Towns evolve for various reasons and we often marvel at how different things were in the past. It doesn’t take long for stories to fade into obscurity which makes rediscovering them all the more surprising. What I discovered about the central Maltese town of Msida is one of these stories.
When the Maltese rebelled against the French their leader wrote to British Captain Alexander Ball for help.
I’ve written more in my article Do you know when the Union Jack first flew over Malta?
Ball was already well-respected in Malta. The Maltese elected him President of the National Assembly on 9 February 17991. I was aware of Ball’s good reputation but I was not aware of all his contributions to the island.
In 1839, Thomas MacGill published “A handbook, or guide, for strangers visiting Malta.” It is one of the first tourist guides to Malta. I love how MacGill describes Malta and Maltese customs. One aspect of Malta which MacGill describes is the town of Msida.
MacGill describes what travellers can do when leaving Valletta. After passing through the external set of fortifications in Floriana, there are 3 routes you can choose from. Straight on is the town of Hamrun which leads to the old capital of Mdina. Heading left (in other words, south) takes you to the south of the island. Turn right and the next two places you travel through are Pieta and Msida, in that order. The routes are similar today, even if the road network is counter-intuitive at times.
Today Msida is a large yacht marina. The walk from Pieta along the shore, through Msida, and northwards to other towns is one of the most pleasant walks on the islands. I’ve often sauntered along this stretch of shoreline accompanied by the sound of waves licking the shore.
It wasn’t always like this. I’m betraying my age when I say I remember the old British naval torpedo depot building looming over the bay.
When Ball arrived in Malta, everyone thought of the Msida inlet as unhealthy. The sea deposited sludge around the bay and, with the Knights’ quarantine harbour nearby, the place was awful.
Ball built a road from Pieta to Msida to improve the situation. According to MacGill, “in consequence of which, all stagnate water is removed, and the whole is rendered salubrious – this fine road is now lined with pretty houses from one extremity to another.” 2
MacGill explains how the authorities were extending the road along the bay towards Ta’ Xbiex. The project was still underway at the time of writing.
Apart from cleaning the area up, a single road along the coast means travelling to and from the coastal town of Sliema was simpler. Rather than traipse up and over the hill in Msida, travellers could now ride or walk on a level path to Valletta.
Sir Alexander Ball had also indirectly contributed to funds for a chapel in Sliema after the French had destroyed the only one there was3. Clearly he had his eye set on Sliema and helped develop the locality in many ways.
I find it interesting that Sir Alexander Ball embarked on this project so soon after arriving in Malta. Given the economic situation at the time, it’s fair to conclude there wasn’t much work going round. The Knights of St John were the islands’ major employer but the Maltese revolted and kicked them out in 1798. This large construction project would have been ideal to put people to work and provide them with a living.
MacGill describes the new waterfront describes the “pretty houses from one extremity to the other.” These buildings today are decrepit in nature. I’ve often wondered who would take the initiative to restore one of them to their previous glory.
Unfortunately, developers are currently preparing to demolish rather than restore. A recent (Jun 06, 2018) article in the Times of Malta4 highlights how statues from the facades of these houses have disappeared. Many heritage-loving organisations have opposed the request to demolish citing the cultural heritage value.
One of the statues is of St Rocco5; it is he who Roman Catholics pray to for protection against the plague6. There is no further information about the statue, or who made it. Given the foul nature of the bay at the time, I posit that this 19th century statue is a reminder of how bad the place was.
It would be a shame if the statue – now missing – were not recovered. If I were developing the building, I would restore this statue, or commission a new one, to keep that link with Sir Alexander Ball. Without Ball, there would have been no road, and thus no building to develop.
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- Sir Alexander John Ball, 1st Baronet; Encyclopaedia Britannica; (Retrieved 2018-07-02) [↩]
- A hand book, or guide, for strangers visiting Malta, p115; Thomas MacGill; 1839[↩]
- The Chapel of Our Lady of Divine Grace; Antoine P Borg; The Unexpected Traveller; 2019-08-12[↩]
- Statues disappear from Msida 19th century façade; The Times of Malta; 2018-06-06[↩]
- National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands #00842; (Filed 2012-08-27[↩]
- Who is Saint Rocco?; St Rocco’s Feast; (Retrieved 2018-07-02) [↩]