This historic Maltese military building has been restored as an incredible research centre
A site that was formerly used by the British military to strengthen the defences of the western part of the islands has just undergone painstaking restoration and will now be used for research and scientific purposes as an observatory and field centre.
Friends of The Victoria Lines Trail / Facebook
Plans for this to happen started around eight years ago, with restoration works beginning back in 2013. Thanks to a collaboration between the HSBC Malta Foundation, the University of Malta, and Mgarr Local Council, I-Land Observatory and Field Centre was born. It represents a unique and new concept in natural and cultural heritage management in Malta.
The I-Land Observatory and Field Centre overlooks the beautiful location of Fomm ir-Rih Bay and spans the area formerly known as the Kuncizzjoni Electric Light Engine Room, built between 1897 and 1917 featuring military building characteristics.
Friends of The Victoria Lines Trail / Facebook
According to Prof. Alex Torpiano, the site used the latest military tech available for its time. The building was also defended with barbed wire, prickly pear plants (yes, this was, and still is, a thing!), the scarping of part of the slope, rubble wall infantry, a musketry gallery, a fire trench and maxim machine guns. Quite the defence system!
Professor Louis F. Cassar said that the Centre will be used to showcase not only the site’s history and heritage, but also the various assets that occur in the vicinity, notably the unique landforms, the geology, the rural landscapes and the very context within which this extreme end of the Victoria Lines defence was constructed.
This building, thanks to the hard work by the various organisations, has been turned into something beneficial for the residents and for all those who visit the locality. Such a project “reminds us that we can learn something together if we keep one eye on the past while keeping one eye on the future,” to bring the community together, said HSBC Malta CEO, Andrew Beane.
A public exhibition featuring the history and various stages of the restoration works is in the pipeline. For more information, call the Mgarr Local Council on 2152 0011