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This blog is dedicated to Malta - my island home. My aim is not to bore you with history but to share my thoughts and a few facts together with a photo or two. For a more in -depth background of the island please go here. The purpose of this blog is not to point out the short-comings of the island. There are plenty that do that already. My wish is to show you the beauty of an island at the cross roads of the Mediterranean, a melting pot of history; a place where fact and fiction are sometimes fused to create unique myths and legends; a country that has been conquered so many times that our culture is a mish mesh of the lands that surround us and of lands far away. I confess that my greatest desire is to make you fall in love with this tiny enchanting island.

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Wednesday 13 July 2011

The Old Naval Bakery

Birgu 162

The Naval Bakery in Birgu (Vittoriosa) was built by the British in 1845 by British architect and engineer William Scamp on the site of an old covered slipway previously used by the Knights of St John for their fleet. The bakery was an important victualling centre for the Royal Navy’s Mediterranean fleet. After WW2 the building was converted into offices and stores and also housed the Admiralty Constabulary.

Birgu 155

In 1992 the Old Naval Bakery was converted into the Malta Maritime Museum. The exhibits at the Maritime Museum chart the sea-faring history of this island and its close relationship with the sea that surrounds us. Relics on exhibit date from ancient times with a vast collection of anchors from the Roam period on display. Other items in the museum include books, cannons, models of ships, navigation instruments, weapons and uniforms with large sections dedicated to the Navy of the Order of St John and the Royal Navy. Perhaps the most famous item on display is the figurehead of HMS Hibernia a ship of the line, launched at Plymouth dockyard in 1804.

August 2004 012

She was the flagship of the British Mediterranean fleet from 1816 to 1855 when she became the flagship for the Royal  Navy base in Malta and stationed in Grand Harbour. The ship was sold in 1902 and eventually dismantled. The figurehead was in Portsmouth for several years and then restored and returned to Malta in 1994.

Birgu 150

Malta Maritime Museum

Ex-Naval Bakery

Birgu

7 comments:

  1. There is just so much intricate history in your immediate vicinity. I admit I'm a bit jealous.

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  2. Amazing how one island country can be at the crossroads of so much throughout history. Until I met you Loree, I probably could not have found Malta on a map (well, maybe) and now it is on my short list of places to see.

    Bises,
    Genie

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  3. So much beauty and history on Malta!

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  4. the color of the building against sky's bright blue is striking. i like it.

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  5. Another brilliantly interesting post. I would love to visit!

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  6. The buildings look stunning against the sky and the history and figurehead are just fascinating!

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  7. Thank you for these wonderful pictures!

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