A historic baroque villa in Pieta’ will be operated and maintained by an NGO, Heritage Malta announced on Friday.

The partnership agreement – the first of its kind – will see Villa Frère promoted, maintained, opened to the public and run by the NGO Friends of Villa Frère.

In a statement, Heritage Malta said it had plans for other such agreements in the future. 

The villa has been in the news recently as it is threatened by an application to build a 10-storey retirement home at Giardino Zamitello, which is adjacent to the villa's gardens.

Villa Frère has been in the news recently as it is threatened by an application to build a 10-storey retirement home at Giardino Zamitello, which is adjacent to the villa's gardens.

It also risks being compromised by a six-storey touristic development replacing a two-storey house in a stepped alleyway off the Pietà marina, close to the villa.

Friends of Villa Frère was set up in 2013 by heritage architect Edward Said, who specialises in building conservation.

He was introduced to the historical villa’s upper gardens during his architectural studies, when the site was in a state of complete abandonment.

Deeply captivated by the beauty of the place and intrigued by its history, he felt compelled to act and to increase awareness, saving it from utter destruction.

Read: Beyond the walls of Villa Frère

The history of the villa

The 12-acre estate was created by British diplomat, poet, scholar and philanthropist John Hookham Frère, who dedicated much of his energy to create its garden following his wife's death in 1831. 

Its vantage point offered views spanning from Mdina right across to Valletta, as well as the Msida Bastion Cemetery, where his wife was buried.

Villa Frère became a sanctuary for numerous academics, poets and authors. Mikiel Anton Vassalli reportedly spent ample time there discussing the Maltese language and how to establish it as a written and taught language with Hookham Frère.

Hookham Frère died in 1846, and the site fell into neglect until forty years later, when it became the residence of Captain Edward Price.

A notable garden enthusiast, he gave life back to the property, introducing a selection of exotic plants from around the world and creating different planting sections. Earning it the title of a botanic garden, the place became a prominent attraction, both to locals and foreigners.

Renowned artists, painters, scholars and even three monarchs have walked inside these lush grounds. In 1930, the gardens were featured in Country Life magazine, a world-leading landscaping periodical, and attained international fame.

Villa Frère sustained only minor bomb damage during the Second World War.

However, in subsequent years a primary school, nursing school, a helipad for St Luke’s hospital and a parking area all ate away at its once-sprawling grounds.

Today, just over a third of the original area survives (including the house), yet their mystique is still there.

Mr Said is dedicating himself to the restoration of the structures in the gardens while his colleague Fernando Mifsud, a landscaper and garden designer, is focusing on the regeneration of the gardens. They are helped by volunteers and sponsors.

The gardens of the villa are open to the public every first Saturday of the month.

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