A project comprising the installation of Ta’ Kola Windmill’s antennae has been underway this week, with works set to be completed by tomorrow. This constitutes the final phase of a restoration project being carried out by Heritage Malta, which included the full reconstruction of the internal milling mechanism.

Ta’ Kola Windmill in Xagħra, Gozo, is one of the few surviving windmills on the Maltese Islands dating back to the Knights’ period. The windmill derives its name from its owner and last miller, Ġuzeppi Grech, popularly known as Żeppu ta’ Kola, who left it to the state after his death in 1986.

The detailed project to restore the windmill to its former glory kicked off some three years ago, with the first stages consisting of the removal of the old milling mechanism. This was subsequently followed by the installation of the wooden structure which supports the two milling stones. Works for the installation of the remaining elements of the internal mechanism and the wooden cone came next, with the insertion of the lower wooden ring which spans around the entire circular perimeter of the mill tower.

Its construction follows a plan which is echoed in most Maltese windmills of the period and consists of a number of rooms on two floors surrounding the centrally-placed cylindrical stone tower. The latter houses the milling mechanism which consists of two circular hard-wearing stones placed on top of each other to crush the grain forced between the two rotating surfaces.

On the ground floor of the windmill one can observe the workshop premises while the first floor comprises the living quarters of the miller including the kitchen, dining room and bedrooms, which have been recreated using traditional furniture and items related to Gozitan crafts. 

Ta’ Kola windmill provides a glimpse of traditional rural life in Gozo over the past centuries and also houses one of the largest known collections of tools, some of which were manufactured by Zeppu himself, who lived and worked inside the mill.