The Villa
Villa Portelli, taking its namesake from the family headed by Agostino Portelli, was likely constructed as a holiday home, away from the loud and busy streets of the urban harbour areas. Having a secondary residence in the quiet countryside was commonplace for whoever could afford it. The wealthiest among Maltese society sought a villa as their retreat, however, many from the middle class settled on a smaller farmhouse with a few rooms. These were referred to as “Casamenti”. In both cases, the main feature of the property would often be the gardens that served as a private open space.
…a house with a garden located in Kalkara, specifically by the shore, marked No. 79, which has been granted to me. After measuring it and carefully inspecting it as per my duty, I found it consists of a covered entrance with a parapet in front, three rooms, a small kitchen, a garden with a walking path, a rainwater well, stairs leading to the terraces, and a convenient outhouse. There are eleven citrus trees, plants, vines, and others: an upper plot with fig trees, prickly pears, and more.”
A surveyor’s description of the small farmhouse which neighboured Villa Portelli and was also subsequently bought by Agostino Portelli to expand his property’s footprint. This description was found within the notarial contract pertaining to the transfer of property made in 1839.
Situated on the hill leading to Villa Bighi, overlooking Kalkara Creek, Villa Portelli witnessed the growth of Kalkara from a quiet fishing village to a holiday retreat for the Maltese merchant class, and eventually into a bustling naval community. Whilst the initial date of construction of the Villa is yet to be discovered, archival research supported by archaeological investigations indicate that the property’s history can be traced back to the late 18th century. Notarial contracts have indicated that the property boundary may have been formed by amalgamating several plots of neighbouring land.
The gardens of Villa Portelli were constructed following the Italian style of symmetry, being sub-divided into sections by a passageway. In a survey report done in 1902, Villa Portelli was listed to have four gardens, six arable fields, a plot known as “Il-Barriera”, and two other plots utilised for sports activities. According to the survey report, the gardens altogether contained over 250 trees of different species, mainly citrus. Each garden and field was sustained via a well or reservoir that collected rain water.
The gardens were ornated with several neo-classical urns and statues. Among the most prominent are the large marble urns and busts of Roman deities and emperors which can still be seen today. Unfortunately, Villa Portelli’s gardens were diminished, and one was altogether lost, when road and infrastructural works were undertaken to facilitate better access to other parts of Kalkara.
By the end of the 19th century, Villa Portelli was equipped with running water, an irrigation system for its fields and gardens, servants’ quarters, and kitchen. Owing to its proximity to military establishments such as Fort Ricasoli, Bighi Hospital, and the dockyard, Villa Portelli was often rented out to high status members of the services.
A plan of Villa Portelli, its gardens and surrounding fields drawn up in 1902.
In 1900, the Breakwater proposals, with contingent Schemes of deep-water Wharves for Warships to lie alongside, were put forward by the Admiralty, and as the giving effect to such schemes necessitated the extinction of all public and private rights along the shores of the Creeks of the Harbour. The Admiralty decided to acquire the Villa which had a water frontage with rights of a landing and to a bath house under its sea terrace. Negotiations with the Agostino Portelli’s heirs ensued, but having failed, compulsory expropriation proceedings had to be reverted to, and the property was acquired for the sum of £5000 in 1902.
As an Admiralty property, Villa Portelli first functioned as the official residence of the Superintendent of Civil Engineering, HM Dockyard. During the First World War, it became a social hub to host events for convalescing service personnel and was also a meeting place for the Royal Naval Friendly Union of Sailors’ Wives. The villa changed residence in 1943 after the Malta Flag Officer needed to change accommodation after his residence in Birgu was bombed out in 1942. For this reason, the villa was overhauled to suit the needs of an Admiral. Part of the project involved the removal of the frescoes painted on the wall, in favour for cement plaster and plain paint schemes. The next major renovation took place in the late 1950s when the villa became the official residence of the Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet.
Villa Portelli remained as the residence of the Mediterranean Fleet’s Commander-in-Chief until 1967. In that year, military budget cuts and decolonisation rendered the Mediterranean Fleet unsustainable and was disbanded. Villa Portelli was reverted as the home of the Malta Flag Officer It’s final resident, Rear Admiral Sir Oswald Nigel Amherst Cecil, vacated Villa Portelli in 1979 when the British forces withdrew from Malta, after which the property was handed over to the Maltese Government.
