New lease of life for knights' playground

The Mall, in Floriana, built by Grandmaster Lascaris in 1656 as a recreational area for the knights, has been given a new lease of life and will be inaugurated today by the Prime Minister.

About 4,000 square metres of paving was laid in the 350-metre long public garden, originally known as Maglio. A spokesman for the Ministry of Resources and the Infrastructure said that, after a new lighting system was installed to illuminate the monuments there, an embellishment programme for the garden was undertaken.

The works included the installation of garden furniture, drip irrigation, the restoration of the boundary wall and the main gate/entrance and the replacement of 600 metres of railing, among other jobs.

Originally, the knights used to practise sports, including gymnastics, at the Mall but a few years after the arrival of the British, Governor Sir Alexander Ball decided to change it into a garden.

A historical note released by the Resources Ministry says that the Maglio's original boundary wall was removed after World War II.

Over the years a number of monuments were installed there. On the site now occupied by the Independence monument used to stand a bronze stature of Grandmaster Manoel de Vilhena which is now close to the American Embassy in Floriana.

The Mall also includes two fishponds, one of which was damaged during the war and eventually restored.