A souvenir from the past! Photo from Malta in the 1950s shows a local horse-shoer
The National Archives of Malta have shared a photo filled with nostalgia, showing a Maltese farrier hard at work. A farrier is a person who shoes horses, and is referred to as ‘in-nagħal’ in Maltese.
Horses had a significant role in transport back in those days, particularly in the ‘karozzin’, which is the horse-drawn carriage still used in tourism to this day. This made the farrier’s skill an important one.
Although the location shown in the photograph hasn’t been confirmed, several followers of National Archives page have suggested the place to be Żurrieq Road in Ħal Safi close to Xarolla Windmill, where a well-known local farrier, referred to as ‘Ġorġ in-nagħal’, had his workshop.
The photo was shot by Ernie Miller, an English engineer serving with the British Services in Malta between 1952 and 1959.
Have you ever seen a farrier at work?