Plans to restore a historic wash house outside Mdina have hit a stumbling block after the local council realised the Grade 1 scheduled structure is privately owned.

Eight years ago, the Mdina local council successfully applied to have the wash house, called Għajn Ħammam, restored under the assumption that it was government property.

But Mdina mayor Peter Sant Manduca said the council has since found out that it is in private hands.

Other similar structures across Malta and Gozo, known as għajn tal-ħasselin, have been repaired.

The arched structure, on the steep road opposite Mdina’s western gate, dates back to the 17th century when Malta was ruled by the Knights of St John, and has the highest level of protection granted by the Planning Authority.

Deep cracks in the wall of the historic wash house outside Mdina.

It served as a wash house for the populations of Rabat and Mdina for centuries.

But the building has been in bad shape for decades. In 2002, Alternattiva Demokratika called for the site’s restoration, and Times of Malta wrote about the building’s poor state 13 years ago.

Documents submitted to the Planning Authority in 2014 described the building as being in a “bad state of repair, with several cracks along the walls and roofs”.

It continued: “The wash house has a flow of natural spring water and a drainage system. However, it seems that the outflow drain is blocked, and thus, this is causing the spring water to seep into the ground and weakening the foundations”.  

As a result, deep cracks in the walls have developed, the document said. 

Times of Malta visited the derelict site last Friday and found the building as it was described nine years ago, with graffiti now also sprayed on a wall.    

The government can step in to save the building by issuing a conservation order.

The arched wash house was due to be restored – until the local council realised it was privately owned. Photo: Jonathan Borg

Asked if it would take this step, a spokesperson for the culture ministry said conservation orders are issued “as a last resort when a property of patrimonial value is in dire risk of grave disrepair or collapse”. The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage operates independently of the ministry and has the power to decide on particular sites, it added.  

The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage said it is inquiring into the ownership of the property "prior to deciding on any further action necessary".

Għajn Ħammam is one of a handful of wash houses still left in Malta and Gozo.

One wash house, in Msida, is currently being restored under the local council’s restoration scheme, with works set to be completed in June. 

At a site visit to Msida, Culture Minister Owen Bonnici highlighted the importance of preserving historic structures like the Msida wash house and stressed the importance of investing in the preservation of Malta’s historic patrimonies.

Other wash houses of the era were built in Dingli, Rabat, Ta’ Kerċem and Fontana.