Ponsonby's Column, also known as Ponsonby's Cenotaph, [2] was a monumental column in Valletta, Malta. It was built in 1838 as a memorial to Major-General Sir Frederick Cavendish Ponsonby, a former Governor of Malta, but it was destroyed by lightning in 1864. Its plinth survived, and is now located near Hastings Gardens. [3]
Major-General Sir Frederick Cavendish Ponsonby, an Anglo-Irish aristocrat, was appointed Governor of Malta on 15 February 1827. While Ponsonby was in England in 1836, he resigned from the post of Governor, and died suddenly on 11 January of the following year. [4] [5] [6]
In 1838, a column was built in honour of the dead Governor on St. Andrew's Bastion, overlooking Marsamxett Harbour. [4] [5] Its architect is not known, but it could have been designed by Giorgio Pullicino. [7] The monument consisted of a 70-foot-high Doric column on a plinth, [5] surmounted by an urn. [4] The main inscription read: [4] [6]
FREDERICO CAVENDISH PONSONBY
MELITAE AN. IX. PRAEFECTO
CIVIUM AMOR
MDCCCXXXVIII
In January 1864, the column was struck by lightning, [5] and it was subsequently demolished. [4] [6] The plinth remained intact, but in November 1888 it was removed from St. Andrew's Bastion to make way for new gun emplacements on the bastion. The plinth was reassembled near Hastings Gardens on St. Michael's Bastion, and the following inscription was added: [4] [6]
THE COLUMN 70 FEET HIGH ERECTED ON THIS BASE
TO THE MEMORY OF SIR FREDERICK PONSONBY
WAS DESTROYED BY LIGHTNING IN JANUARY 1864
The plinth was damaged by shrapnel during aerial bombardment in World War II. It was restored a number of times over the years, most recently in 2013 under the sponsorship of the Bank of Valletta. [7] The plinth is listed as a Grade 1 national monument by MEPA. [8]
Casa Rocca Piccola is a 16th-century palace in Malta, and home of the noble Maltese family de Piro. It is situated in Valletta, the capital city of Malta. There are daily tours from 10am till 5pm. The palace includes a restaurant called La Giara Restaurant.
The Valletta Waterfront, is a promenade in Floriana, Malta, mainly featuring three prominent buildings: a church in the middle, the Pinto Stores or the Pinto Wharf on the left, and the Forni Stores or the Forni Shopping Complex on the right. The buildings were originally stores and warehouses, built in the 18th century, and the design is attributed to Andrea Belli.
Republic Square is a piazza in Valletta, Malta. The square was originally called Piazza Tesoreria or Piazza dei Cavallieri, since the treasury of the Order of Saint John was located in the square. After a statue of Queen Victoria was installed in the square in the 19th century, it became known as Queen's Square or Piazza Regina. Although its official name is Republic Square, it is still commonly referred to as Piazza Regina.
The Lascaris War Rooms are an underground complex of tunnels and chambers in Valletta, Malta that housed the War Headquarters from where the defence of the island was conducted during the Second World War. The rooms were later used by NATO and are now open to the public as a museum.
Żonqor Battery is an artillery battery in Marsaskala, Malta, standing on high ground overlooking Marsaskala Bay. It is a polygonal fort and was built by the British from 1882 to 1886.
Balbani Battery, also known as Bengħisa Battery or Saint Catherine's Battery, was an artillery battery in Birżebbuġa, Malta. It was built by the Order of Saint John on commands by Grand Master Manuel Pinto da Fonseca and it was completed in 1721. The battery was named for Cristoforo Balbani, who partially financed its construction. It was one of a series of coastal fortifications around the Maltese Islands.
The Manderaggio is a neighbourhood in Valletta, Malta. It is located behind the Manderaggio Curtain of the fortifications of Valletta, on the side of Marsamxett Harbour.
Palazzo Parisio, sometimes known as Casa Parisio, is a palace in Valletta, Malta. It was built in the 1740s by Domenico Sceberras, and eventually passed into the hands of the Muscati and Parisio Muscati families. It was Napoleon's residence for six days in June 1798, during the early days of the French occupation of Malta. The palace was eventually acquired by the de Piro family, and was later purchased by the Government of Malta. It was used as the General Post Office from 1886 to 1973, then the Ministry for Agriculture, and it now houses the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
Casa Leoni or Casa Leone, also known as Palazzo Manoel or the Vilhena Palace, is a palace in Santa Venera, Malta, which was built as a summer residence for Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena in 1730. It was subsequently used for a number of purposes, including as an insurgent command base, an official residence, a museum depository and a school. It currently houses the Ministry for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects (MTIP).
Bubaqra Tower, formerly named as Saliba Tower, is a fortified house in Bubaqra, limits of Żurrieq, Malta. It was built as a country retreat in the late 16th century. The tower and its gardens have been restored, and now serve as a family retreat. It is officially named as Bubaqra Palace and it is a grade 2 national monument.
The Hompesch Gate is a commemorative arch in Żabbar, Malta. It was built in 1801 to commemorate the locality's status as a city, which had been granted by Grand Master Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim on 14 September 1797.
The Armoury, also known as the Old Fortified House, is a historic building in Siġġiewi, Malta, which was originally used as the residence of captain of the village, and it also served as an arsenal where the weapons of the local militia were stored. The last Grand Master of Malta was hosted in the building by the captain during the feast of the village.
The Birkirkara Tower, also known as Għar il-Ġobon Tower, is a tower in Birkirkara, Malta. Its date of construction is not known, but it is believed to date back to around the mid or late 16th century.
Kolonna Eterna, also known as the Millennium Monument, is a 21st-century monumental column in San Gwann, Malta. The column is an abstract art designed by Paul Vella Critien, a Maltese local artist that achieved his studies and experience in Italy and Australia.
Santa Margerita Chapel, also known as Arar Chapel, is a 16th century chapel in San Gwann, Malta. The chapel was built for the farmers working the surrounding fields. At the time, attacks from the sea were common.
The Slaves' Prison officially known as the Grand Prison and colloquially as the bagnio, was a prison in Valletta, Malta. It was established in the late 16th century, and remained in use as a prison throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. It was subsequently used as a naval hospital, a school and an examination hall. It was bombed in World War II, and the ruins were demolished to make way for a block of flats.
Ġnien is-Sultan, also known as the Giardino della Marina, the Grand Master's Garden or Lascaris Garden, was a garden in Valletta, Malta. It was established in the 17th century by Giovanni Paolo Lascaris, and it included a summer residence for the Grand Master. The garden included several Baroque elements designed by Francesco Buonamici.
The Courts of Justice building is a courthouse located in Republic Street, Valletta, Malta. It was built in the neoclassical style between 1965 and 1971 on the site of Auberge d'Auvergne, which had been destroyed by aerial bombardment during World War II.
The Sciberras Peninsula is a peninsula in the South Eastern Region of Malta, between the Grand Harbour in the south and Marsamxett Harbour in the north. At its end stands the Mount Sciberras, which gave its name to the peninsula. During the Arab occupation the peninsula was called Mu'awiya, which has been taken up in Maltese as Xagħriet Mewwija.
The remains of an unidentified Punic building exist incorporated into several properties in Żurrieq, Malta. They include a well-preserved structure commonly known as the Punic Tower or the Żurrieq Tower which is found inside the private garden of the Domus Curialis, the house of the town's archpriest, and which is the most substantial surviving example of Punic architecture on the island.
35°53′56″N14°30′27.6″E / 35.89889°N 14.507667°E
