The building that today serves as the premises of The Malta Council for Science and Technology and Esplora Interactive Science Centre has an extraordinary history dating back to the 17th century. The main Villa, was designed in 1675 by Maltese architect Lorenzo Gafa to serve as a private summer residence for the Italian Knight and Prior of Capua, Fra Giovanni Bichi.
In the 19th century, when the Maltese Islands were under British Rule, the Villa passed into the hands of the Civil Government and in 1827, King George IV gave permission to the Admiralty to transform the building into a naval hospital. The foundation stone of Royal Naval Hospital Bighi was laid on March 23rd, 1830. For years, this hospital contributed to the nursing and medical care of most of the casualties that occurred in the Mediterranean during the Crimean Wars, World War I and World War II.
We are now proud to announce that a Self-Led History Tour was created so that visitors have an exclusive opportunity to experience and discover the history of these grounds. With the help of Nurse Watson, who will serve as a virtual guide for this tour, come and walk in the footsteps of nurses who worked at the hospital. The tour also gives some insights on the various patients that were treated within these exhibit halls, which once served as hospital wards. Check the Insanity Ward as well as the Surgical Wards and observe the shrapnel damage which is still set in stone from the heavy bombings on the hospital during World War II.
Download the Self-Led History tour brochure from here and follow the trail to experience some very interesting historical facts about these premises!
Should you wish to organise a guided history tour of the premises, kindly contact us on info@esplora.org.mt.
