Maltese windmills during the time of the Knights in Malta

Abstract

In this dissertation, an attempt has been made to make a brief survey into what, surprisingly, has been since now a relatively ignored subject. Whilst today various publications are available, and rightly so, regarding Maltese cities and fortifications which form part of our national heritage, only a few sporadic articles about Maltese windmills exist. It is surprising to find that these buildings, the construction of some going back to the 17th Century, are not included in any form of scheduling or listing of historic buildings, which would at least ensure their protection. It is indeed a sad fact that some of these buildings, which served the Maltese community for more than two centuries, are currently in a state of neglect. Other few examples, like Ta' Kola Windmill in Xaghra, Gozo and Tax-Xarolla Windmill in Zurrieq, Malta have been restored and used as heritage attractions. The majority of the windmills, located around Malta and Gozo, today serve as private residences only. A simple description of the windmills built by the Order of St John following its arrival in Malta, along with a description on their location, layout and basic function, would have been instructive, but insufficient by itself to understand the purpose for their construction. In this regard, consideration has been given to the economical and social aspects of the period, as well as the potential economical advantages the Knights recognised in these constructions in which residence and working area where intimately combined. From the outside, it can be difficult to appreciate the internal setting of these structures. An attempt to explain the internal layout and mechanisms of work is therefore made in this dissertation. This was largely possible thanks to records left by the Knights in their Cabreos, description works made in previous articles, as well as the restoration of windmills and their machinery, such as that present in Ta' Kola Windmill in Xaghra, Gozo, carried out by Heritage Malta. Nonetheless, a more comprehensive work on these fascinating structures is still awaited, giving a detailed description not only of the windmills built by the Knights, but also of those built during the British period.