Historic Mtarfa clock chimes again
The 113-year-old clock tower at Mtarfa has been restored by volunteers.
The clock, which is featured on the emblem of Mtarfa, last worked two years ago.
Volunteers Charles Pace and Mario Agius from Mtarfa repaired the damage at no cost and the locality's council will now go on to restore the clock faces, both from the outside and the inside.
Mayor Anton Mifsud said that contrary to what happened in other locations, residents of Mtarfa had missed the chimes of the clock every 15 minutes and on the hour.
The volunteers this morning calibrated the clock but because its mechanical system dates back to the 1800s it will never be 100 per cent accurate.
The tower was built in 1895 by the British forces, at around the time when barracks were built in the locality. Mtarfa Hospital was built just over 20 years later.
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In Discussion
14 Comments
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effie carbonaro
Aug 25th 2008, 15:49
this hole thing is a farce.the clock is just working and was not repaired as it should be.it goes between 10 to 20 mins backward and it was repaired just for display and not to give the right time.council refused heritage and din lart helwa help knowing that cost to make it precise run into hundred of pounds.thats why the man who repaired it said that the clock will not give the right time giving the excuse that it was old.times of malta should have had an opinion from an expert on this clock not an amateurish one.if this mtarfa council is stupid enough to leave this unic pearl to be repaird by amateurs god help the residents
David Gatt
Aug 24th 2008, 10:50
Great job!
Ernest Vella
Aug 23rd 2008, 22:10
May the bells remain ringing and no guastafeste try to stop the clock from ring...the clock may stop but death does not...think about that
Denis A. Darmanin
Aug 23rd 2008, 19:10
Well done.
This is another excellent job which shows that volunteers are the backbone of work and progress in society.
Some other clocks need their faces re-painted too.
apgrech
Aug 23rd 2008, 18:57
@ Angelica Bossert: If we have more people like them and fix all the clocks in Malta it won't be a paradise but a bell noisy country :))
jojhn camilleri
Aug 23rd 2008, 18:12
Well Done. That's much better than the protests for bell ringing in Balzan, Zabbar aand Senglea.
Paul Formosa
Aug 23rd 2008, 17:25
Well done boys and keep it up you people make Malta proud
Angelica Bossert
Aug 23rd 2008, 15:19
Thank heavens for people like Charles Pace and Mario Agius. If there were more people like them Malta would be a paradise!
john cassar
Aug 23rd 2008, 14:22
it is good to hear that the imtarfa clock is in good working order again. i hope that one day
even the clock on the newly referbushed vittoriosa waterfort will be given a refit even front the front and sides of the faces.
Noel Cutajar
Aug 23rd 2008, 14:17
It is a nice contrast to hear the bells and the diggers in the background...
M Azzopardi
Aug 23rd 2008, 14:16
Charles Pace and Mario Agius.
Prosit.
And Thanks for helping in restoring our heritage.
These two gentlemen should be commended.
David Agius MP
Aug 23rd 2008, 13:22
Prosit... to all volunteers.
Alfred Grech
Aug 23rd 2008, 12:36
Charles Pace and Mario Agius deserve a big thank from all of us.
ray pace (Former Pembroke Councillor)
Aug 23rd 2008, 11:57
Congratulations. I wonder if the two gentleman can have a look and maybe repair the Sandhurst clock in Pembroke which has been idle for years. It would be superb if they manage to do so, thus the three ex-British services clocks in Mtarfa and Pembroke will chime again. The Pembroke clock Tower had been restored by the Works Department way back in the mid-90's and the clock was also restored by volunteers.