MAHON

Mahon (pronounced with silent 'h' and accent on last syllable Maón), but today renamed Maó, is situated at the head of the port of the same name, on its south-western shore. The older part of the city is situated on high cliffs above the sea, so that from the quays it must be approached by steep roads or steps. The original thoroughfare from the quay is a noble carriageway with low balustrades which winds up directly into the town.

The view of the town from the quay or arriving ship is that of a foreign town, but at the top of the carriageway one enters what at first seems a busy small  Westcountry town in England. This illusion is fostered by the narrow steep streets, and the prevalence of neo-classic British Georgian architecture, with fanlights, iron balustrades and sash windows. These last are not found anywhere else in Spain. After their first introduction by the British, Minorcan youths, accustomed to chatting to their novias (girl-friends) through an iron grille, were in constant danger of decapitation as sash cords were not always installed, and they nicknamed them 'guillotines'. 
The main shopping street, full of modern and well stocked shops, is called Hannover Street. It is a steep and narrow  street, fortunately closed now to motor traffic. A maze of narrow side streets branch off in all directions, without apparent planning, for the old town which is still the business centre of Mahon grew up within the original city walls of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In 1740 the city walls were still more or less intact, but buildings had just begun to spread outside them. The only part of the walls remaining today is the sixteenth century Gothic tower and bridge of San Roque, which is a prominent feature of the Plaza Bastion. It has two rectangular towers which contain rooms with loop-holes, and a gateway, formerly the En Severa Gate.
The necessarily confined space within which the old city was built gives it a friendly intimacy, and the concentration of historical buildings within a small area around the Plaza del General Franco - adapted and adorned for modern use -  give a sense of continuity in the city's life. During the Napoleonic Wars, the Plaza was known to the British as the Grand Parade, and Chaplain Willyams has depicted it in a coloured engraving. This shows a group of British officers in dashing uniforms standing in the middle of it enjoying a leisurely conversation, and a couple of red-coat guards at the military headquarters nearby. The back ground of buildings is identical to that today; only the actors and props have changed.  It is now a busy thoroughfare.
On the right of the Plaza is Mahon's parish church, the church of Santa Maria, whose lofty tower can be seen from the port.  Founded by Alphonso III of Aragon as a pious act in 1287 after his conquest of the island, it was rebuilt in 1748, and blessed in 1772 during the British governorship of General Johnston. The new architecture was neo-classical. The church has one nave, and a famous monumental pipe-organ, which attracts organists of international renown. Facing the onlooker and beyond the church, the eye is at once attracted by the handsome City Hall which was built in 16 I 3 and refashioned in 1778. The clock in its tower was brought from England by Sir Richard Kane, and here he occupied the governor's ceremonial chair on official occasions. Today, as the city's Council Chambers, it performs a similar function. The building is of striking architecture, of a transitional type between Renaissance and neo-classical. It has three arches and a loggia in front, at first-floor level, with a central exterior stairway leading up to it. Apart from a basement which contains a permanent exhibition of local industries (jewellery, silver and leather), the building therefore has only one main floor. One enters the vestibule by a central doorway at the top of the stairs.

Embedded in the wall of the right loggia before entering is an ancient coat-of-arms, carved in stone, of the city of Mahon, and in the vestibule itself are two inscribed blocks of stone, both of historical interest and one of great antiquity. The one on the left records the municipal status given to Magon (Mahon) by the Romans, while that on the right is inscribed with the arms of the former St Philip's Fort, being all that remains of it today. This was preserved in the museum in Majorca till 1972, when it was returned to Mahon through the good offices of the provincial governor. Beyond the vestibule is the old British 'throne room' or reception hall, now the Council Chambers, with a gallery of notable Minorcans dating from 1858. The square pilastered tower of the City Hall is crowned by a wrought-iron cupola.

Plaza de la Conquista
Turning to the right, in front of the City Hall, one enters a smaller square-the Plaza de la Conquista - which has a monument in its centre commemorating the conquest of the island by Alphonso III of Aragon - clearly the island's hero. In this dignified square, which is at the back of the church of Santa Maria, is housed the Casa de Cultura, a first-class museum and reference library. It stands on the original site of the old castle of Mahon, and close by is a narrow lane with the romantic name of Calle del Puente del Castillo ('the Street of the Bridge of the Castle').
On the far side of the square, one sees an archway leading into a short lane with tall Georgian houses on each side. This is one of Mahon's most photographed (or sketched) views. At the end of this cul-de-sac is a parapet, over which one gets a splendid view of the port far below.
Retracing one's steps into the Plaza del General Franco, it is but a short walk into the street called 'Isabel II'. This street is notable for its fine examples of neo-classical town houses with wrought-iron balconies, but one's attention will be drawn to the gateway of a large courtyard on the right. This is the  military governor's palace: a rambling white building in the old colonial style, also used by Kane.
Just past it is the narrow arched lane - Es Pont d'es General believed to be the oldest surviving Moorish street in Mahon, although some date it from the fourteenth century. A little farther on one comes to the church of St Francis, whose cloisters have recently been converted to a cultural centre.
 

Shops
The shops in the main streets of the old town are modern and well-stocked with all the goods one expects in the modern world. Prices are relatively high compared with Britain, especially for food. The most opulent shop-fronts are those of the real-estate agents. A recent attractive innovation is the pedestrian shopping precinct of Calle General Goded, with its bright coloured tiles and stone tubs of plants. All provision shops sell frozen foods, and the self-service system is common. Anything can be bought from cars to cakes. The latter deserve special mention for local specialities, either to visit or avoid, depending on how one views such matters. In addition there is a large covered market in what were previously the cloisters of a monastery in the Plaza del Carmen. Here every variety of vegetable, fruit, meat and poultry can be bought.
Minorcan shop assistants are extremely courteous, but by foreign standards could be considered slow. This should not be judged a fault, but taken as a reminder that in Minorca haste and bustle are sins and futilities to be avoided. The wrapping up of one's purchase is a ritual to which much care and time is devoted.
All shops close at 1.30pm because of the customary siesta, reopening about 4.30pm and staying open till 8. The streets are deserted in the afternoons, and gay and brilliantly lit in the evenings. Shop assistants have certain evenings off, and longer periods at the weekends during the summer months- 'for recreational purposes', namely, the beaches.

Outside the walls
When Mahon spilled outside its old town walls, it was limited to the north and east by the sea, and had of necessity to expand inland towards the south and west. This newer, flatter and more spacious part of the city includes the great Square or Explanada, which is laid out with palm trees, shrubs, children's playground, bandstand, illuminated fountains, and underground car park. Most of the dignified buildings bordering it date from the late eighteenth or early nineteenth centuries. Its east side is taken up with busy street cafe-bars, restaurants, and coach stops for coaches from all parts of the island. On the south side is a taxi-rank. From the Explanada wide roads radiate to San Luis, to the international airport and to Ciudadela. This whole area presents a busy animated scene.
Recently a number of less attractive concrete blocks of flats and shops have been built on the outskirts of this section of Mahon. Beyond these is the large Military Hospital which replaced that of the Isla del Rey in the port in 1964, and a vast, extremely well laid out industrial complex (known as the 'Industrial Polygon') which concentrates the island's industries in modern factories. On the same road the airport is a further 4km away, on the road to the village of San Clemente.
Limited extension of Mahon's boundaries is also taking place in the east, along the main road towards the satellite town of Villa Carlos (Es Castell). The bulldozers are busy removing soft limestone cliffs. From this point it is a short car run to Port Mahon Hotel, the town's only four-star hotel, where it is pleasant to stop for a drink and to admire the view of the port.

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