were inaugurated in 1897, the same year Queen Victoria had her Jubilee, hence their being named the Victoria Lines. The lines were deemed obsolete by 1907, a short time after completion and thus they remained untested and ...

The following is a list of stately houses and other palazzos which survive in Malta. Most of these buildings are used as residences or are private property and thus may not be visited except externally. Nonetheless, they are worth having a look at! This page is still under construction and will be updated from time to time. Palazzo Stagno, Qormi Palazzo Gomerino, Rabat Villa d'Argens, Gzira San Anton Palace and gardens, Attard Verdala Palace, Rabat Selmun Palace, Mellieha Il-Kunvent (Id-Dar tas-Soru), Zabbar Villa Curmi, Zejtun Villa Curmi, Triq Sant' Anġlu, Żejtun Palazzo Francia, Lija Villa Preziosi, Lija Palazzo Parisio, Naxxar Villa Bologna, Attard Palazzo Pescatore, San Pawl il-Bahar Villa Gourgion, Lija Villa Buleben, Zebbug Villa Frere, Pieta Villa Bologna, Marsaskala Villa Pisani, Birzebbuga Palazzo Dorell, Gudja Palazzo Bettina, Birgu Villa Agatha, Floriana Palazzo Manoel (Villa Leoni), St. Venera Villa Bonici, Sliema Villa Grognet...

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...