Xaghra council pleads for repairs to Ta' Kola windmill

Xaghra local council has written to Heritage Malta appealing to it to repair the historic Mithna ta' Kola or else hand the property to the council.

"The windmill was the only one in working order in Gozo when it was taken over by Heritage Malta. It was damaged some three years ago and is still without its vanes. Three years is a long time, and if Heritage Malta cannot carry out the repairs itself, we are prepared to do so," Mayor Joseph Cordina told timesofmalta.com.

He said that he was not criticising the national heritage agency in that it possibly had a lot on its plate, but it was a shame that tourists saw pictures of a complete windmill only to find it had been damaged when they turned up on their tours.

"The situation is unacceptable," Mr Cordina said. He said he had not heard anything from Heritage Malta.

Heritage Malta, however, said when contacted by timesofmalta.com, that it had informed Xaghra Council that plans were in hand to repair the windmill.

"The damage is more extensive than it seems as the mechanism also needs to be repaired."

It could not give a date when the works will be taken in hand.

The agency said the windmill was the only one that fell under its responsibility.

The windmill in Xaghra was built at the time of the Knights in 1725 and now houses a folklore museum.

None of the windmills built at the time of the Knights survive in working order. A similar windmill in Qala (Ta' Randu) also had its vanes destroyed in a storm a few years ago - shortly after restoration. The same fate was suffered in March last year by the only surviving windmill in Malta, at Xarolla, Zurrieq.