King George V Recreational Grounds

Welcome to the King George V Gardens in Floriana!
Floriana was first intended as a suburb of Valletta, but Grand Master Vilhena instead decided to build it as an independent town of its own. The name Floriana comes from an Italian military engineer named Pietro Paolo Floriani, who constructed the towns’ fortifications. Here on the Bastions of Floriana the King George V Gardens were constructed and inaugurated by King George V himself in 1936. Originally, the gardens were part of the King George V hospital, but were later made accessible to the public.
At the entrance of the gardens you find an artfully decorated arch. Take a look closer, and you can see that it has the British Monarchy coat-of-arms up at the top. As you enter the garden a bit further you find a bronze bust of King George V, that was unveiled in 1939, some years after the inauguration of the garden as it was converted into Maltas’ first playing field in the mid 30s.
Apart from the stunning views of the Grand Harbor, the park offers a number of exotic plants, including Oleanders and various palm species. As you can see, it does still contain a football ground, tennis court and childrens’ playing field.

So what is the connection to King George V, also known as "His Majesty George V, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas, King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India", one might wonder. Well, the King, when he was only a young Prince, served for many years in the Navy, under the command of his uncle, who was stationed in Malta. Here, Prince George fell in love for the first time, with his uncles’ daughter Marie. Their love story unfortunately didn’t end so well, as Maries’ mother really disliked England, and Marie therefore decided to refuse poor George as he asked for her hand in marriage. Despite that sad love story, as his elder brother died, George became a King, and celebrated his coronation in Malta in 1911. Then he went on and married his late brothers’ widow, and together they lived happily ever after. Until the end, King George V kept his love for Malta, and his interest in the Maltese people.

Photo Malta - Floriana - Telghet il-Kurcifiss - King George V Recreational Grounds 05 ies by Frank Vincentz is licensed under  CC BY-SA 3.0