Auberge d'Angleterre
Berġa tal-Ingilterra
View of Auberge d'Angleterre
General information
StatusIntact
TypeAuberge
Architectural styleMelitan
LocationBirgu, Malta
AddressNo. 40–42, Northwest Street
Coordinates35°53′17.5″N 14°31′21.4″E / 35.888194°N 14.522611°E / 35.888194; 14.522611
Current tenantsVittoriosa Health Centre
Completedc. 1534
OwnerGovernment of Malta
Technical details
MaterialLimestone
Floor count2

Auberge d'Angleterre (Maltese: Berġa tal-Ingilterra) is an auberge in Birgu, Malta. It was built in around 1534 (incorporating an earlier building) to house knights of the Order of Saint John from the langue of England (whose members came from England, Scotland, and Ireland). It now houses a health centre, and it is the best-preserved Hospitaller auberge in Birgu.

History

Auberge d'Angleterre incorporates an earlier single-story building which originally belonged to a Maltese woman Catherine Abela. The building was sold to the English knight Sir Clement West in December 1534, and he donated it to the langue of England in May 1535. The house was converted into the langue's headquarters,[1] and a first floor was added at this point.[2]

The rear of Auberge d'Angleterre was linked to the now-destroyed Auberge d'Allemagne.[3] The auberge is also located adjacent to the house of Sir Oliver Starkey, the secretary of Grand Master Jean de Valette and one of the last English knights of the Order.[1]

The langue of England was suppressed in the mid-16th century during the English Reformation,[4] so no English auberge was built in Valletta when the Order moved their capital in the 1570s.[1] The langue was reestablished as the Anglo-Bavarian Langue in 1782, and it was housed in a former palace which became known as Auberge de Bavière.[5]

The building was included on the Antiquities List of 1925, together with the other auberges in Birgu.[6] Until recently, Auberge d'Angleterre was used as a public library,[1] and it also briefly housed a non-governmental organization The Three Cities Foundation.[7] The auberge now houses the Vittoriosa Health Centre.[8]

Auberge d'Angleterre has survived intact, and it is the best-preserved Hospitaller auberge in Birgu. The building was scheduled as a Grade 1 national monument on 22 December 2009,[9] and it is also listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands.[2]

Architecture

Plaque on the auberge

Auberge d'Angleterre is built in the Melitan style, based on traditional Maltese architecture, and it has a similar layout as Auberge de France. It is a two-storey building with rooms built around a central courtyard. The piano nobile is located at the first floor.[9]

It has a plain façade with a doorway topped by a circular window and flanked by windows on each side. The first floor has an overhanging open balcony above the doorway, again flanked by windows. The door and windows are all decorated by Melitan mouldings.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Auberge D'Angleterre". Birgu Local Council. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "Auberge d' Angleterre" (PDF). National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016.
  3. ↑ "Auberge d'Allemagne". Times of Malta. 17 November 2012. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016.
  4. ↑ Bonello, Giovanni (January 2005). Michael Cooper (ed.). "The Playing-card" (PDF). Journal of the International Playing-Card Society. London. 32 (3): 191–197. ISSN 0305-2133. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 April 2005.
  5. ↑ Denaro, Victor F. (1963). "Yet more houses in Valletta" (PDF). Melita Historica. 3 (4): 31–32. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 March 2016.
  6. ↑ "Protection of Antiquities Regulations 21st November, 1932 Government Notice 402 of 1932, as Amended by Government Notices 127 of 1935 and 338 of 1939". Malta Environment and Planning Authority. Archived from the original on 19 April 2016.
  7. ↑ "The Three Cities Foundation – Auberge d'Angleterre". Birgu Local Council. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014.
  8. ↑ "Health". lc.gov.mt. Archived from the original on 17 July 2016.
  9. 1 2 "Vittoriosa's Auberge D'Angleterre". Times of Malta. 20 November 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
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