The original domain of this site, davidjgardiner.com, will be allowed to expire on the 5th October.
Davidgardiner.co.uk will now be the only address for this site.
Oddly enough davidgardiner.com redirects here - I should probably point out that I neither own nor control this.
Anyway, some updates to follow; and I do appreciate this seems to be turning into an architecture blog, which is something which I'll hopefully correct in due course.
Regards,
D
Royal Opera House, Valletta
The Royal Opera House in the Maltese capital of Valletta. Although I traveled to this great 'city of places, built by gentlemen for gentlemen' as a child, I have unfortunately few memories of it - although those which remain are very happy ones indeed. The Opera House, on a scale more befitting a great continental metropolis than a small but significant settlement of a mere six thousand or so people, was bombed out by the Luftwaffe during the War, like so much of this spectacular island. Its ruins remain as a grim monument to the sacrifice not only of individuals, but of whole nations, in conflict.There have been several aborted attempts to rebuilt the Opera House, or at least something worthwhile on the site: premium land on the main Republic Street immediately beside the city gates. Perhaps the most interesting of which was the rumoured offer of construction help from German PoWs towards the end of the war. At present, however, there are forces who wish to see a new Parliament building in the modernist style constructed on the site. We in Scotland, who know a little about the unfortunate siting of modern parliament buildings in the heart of historic cities, should probably send a delegation or similar to pass on our wisdom in this regard.
Anyone fancy a visit?
