At Malta when the NDS visited in 2007 a development was planned for the Knights Templar’s storehouses next to the British naval No.1 Dock, which had lost its gates. The original façade would be conserved. Much C19 and C20 dockyard heritage has not been as well conserved as that dating from the Knights’ period because of low regard for naval history. Dockyard heritage is threatened because there is no current context. Whereas everyone once obtained their living from the sea, few people now use the water. The contribution of the dockyard is not obvious to younger generations because its heritage is hidden behind walls. The 2007 Malta Conference papers were published in Transactions of the Naval Dockyards Society, 5: Venice & Malta, ed. Ray Riley, Naval Dockyards Society, Portsmouth (2009).

Photographs were taken by David Davies in 2007.