The Malta Police Force traces back to
1813, at which time the Governor of Malta, Sir Thomas Maitland, embarked on a
journey of reforms and improvements, amongst which was maintaining law and
order on the island. The Malta Police Force is therefore one of the oldest police
forces in Europe. At a par, we find that Żejtun was a major contributor to the
island’s agrarian economy. Many of the Maltese merchants and traders hailed
from the city. As Malta’s economy shifted to the servicing of the Royal Navy,
much of the island’s commercial activity shifted to the fortified cities around
the harbour, with the importance of Żejtun declining gradually over time. In
1865, a cholera outbreak led to 84 deaths in the city, out of a total
population of 5491. As Żejtun continued to develop, the British colonial
administration built a police station and a public school. The Żejtun Police
Station is one of the very few police stations in Malta which are housed within
a building that was specifically designed for such use. Architecturally it is
also a very intriguing building built in a Neo-Classical style synonymous with
public building architecture under the British Rule.
A visual and photographic inspection of
the site was undertaken to ascertain the condition of the facade, thus enabling
the formulation of a proper conservation strategy. This appraisal concluded that the damage,
which has occurred, could be generally summarized as follows:
Prior to the conservative intervention, the
facade was in a relatively good state of repair, given that the building
remained in use and was subject to maintenance carried out over the years. The
columns were painted over and showed some powdering damage on the lower areas
mainly due to being exposed to weathering conditions and pollution. The cornice
of the balcony showed signs of black crust. Dirt and black crust accumulated in
areas not washed by the rain, such as below the cornices. The black crusts
formed in sheltered areas are associated with the most aggressive gases i.e.
Sulphur which results in the transformation of calcium carbonate into calcium
sulphate, which also includes black carbonaceous material. This brings about
the formation of a hard surface skin which tends to blister and exfoliate.
Further loss of detail due to surface erosion may also be resultant of this
chemical instance, which in turn weakens the matrix beneath the crust. Some of the
balustrades underneath the cornice were subject to powdering and flaking, with
some instances of vegetation growth. Black crust formations could also be
observed on the top cornice and open joints.
Due to the nature of the damage the
following restoration works were carried out:
The facade was washed down using water and
stiff bristle/ nylon brushes. Poulticing
was used for decorated or moulded areas.
This procedure basically consisted of applying wet packs to the façade
and allowing them to dry in order to extract the black deposits out of the
stonework and pass into the poultice, which was later on brushed off of the
stone surface. The Architect in charge allowed for the reconstruction of
damaged stone and missing sculptural and decorative stonework. The latter were
replaced using appropriate templates approved by the Architect in charge. No
cement was used, with the plastic repair mix being solely composed of hydraulic
lime, sand and stone dust. Clay
particles were combined in the mix, in order for the mix to be of closer
consistency to that already existing.
Open joints were cleaned and all loose
mortar was removed, while the mortar which was still in good condition was
retained. Mortars similar to the
existing ones were used to point the joints.