"The Lift, Upper Barrakka Gardens, Valletta, Malta"

9x12 - Oil on stretched canvas

Macartney, McElroy & Co. Ltd., an engineering company specializing in electric tramway systems, constructed the Upper Barrakka Gardens lift, which opened in September of 1905. Macartney, McElroy & Co. Ltd. also laid down tramlines in Malta in 1907. The tramlines linked the Three Cities and Rabat to Valletta, via Floriana, Hamrun, Birkirkara and Attard.

The lift linked Valletta with Lascaris Wharf and was in use until the sixties when it was shut down. The lift was later dismantled.

The Upper Barrakka Gardens are located on St. Paul’s Bastion overlooking the Grand Harbour and offer a fantastic view of the Harbour and the Three Cities. It was built by the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem (Knights of Malta) in 1661 and was used by the knights for exercise and relaxation. In the 1900s the balcony overlooking the harbour was built and the garden was renovated.

Nowadays, the Upper Barrakka Gardens are a place where tourists as well as Maltese can go to relax and enjoy the view of the Grand Harbour and the Three Cities. Just below the balcony the Noonday gun is fired daily at noon to commemorate the Great Siege of Malta.

Lascaris Wharf or Xatt Lascaris (now known as the Valletta Waterfront, has been enlarged and has been turned into a dedicated cruise ship terminal. The old warehouses that line the wharf have been renovated and turned into restaurants and clubs. The Waterfront has become a very vibrant and popular meeting place for Maltese and tourists alike. Sidewalk patios provide a great view of the Grand Harbour and Fort St. Angelo.