🧮 Tal-Laqx Windmill – Details

Here’s a summary of the construction and history of Tal-Laqx Windmill (also known as Old Mill) in Naxxar, Malta:

📍 Location

Details on Il-Mitħna tal-Laqx (Tal-Laqx Windmill) in Naxxar, Malta — history, construction, later use and current status.

📜 Date & who built it

The mill is recorded in specialist windmill registries as built under the Manoel (Vilhena) foundation tradition, and there is a stone on the base bearing the date 1828 (the stone is often cited in site notes). Sources therefore attribute the structure to the later phase of the island windmills with a visible datum of 1828.

Type, plan & materials

Type: classic Maltese tower windmill — a circular tower rising from a squarish rectangular base (the usual “tower + base” arrangement found across Malta).

Materials: local Maltese limestone masonry with lime mortar; the base is built as living/work rooms surrounding the tower (typical vernacular construction).

Machinery & original function

Functioned as a grain mill (wheat/barley → flour) serving the local agricultural community. Most modern reports state no original milling machinery survives in situ (the mill’s internal gearing and stones were removed or lost over time).

Later history & current status

The windmill’s sails were removed and the base/tower have been adapted for residential use (sources describe conversion into a house / private use). It is recorded in official heritage listings (MEPA/Wikidata) and is scheduled as a protected historic structure (Grade listing shown in registry entry).

Confusions to avoid

Naxxar has more than one historic mill (for example Mitħna tal-Għaqba, which has recently been restored and whose sails have been returned to working demonstration). Tal-Laqx is a different mill (older registry notes and the dated stone distinguish it). Don’t conflate the two when using photos or recent restoration reports.

Official inventory / scheduling (MEPA / Superintendence)

Inventory (NICPMI / SCH) entry: Inv. No. 02977 — Il-Mitħna tal-Laqx.

Address as published: Triq Għargħur k/m Sqaq tal-Laqx, In-Naxxar.

Status: Published as an addition to the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands (Superintendence of Cultural Heritage). As stated in the Government Gazette (11 April 2025), the property is subject to the usual statutory controls (no development or intervention without a permit from the Superintendent; damage is an offence).

Where to get the full fiche: the Government Gazette points users to the Superintendence site (schmalta.mt) and to the SCH ArcGIS web viewer (schmalta.maps.arcgis.com) for the detailed inventory record / fiche and maps. The SCH/PA planning file or the National Inventory entry normally contains the full property fiche (description, coordinates, scheduling justification and, sometimes, measured plans).

Technical / background details (specialist sources)

Type / form: traditional tower (round) windmill (the typical Maltese “tower + base” plan).

Build / dating notes: specialist windmill database entries attribute the mill to the Manoel (Vilhena) foundation phase; a date-stone on the base is commonly reported as 1828 in site notes (other compilations sometimes list an approximate 1730 date — see “source differences” below).

Materials / machinery: built of local Maltese limestone; public notes say no original milling machinery survives in situ (the internal gearing and stones have been removed/lost).

Current use / condition: recorded in registry notes and local reports as converted to residential use (base and tower in private use) and containing a small niche on the façade.

Important source notes & minor contradictions

The Government Gazette (11 Apr 2025) is the authoritative recent source for the inventory number, name and official address/registration. Use it as the legal reference.

Specialist windmill lists provide the architectural notes (Manoel foundation attribution, stone-date 1828, no machinery). Different compiled lists sometimes give slightly different build dates (c.1730 vs. the 1828 stone) — the 1828 stone noted on the base is the visible datum on site and is cited in the windmills database. Where precise dating matters you’ll want the SCH fiche or the notarial/title deed.