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Virtual Tour - Flour Mill
Introduction
Welcome to Xlendi Flour Mill. Captured here, entirely underground is the complete milling process - from grain to flour, installed over half a century ago.
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Background
The restoration process began in 2001 when devolution placed care of the mill in the hands of Il-Munxar local council. An early priority was its restoration in order to open it to the public.
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The Process. (Overview)
The mill vault or chamber has a ground area of 15 by 6 metres with two upper floors of wood set on iron girders. Air shafts at each end provide ventilation but had no filtering system to prevent possible radio-active contamination, for in those early years the consequences of nuclear fall-out were yet to be fully realised.
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Gozitan Bread
Bread in all its forms has been the staple food for mankind for thousands of years, and is particularly important for the Maltese people. In 1942, during the Second World War, the island reached starvation point when, blockaded by the Axis powers, foodstuff and fuel had failed to arrive.
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The Heritage Trail
The history and characteristics of the island and its people, the architecture, agriculture and traditions of Gozo are all to be found along this Heritage Trail.
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Tank and Storage area
This short extension of the approach tunnel enables vehicles to drive in and reverse into the milling chamber in order to load the sacks of flour and exit forwards.
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Level 0
The massive twin cylinder “ Petter” diesel Engine provides power for the entire complex . Water Cooled, the engine produces 75 bhp and also drives a Kw generator.
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The Roller Mills
The five roller mills each produce grain of sequential fineness. The milling process entails a fluted roller revolving at 350 rpm against a smooth roller at 250 rpm, the consequent crushing and tearing action imitating the traditional flat, horizontal millstone process.
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Side chamber - the Engines
The side chamber houses the petrol stationary engine used to drive a compressor and tank which holds air at a pressure of 350 psi. The starting procedure for the twin cylinder diesel engine is as follows.
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The Bran Box
This large rectangular wooden bin holds all the middlings, bran and husks are removed by air currents from the sifters above.
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The Pulley Room
The two parallel shafts in the pulley room, the gearbox of the complex, drive all the machinery above.
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Level 1
The grain separator and scourer receives grain from the silos and separates that which needs washing to remove dirt and impurities.
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The Scourer and Separator
Grain direct from the silos is fed into the scourer where the grain is shaken and separated, large and small impurities removed and unclean grain sorted and sent to be washed and dried.
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The Washer-Dryer
The washer and dryer removes any dirt adhering to the grain prior to the scouring process.
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The Plansifters
Instead of rotating drum sifters - plansifters, as their name suggests, operate horizontally, the internal mesh sizes determining each grade for further grinding.
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Silo
At the highest level of this complex, immediately below ground level the two underground silos, each with a capacity of almost 500 tons, are sealed in reinforced concrete and access to each of them is via manholes in the roof.
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Silo
The two underground silos, each with a capacity of almost 500 tons are loaded via manholes in the roof reached by a separate road above and behind the church.
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Point 15
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