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Malta’s Secret Gardens - Vincienne Bezzina
from Vigilo 55
by dinlarthelwa
m A lt A’ s
Secret Gardens
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by vincienne bezzina
All photographs taken by the author in 2018, unless indicated otherwise.
Elizabeth Schermerhorn, 1929
Left: Central Passageway of iI-Ġnien tal-Kmand in Qrendi. Right: Entrance of iI-Ġnien tal-Kmand, Qrendi. The Casalgardens are a chain of gardens situated in various villages around Malta. They were commissioned by sir Alexander Ball between 1804 and 1805, as part of his plan to introduce an improved system of cultivation in Malta. The plants and trees cultivated in Floriana’s Maglio were distributed around the island and made available to the villagers through the Casal gardens. Ball entrusted Michele Cachia with the design and supervision of their construction.
The Casal gardens, once finished, were handed over to the luogotenente of the village. Because of this, many of these gardens were known as il-Ġnien tal-Kutnent (lieutenant’s garden) or, as they are still known, il-Ġnien tal-Kmand (commander’s garden).
Ball’s intention was to make these gardens accessible to the public while gratuitously providing farmers with plants, seeds and shrubs. However, after some time, being indifferent to agricultural improvement, the luogotenenti kept them for their own use. Eventually, in 1839, with the abolishment of the role of the luogotenente, the government leased them to private individuals and they were no longer accessible to the public.
A total of 23 gardens are mentioned in a variety of sources which include the Amministrazione dei beni pubblici, the Cabreo plans, 1900s survey sheets and tenement sheets. The extant gardens have all remained government owned. Three of them (Qrendi, Żejtun and Safi) are administered by the local councils. In 2009 the Planning Authority scheduled the gardens in Attard, Lija, Għargħur, Gudja, Qrendi, Safi, Siġġiewi, Żabbar, Żebbuġ and Żejtun as grade 1 national monuments. In 2010, those in Attard, Balzan and Mosta acquired grade 1 and in 2013 surviving areas of il-Ġnien tal-Kmand in Għaxaq were scheduled as grade 2.
raison d’être
Sir Alexander Ball intended to improve agriculture and horticulture in Malta and at the same time turn it into a ‘green isle’. William Domeier, physician resident in Malta for three years, in 1810 (a year after Ball’s death) credited most of Malta’s advancements in agriculture and horticulture to Ball’s work through the gardens: ‘...must be mentioned, that he rendered a barren surface, near each village, often a naked rock, fit for cultivation; that he enclosed it with a high wall, provided it with young trees, shrubs, and plants, and gave this, as an additional income, to the justice of peace of each village, obliging him, at the same time, to give gratis to each petitioner of his village, seeds of his plants, to share his shrubbery, and to allow the people to graft from his trees’.
During his term as Civil Commissioner, Ball insisted on importing new plants and trees, some of which were cultivated in the botanical garden in Floriana along with indigenous ones. Both indigenous and imported plants were transported to the Casal gardens managed by the luogotenente del casale. The establishment of such gardens made it easier for farmers to learn new cultivation techniques and to be exposed to new crops and plants which were introduced for their benefit.
After the blockade, Malta was short of food supplies. Ball allocated a large sum of public funds to construct these gardens in order to promote horticulture, to diversify the economy and to supplement the food supply. The cost of these gardens raised expectations.
characteristics
During his travels to Rome and Naples, architect Michele Cachia must have been inspired by the work of Italian architects. In fact, most of these gardens follow the style of eighteenth-century Italian gardens. The gardens are surrounded by a high boundary wall, most of which are perforated only by a central doorway on a symmetrically designed façade. A marble plaque, with an inscription commemorating King George III, Sir Alexander Ball and the luogotenente under whose responsibility it was entrusted, is usually set above the entrance. Blocked windows and doors are another feature on the façade, an architectural style that Cachia adopted. The gardens at Żejtun and Gudja have an elaborate centrepiece in a classical
Blocked Apertures in Qrendi, Siġġiewi and Safi Gardens.
Above: The high boundary wall of iI-Ġnien talKmand, Gudja.
Right: Interior of il-Ġnien tal-Kmand, Qrendi.
Below: Apiary with insertions for clay beehives of an eastern fashion at il-Ġnien talKmand in Qrendi. This is now used as a tool room and is not functioning as an apiary. style above the doorway displaying the George III Royal cypher. Internally, a central stone passageway protruding from the main entrance is flanked by stone pillars supporting trellis vines. Narrower pathways, attached at right-angles to the main passage, divide the gardens into separate plots. In some gardens, a gatehouse is attached to the entrance. These were used as offices by the administrators. At Għargħur, this served as the residence of the luogotenente. An apiary and a barumbara were common features within the fabric of these gardens.
secret gardens
After Ball’s death the aim of the Casal gardens was buried along with their founder. How did they become ‘secret’? Did their high walls and enclosure hide their assets? Were they intentionally and egoistically rendered secret, or was their function inappropriate?
Already in 1812, in his letters to the Mediterranean, Lieutenant Edward Blaquière shared his concerns on this matter. He noted an increase in the growth of wheat and barley together with the introduction of new plants and trees. However, in his opinion, agriculture had experienced little or no improvement even though Ball had worked hard to introduce new cultivation techniques and advances in agriculture. He insisted that the gardens were not very successful, an opinion he confirmed with an English gardener residing in Malta, who informed him that, ‘the gardens established by Sir A. Ball, have been of no use whatever, owing to his having confided their care and cultivation to the Luogo Tenenti, persons totally ignorant of agricultural improvement, prejudiced in favour of old customs, and above all, more anxious to derive personal advantage from the charge, than to fulfil the governor’s original design, which was that of making them accessible to the public, and providing the farmers with plants, seeds and shrubs, gratuitously.’
While Blaquière mainly blamed the luogotenenti for the misuse of the gardens, the Report of the Royal Commission of 1812 points towards other reasons. The first reason was the infertile soil. Another reason was the conservativeness and stubbornness of the Maltese, who did not like to experiment with new crops and farming methods. The Royal Commission considered Ball’s project to be a waste of public funds. Already in 1811 in his account on agriculture, Giacinto, who was in charge of the botanical garden in Floriana, expressed concern and encouraged the Maltese to avail themselves of the great opportunity provided to them by Ball.
Another reason could be the governance style of Sir Thomas Maitland (1813-1824) whose principles were not in line with those of Ball. While Ball was ready to give the Maltese a share of civil liberty, Maitland excluded all Maltese participation. This could have made it easier for the gardens to lose their raison d’être and to be forgotten by the public. The luogotenenti under Maitland were demoted to deputati di luogotenente di governi. Malta was divided into six districts, each under a new luogotenente.
The final blow occurred in 1839 under Sir Henry Bouverie, who completely abolished the luogotenenti and their deputati, replacing them with seven syndics each leading a district. After this, the government leased the gardens to private owners and from then onwards they were no longer accessible to the public.
Having fallen into private hands at a very early stage of their existence, the significance and historical value of the Casal gardens was locked away and forgotten for over 200 years. This lack of awareness gave an opportunity to the government and the tenants, to manipulate the gardens to suit their needs. Only a few remained intact, while the rest were tampered with or completely wrecked.
the survivors
The gardens in Qrendi, Siġġiewi and Safi have remained almost completely authentic. They were barely intervened upon and their present layout still matches that of the original Cabreo plan.
Il-Ġnien tal-Kmand in Qrendi, looked after by the local council, is one of the largest Casal gardens. It is located in Triq Santa Katerina and is now well integrated within the village fabric. A marble plaque attached to one of the walls inside the garden denotes that in 1992 the garden was made public but it has remained closed for the past 20 years due to lack of funds.
Another garden managed by a local council and open to the public, is Ġnien Sir Alexander Ball in Safi. It is located very close to another garden listed as Ta Bria on the Cabreo plans. Surrounded by agricultural fields with a few rural structures, its setting is still very authentic.
Tal-Cmand in Siġġiewi, located in the outskirts of the village is largely ignored by the residents of Siġġiewi since it is enclosed by a high boundary and has blocked-up apertures. The garden is still privately leased and operates as an orange grove.
Overall, these gardens have not suffered any major interventions. The few changes included the blocking of doorways with stone, which is reversible.
Other gardens in Gudja, Għargħur, Balzan, and Żebbuġ/Rabat still survive but their fabric has been slightly intervened upon during the years to adapt to various uses during the periods of their leases.
Il-Ġnien tal-Kmand in Gudja has long been leased and converted into a residence. The façade has remained authentic but the internal layout has been tampered with. In 1968 a permit was granted to build a bungalow within the garden’s boundary and at a later
Left: il-Ġnien tal-Kmand, Qrendi façade.
Below: Façade of Ġnien Sir Alexander Ball, Safi.
Above: Façade of il-Ġnien tal-Kmand, Żebbuġ/Rabat.
Left: Full façade of il-Ġnien tal-Kmand, Attard.
Right: Present façade of il-Ġnien tal-Kmand, Balzan.
Gardens in Safi, Cabreo Plan NAM MBK3 Plan 423 (NAM, 1860s).
stage a pool was also constructed, for which permits could not be traced.
In the outskirts of Għargħur, overlooking terraced landscape and sea, il-Palazz talKmand stands alone. It is known as Palazz because the garden also has living quarters which were the residence of the luogotenente. The same family from Għargħur has tended the garden for consecutive generations and it is still under lease. By 1994 the original dwelling was extended a further 126sqm to suit the needs of its tenants. The pillars which once flanked the pathway were completely lost, but the pathway still exists.
The Casal garden in Balzan is located opposite the Old Mill in Birkirkara. The façade, which is approximately 65m long, is not the original one. A drawing at the Public Works Records and Archives shows that the façade of this garden was demolished to make way for a wider road. On plan the Cabreo shows parts of the façade extruded which would have created a panelled design similar to other gardens.
Situated outside the development zones (ODZ) between Żebbuġ and Rabat, another garden is surrounded by agricultural fields. With its chevron shape, it is a very particular one. The façade together with its door are still authentic but in great need of restoration and parts of its boundary walls were rebuilt several times. The fabric of this garden has undergone quite a number of alterations.
Other gardens which survived the test of time are those in Attard, Mosta, Attard/ Lija and Żejtun. The layouts of these gardens have changed drastically due to permanent interventions but their use has still predominantly remained as a garden.
Il-Ġnien tal-Kmand in the limits of Attard lies in a rural setting. A record at the Public Works Records and Archives lists that in 1955 the garden was leased for four years to the Malta Shooting Club. Aerial photos reveal that the internal layout of this garden has changed radically over the years and is barely recognisable from the Cabreo. By 1957 the pathways were already lost as they made way for a skeet shooting arrangement, and only the boundary walls and rooms remained according to the original layout. It was later adapted to accommodate a residential use.
Another Casal garden in Mosta, close to the Rotunda, experienced a number of changes both internally and externally. Recently this garden was under threat of new development. An application was submitted to the Planning Authority, to demolish existing pre-1967 dilapidated rooms and construct a terraced house interconnected to the adjacent garage. This application was reccommended for refusal but is still awaiting a decision from the Planning Authority.
Another garden situated between Attard and Lija is positioned within a densely built area with small pockets of undeveloped land. Presently it forms part of a larger area turned into a Plant Biotechnology Centre. Tenement records show that the land was held by the Department of Agriculture. The area was to be enlarged through the addition of seven adjacent fields, in order to convert it into a government nursery. These lands now fall under the Plant Health Department, and the garden forms part of the Plant Biotechnology Centre for micropropagation. In the aerial photo of 1967, the boundary wall was extended to incorporate the fields acquired by the Department of Agriculture. The new area followed the layout of the Casal garden. To cater for the needs of its new use, the garden experienced several interventions including a driveway, two large laboratories with two basement levels, a climatic chamber and four green houses within it. The left boundary wall of the front section was completely demolished.
Ġnien Luqa Briffa is located in the outskirts of Żejtun and lies between Triq id-Daħla ta’ San Tumas and Triq Xrobb l-Għaġin. Since 1927 this garden has been leased to the Żejtun Local Council and open to the public. During its first 150 years, the garden was isolated among a large number of agricultural fields. As development expanded the garden was driven closer to the community and was eventually connected to a larger public open space. Comparing the Cabreo plan and the 1957 aerial photo, it can be
Façade of il-Ġnien tal-Kmand, Siġġiewi.
Il-Ġnien tal-Kmand, Mosta façade. Il-Palazz tal-Kmand, Għargħur façade.
Façade of il-Ġnien tal-Kmand, Gudja.
Il-Ġnien tal-Kmand, Attard/Lija façade.
Attard/Lija Aerial Photo of 1957 vs that of 1967 (PA, 1957/1967). seen that by this time part of the gatehouse and the exterior shell of the garden remained intact but the internal layout had changed completely. The busy roads that encroached on the garden are creating quite an edge between it and the community of Żejtun.
the victims
While twelve gardens survived, three are in ruins and another six have been completely lost. The gardens in Żurrieq, Lija and Għaxaq have mostly been covered by development, although parts survive with some hints of the original structure still visible.
A large plot of land, which is now mostly developed and located in the aptly named Triq il-Kmand, used to house Żurrieq’s IlĠnien tal-Kmand. By circa 1967 its frontage was completely destroyed. It made way for the construction of Triq il-Belt Valletta and a roundabout. A number of garages were also being developed in the first section of the garden. By 1988 the garages were fully constructed but this was not the greatest concern for admirers of the garden. Out of its remaining area of 5,000m2, a social housing project which included the construction of 18 dwellings devoured 3,600m2 of it, leaving the garden with only 1,400m.2 A section of the original boundary wall is partly visible from the adjacent petrol station. Ruins of the original reservoir are also still visible.
In an area now known as Ta’ Kmand, situated close to the Belvedere Tower of Lija, another Casal garden existed. Over the years this area changed drastically with new road infrastructure and development. The aerial photo of 1957 shows Transfiguration Avenue dividing Il-Ġnien tal-Kmand in two parts. The north section was transformed into a public project while the southern section of the garden was sacrificed for semi-detached villas and only a small section of 422m2 remains.
Il-Ġnien tal-Kmand in Għaxaq has been encroached on by development and large parts of it are lost. A small part of this garden can be seen from Triq San Filippu, and the remaining parts have become private gardens.
Other gardens in Qormi, Birkirkara, Luqa, Mqabba, Naxxar and Żabbar have been totally demolished and some made way for residences. The one in Mqabba was lost at a very early stage and by 1911 it was already built up as a government school. The one in Luqa was still intact in the 1930s but the 1957 survey sheet lists the site as a quarry, and it now serves as a Wasteserv site.
By the 1880s, il-Ġnien tal-Kmand in Żabbar was already surrounded with dense development and it was decided to convert this walled garden into a piazza covering approximately the same shape and size of the garden. In the 1900s the piazza was known as Prince of Wales Square but nowadays it is known as Misraħ is-Sliem. This piazza underwent several upgrades. Contrary to its once flourishing fruit orchard, it is presently a bare area paved in a modern design with a central fountain. No hints of Il-Ġnien talKmand remain except for the usual marble plaque which has been attached to a residential dwelling overlooking the piazza. This is very misleading as it is not in its original place.
Apart from the gardens mentioned, there is still a possibility that more gardens formed part of Sir Alexander Ball’s horticultural project. The fact that the plans of these gardens were drawn 60 years after their existence, indicates that some might have already been lost by the 1860s and a plan in the Cabreo was never created for them. This is the case for the Casal gardens in Tarxien and Paola which were listed in expenditures in the Amministrazione dei beni pubblici (ABP), but these have yet to be identified. Most of the Cabreo plans were listed as Tal Cmand, but this description was not used for all the gardens, making it more difficult to identify them.
green lungs
The sudden increase in development in recent years has resulted in denser communities and an ever-increasing need for public open spaces and green lungs. Investigating the resources already present in our localities should be the initial step towards an improvement in this regard.
The Casal gardens can be considered as established and protected assets that were developed in the past, when the need to increase greenery was already being felt. Ironically, this was a time when the density of the built fabric was hardly comparable to the present situation.
Above left: Photo of Ġnien Luqa Briffa pre 1950s (MALTA - Through the ages Facebook group, 2018).
Above right: Photo of Ġnien Luqa Briffa.
Left: Photo showing façade of il-Ġnien talKmand, Żurrieq in the background (Private collection, Caruana Family).
Below: Part of il-Ġnien tal-Kmand boundary wall as seen from adjacent petrol station, Żurrieq.
Above: Dwellings which once overlooked il-Ġnien tal-Kmand in Żabbar.
Below: Żabbar’s Casal garden’s marble plaque attached to a residential dwelling overlooking the piazza.
It is clear that lack of heritage appreciation from both the government, who committed some of the gardens for infrastructural works, schools and housing schemes, and from tenants who intervened on the gardens to try to make them more residential, created havoc in nearly all the gardens and most interventions were also illegal. Although some of the gardens have been scheduled, they are still at great risk of more illegal development and deterioration while being leased. Should these gardens be given back to the public and restored after termination of lease, they may once again regain their purpose, be safeguarded for future generations and provide for an ever-increasing need of open space. n
RefeRences
V. Bezzina, Malta’s Secret Gardens: A Compilation of Underutilised 19th-Century Public Gardens and the Evaluation of their Present State (unpublished dissertation, University of Malta, 2018); E. Blaquière, Letters from the Mediterranean: Containing a Civil and Political Account of Sicily, Triply, Tunis, and Malta (London, 1813); W. Domeier, Observations on the Climate, Manners and Amusements of Malta: Principally Intended for the Information of Invalids Repairing to that Island for the Recovery of Health (London, 1810); C. Giacinto, Saggio di agricoltura per le isole di Malta e Gozo (Messina, 1811); National Archives of Malta, Amministrazione dei beni pubblici 43: Introito dalla tesoriere e corrispondente; esito dalli 25 luglio 1804 a tutto li 24 luglio 1805; E. Schermerhorn, ‘Colours and Perfumes in a Garden’, in D. Manley (ed.), Malta: A Traveller’s Anthology (1929); National Library of Malta, Report of the Royal Commission (1812).
