Pipes from the Auberge de Castile, Valletta, Malta

Abstract

During the excavation of an old sewer system in the basement of the Auberge de Castille, five broken tobacco pipes were found, amongst other discarded pieces of pottery, including willow pattern plate. The excavation was under the direction of Nathaniel Cutajar, Assistant Curator at the National Museum of Malta. One of the most impressive Baroque buildings in Valletta the Auberge was used to quarter both French and English regiments between 1798 and 1840. During that time the sewer was obviously used for all sorts of rubbish. After 1840 a new sewer system came into operation and the old one abandoned. There is, therefore, a limited time when these artifacts could have been discarded. They share common design elements with many other published pipes, but do represent restricted cultural background and time of disposal.