British period street furniture listed

Cast iron letter booths, telephone boxes, decorative lamp posts and other unique, historic street furniture, dating back to the British period and found around Malta and Gozo, are being protected through an emergency conservation order issued by the Planning Authority.

Through the emergency conservation order, the street furniture is being considered as Grade 2 property, meaning that no alterations, interventions, or other developments are permitted, without authorisation from the PA.

The blanket emergency order is for a period of six months during which time the PA plans to carry out a comprehensive survey, with a view to formally scheduling this heritage.

The PA maintained that this artistic, cultural and historic heritage was in danger of being damaged, or removed.

Cast iron letter boxes were introduced into Malta in the second half of the 19th century. One of the earliest surviving letter boxes is found in Valletta and dates back to 1860. It bears the monogram of Queen Victoria.

Telephone booths, of which there were two types, both designed by Sir Gilbert Scott, were installed in towns and village squares early last century, the PA said.

Most of the cast iron letter boxes, telephone booths and British period street furniture are today found in designated urban conservation areas. Apart from their utility, they add character to Malta`s urban centres and have become part of the island`s traditional heritage, the PA said.

It believed that the British period heritage was part of Malta`s social history, should be conserved and, wherever possible, put to use, the PA said.