This is a devise constructed in wood and having trays perforated with holes of different dimensions. It was used to separate the different sizes of vegetables like potatoes and onions before the product was exported. A handle on the side was used to turn the mechanism by hand and the vegetables would fall through the holes of appropriate size and be sorted into trays.
Beast-driven mill
This mill was driven by a beast of burden and was used for grinding grains such as wheat, barley and corn, to produce flour. The grinding mechanism consists of a runner stone made of lava (imported) and a bed stone at the bottom, worked out of local hard coralline limestone. The rest is constructed in timber. This type of milling dates back to the Early Medieval Period.
Cotton gin
The cotton gin is a piece of hand-operated equipment, which separates the seeds from the fibres of cotton. It has two wooden rollers which move in the same direction so as to press the cotton between them, after this was taken out of the pod. Cotton spinning was popular among local young women who used it to earn some money in order to save for their dowry.
Miniature stone toys
These toys are carved in the soft local Globigerina limestone. Apart from presumably serving as toys for a doll house to some charming little girl, these detailed pieces of sculpture could have been easily used as collector’s items for their craftsmanship. Several of the toys show typical early 20th century furniture in miniature.
Gozo Boat model
A detailed model of the Gozo Boat is to be admired in one of the many rooms of the Folklore Museum. This traditional boat which was built to face the rough seas used to ply between the Grand Harbour in Malta and Mgarr Harbour in Gozo. It used to carry cargo for the daily needs of Gozitans. Traditionally, wind energy was used to propel the vessel by means of large sails.
Steelyard with weights
Steelyards were used for weighing goods ranging from tiny gold items to heavy guns for the galleons. Local farmers still use this method when taking their crops to the vegetable market centre. In older days, a local measure was in use in Malta and Gozo, known as the Ratal (plural: Rotolos), and each Ratal was equivalent to 800 grams.
Large lace-making bolster
This large cylindrical-shaped object was stuffed with straw and paper on the inside and wrapped in sheets of paper on the outside. Lace designs were pinned onto the bolster so that the lace-maker braided the linen or silk threads, wound on wooden bobbins, into fine pieces of lace. The unusually large size of the bolster was required for large pieces of lace such as tablecloths.
Stone stove
This stove was carved out of the local Globigerina limestone. Such stoves varied in size and shape, with the most common being the down-tapered type with a grid carved at the top and an opening in the middle. The central opening is the place where coal or wood was burnt to produce heat for cooking. Lots of local men earned their living by manufacturing this local type of stone stove in bygone times.
Blacksmith’s workshop
A room of the Folklore Museum is dedicated to blacksmithing. A focal object is the forge complete with bellows to produce draft to the blazing coal where the blacksmith reddened the iron to convert it into the desired shape. The red hot iron bar was beaten on the massive anvil in the centre of the workshop where one can observe an almost complete set of working tools.
Wells
One finds six wells in this complex. Wells were the only source of water for people living on the Citadel hilltop. Some wells are bell-shaped while others are cylindrical or square. Rain water is collected during the rainy period from the flat roofs, which passes through a network of earthenware pipes leading into the wells. The most noticeable well at the Folklore Museum is the one in the entrance hall whose top consists of the base of a Roman column.
