In response to Dr Conrad Thake’s letter of 25 September, I would like to say that those who have come forward to safeguard the house in Ghar il-Lembi Street, corner with High Street, have made no claims to being experts, it does not take an architectural degree to see that, contrary to what Dr Thake maintains, the six maps and one painting we have researched dating from 1728 to 1815 all show a number of houses already built along High Street during the Baroque period. Thus, Dr Thake’s insistence that the house could not have been built before 1850 and therefore worthy of demolition cannot be justified.
In his book Tas-Sliema fl-Imghoddi published in 1930, Sir Temi Zammit lists High Street along with Ghar il-Lembi and Ghar id-Dud Streets as the first streets to be built in Sliema. This is clearly corroborated by our maps that show six houses already lining High Street in 1728, and had risen to 19 houses by 1815.
Victor Gauci’s book Insights into Sliema states that in 1741, the chapel dedicated to the Madonna in High Street was re-built on a larger scale, presumably to accommodate a growing congregation. This pre-Victorian village is depicted in a painting in a private collection dated 1780, which shows a cluster of houses running from the chapel down High Street. Gauci goes on to say that Sliema census records for 1837 show a population of 450. While Dr Thake is correct in saying that Sliema’s architecture cannot be described as Baroque in character, this documentation proves conclusively that Sliema’s earliest houses were built in the Baroque period, therefore his insistence that the house scheduled for demolition was not built before 1850 is erroneous. In fact the map shows that by the 1850s, the earliest possible date of construction quoted by Dr Thake, not only were all the streets around High Street built, but also the ones which branched off St Mary’s Street. Now these streets would hardly have been built overnight, would they? This map proves that most streets between High Street and The Strand were in fact built before 1850.
Regarding Dr Thake’s cavalier dismissal of the house’s Baroque features, I respectfully point out that if he would make the effort to look behind the house’s columns, he will find the quintessential Baroque door surround complete with projecting face and guttae (tear-shaped pendants) typical of the simpler, vernacular or people’s Baroque, as can be seen in humbler houses both in Valletta and the villages. Neither the door nor the house’s single continuous corbel balcony are to be seen on any of Sliema’s Victorian or Art-Nouveau houses mentioned by Dr Thake. Other features of vernacular Baroque include its simple cornice, unique roof draining system and the use of arches to support the upper floor, rather than iron beams which were the norm in Victorian times. Similarly, the Victorians had progressed to using lime mortar as a cementing agent, and would hardly have reverted to the Baroque practice of packing their stones with soil, as can be seen in this house.
The fact remains that this house lies within the Urban Conservation Area, and Mepa’s outline approval of its demolition is a flagrant violation of the heritage considerations set out in Chap. 445 of the Cultural Heritage Act in the Maltese Code of Law, which describes Grade 2 listed buildings as “buildings of some architectural or historical interest or which contribute to the visual image of an Urban Conservation Area. Permission to demolish such buildings will not normally be given. Alterations to the interior will be allowed if proposed to be carried out sensitively and causing the least detriment to the character and architectural homogeneity of the building.” Now this building can boast of both architectural and historical interest as well as contributing to the image of the UCA. Therefore it should, by law, be preserved and only be permitted “sensitive interior alterations”.
As for Dr Thake’s insinuations about my having a personal agenda, I do not think it is necessary to descend to the level of personal insinuations. I have full respect for his architectural accomplishments, just as I understand that he has a job to carry out for his clients, the developers. Unlike what has been alleged, I do not live close to the house in question. Its demolition will not affect me in any way other than my sorrow at seeing the destruction of one of Sliema’s last vestiges of architectural heritage. Sorrow that the house, which, if restored, would make a beautiful landmark, will be replaced by yet another block of flats, robbing one of Sliema’s few untouched areas of its character and charm.
Dear Dr Thake, unlike you, I have nothing to gain as I am not paid for my intervention, except for threats made by the developers to me and my family, threats which have been duly reported to the police. So you really need not worry about any personal agendas.
Astrid Vella
SLIEMA