About 50,000 visitors are expected to have been to the Limestone Heritage in Siggiewi by the end of this year, Manwel Baldacchino, director of Limestone Heritage said yesterday.

Limestone Heritage is a walk-through in a quarry showing how stone for building has been mined for hundreds of years. Visitors are able to see the methods that were used for the quarrying of limestone before the introduction of modern and electric powered machinery.

"The interest generated by this attraction for tourists has led us to extend our walk-through.

"Tourists who visit Mdina and Valletta and watch Malta from the air as their plane is coming in to land are often intrigued by the honey hue that characterises the island.

"They often ask themselves where does the stone come from and whether it is man-made," Mr Baldacchino said.

Mr Baldacchino added that many Maltese who had visited Limestone Heritage recalled what their father or close relatives had told them about quarrying when they were young.

"A substantial number of Maltese have had or still have relatives who earn a living working in the construction industry and in quarrying."

On average about 800 schoolchildren visit the attraction every month.

Mr Baldacchino, who comes from a family of quarry owners, noted that at Limestone Heritage, one would be able to understand better how layers of limestone were formed over millions of years as well as the skills, techniques and tools used traditionally by quarry workers.

Limestone Heritage will be holding a heritage week this week with the assistance of members of the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers. The first heritage week was held last year.

The members of the BTCV will continue where they left off last year with the repair of rubble walls along the winding path leading to the iron cross known as is-Salib ta' l-Gholja in Siggiewi.

The rubble wall building will take place on Wednesday between noon and 4 p.m. and on Thursday between 8.30 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m on Friday there will be museum demonstrations for children.

On Friday at 6.30 p.m. David Cardona will deliver a talk entitled From Fieldstones to Ashlars.

And on Saturday between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. members of the BTCV will give a demonstration on the building of rubble walls separating fields. To make things look more real, there will be live white geese, mountain goats and sheep.

The will be no entry fee to these activities and the public is invited to attend.

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