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Josephine Tyndale-Biscoe: Villa Frere.
A Lost Maltese Garden Rediscovered.
BDL Books, 2015. 64 pp.
Josephine Tyndale-Biscoe has superbly dug into the past of the current ever increasing awareness of Villa Frere’s historical connections, bringing back to life its origins and evolution. With a dedicated team of preservationists, among whom that budding and enduring architect Edward Said, Tyndale-Biscoe, through this publication, has driven the point home that this architectural and botanical gem is crying for appropriate funds in a bid to restore it back to its shining glory. Peter Vassallo’s foreword is a fitting appetiser to delve into the contents of the book.
This budding writer has proven herself to be a genuine believer in the preservation of deteriorating architectural gems that have political or social significance Malta, as well as the restoration of those ever-increasing, dilapidated, architectural gems scattered throughout the Maltese islands.
This time round, she has successfully and stunningly brought back to the surface a plethora of architectural and geological wonders. Thanks to stunning photography, Tyndale-Biscoe manages to bring back to life and amazingly illustrate her well-documented and thoroughly-re-searched information concerning various geological, botanical and architectural structures spanning across Villa Frere, some of which are practically forgotten or lost in oblivion.
She has mastered a triple approach to this publication, which should be a striking addition to one’s Melitensia collection. She is convincing in the suitability of her research design. The effectiveness of her data collection process is there to see, and the appropriateness of her chosen re-search methodology to the subject being researched pervades throughout.
This new publication fits in perfectly with the anticipated and expected feelings felt when Villa Frere first started being researched and revived.
The flowing text and accompanying photography evoke a strong emotional and nostalgic feeling, especially among those of us who are over 60.
Reading the book triggers off a series of memories and experiences and, in so doing, the author subtly appeals the long-lost or abandoned values and ethics in the appreciation and preservation of architectural treasures. As the reading of the text progresses, one is readily inspired by the surprises flying out of this Pandora’s Box.
The lively narration is like a garden path that becomes the thread of a plot, connecting moments and incidents into a narrative. The narrative structure might be a simple chain of events with a beginning, middle and end. Yet, it is embellished with diversions, digressions, and picaresque twists, accompanied by parallel ways which can deceptively fork into blind alleys, just like the alternative scenarios explored in a detective novel.
Available from villafrere@gmail.com or Friends of Villafrere Facebook. BDL Publishing.
www.bdlbooks.com