PA declares unique seashell house and early 17th century Barumbara as high protected buildings

A unique, late 19th century townhouse in Għaxaq that is decorated in seashells, and an early 17th century domed, round structure in Imqabba have been rubber-stamped as protected Grade 2 and Grade 1 buildings respectively by the Planning Authority.

The process for the scheduling of these two buildings was carried out in close collaboration with the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage.  

The Għaxaq vernacular townhouse, which is close to the Parish Church, has its first floor heavily embellished with various motifs made from applied shells and polychrome render, primarily in red, green and blue.

The decorative motifs are mostly religious, but also include architectural detailing, family crests and lettering. The property includes three niches; the one on the side elevation relates to the crucifixion scene, whilst the other two, located on the main façade, hold the statue of St Joseph and St Andrew.

At roof level, a highly elaborate frontispiece capped with finials and a statue of the Virgin Mary, the patron saint of the locality, stands triumphant. A second, less elaborate frontispiece is located on the side elevation.

Martin Saliba, Chairperson of the PA’s Executive Council said the building has a high level of aesthetical significance in that it is a unique representation of folk art, with no other examples being recorded.

“The execution is naïf and stylised as typical of folk art,” he said.

This Grade 2 property, originally belonging to a certain Indri Dimech, was turned into a huge canvas when in 1898 he started to decorate the façade of his property with hundreds of snails and seashells, from where it later got its name.

Although no one can say what inspired Indrí Dimech, known as Il-Mikk, to start decorating the façade of his property with hundreds of snails and seashells, some suggest that he might have seen such decorations when he was living abroad.

The Authority also gave the highest protection status to a domed, round structure in a corner field between Triq Santa Marija and Triq iċ-Ċavi in Mqabba.

This early 17th-century structure was listed in the Order of St. John’s archives as part of the scheduled ‘Sptar il-Qadim’, which formed part of the Nicola Cottoner Foundation. Evidence of this can be found in a 1732 map of the estate in ‘Tal-Barumbara’ whereabouts, found in the Cabreo Cottoner.

Saliba said the site has a high level of historical importance given its historical mentions as a folly in the gardens of the Nicola Cottoner Foundation’s estates.

“From an architectural point of view, the dovecote is unique too since such structures were commonly rectangular and flat-roofed,” he said. “This dovecote is similar to medieval dovecotes found in continental Europe.”

The building at ground level has a small entrance with a small window above it.

At the top of the Barumbara are several projecting corbels which are symmetrically spaced out. Some of these corbels support stone slabs that bridge one corbel to the next.

These formed a continuous shelf around the building. The stone slabs have been cut into segments to reflect the curvature of the cylindrical form of the structure.

Visit www.pa.org.mt to view all scheduled buildings and properties in Malta and Gozo.