Victoria Gate being given a facelift
The Victoria Gate in Ta' Liesse, Valletta, built in 1885 and named after Queen Victoria then the reigning sovereign, is undergoing intensive restoration.
The restoration works extend to the church of Notre Dame de Liesse, the steps leading to St Ursula Street and St John's Street and St Barbara Bastion.
While visiting the works, Resources Minister George Pullicino said the Restoration Unit was replacing a dangerous room in the church's sacristy, removing aluminium shutters and restoring the dome, bell tower and façade in a €30,000 project.
Meanwhile, the Valletta Rehabilitation Project was replacing any broken steps using old stone, repairing open mortar joints and restoring about 4,000 square metres of bastion.
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P. Bonello
Sep 3rd 2009, 08:44
While I'm all in favour of restoration, I wonder whether this is properly being done. I am recalling the recent order to have horse cabs fitted with rubber tyres before entering Mdina; and yet the paved streets of Valletta (or what remains of them) do not show much wear and tear despite the horse cabs that have driven over them since the times of the Knights. So, what wrong at Mdina?? Inferior material??
j n ebejer
Sep 3rd 2009, 08:19
the original Del Monte gate, built by the Order, was demolished, together with the fountain on which stood the bronze statue refferred to as 'il ggant' and the gardens built by G. M Lascaris -by the British to erect the present gate in the style and with the message they wanted to convey-they were the new masters and anyone landing at the Customs should get that first impression.
Now which epoch should one study to consider re-construction of parts of Valletta which should be re-constructed? Definetely one should not be guided by personal attachments to any era or taste, nostalgia or lack of knowledge.
Joseph Galea
Sep 2nd 2009, 20:53
The wannabe architects pontificate again.
Marvin Mizzi
Sep 2nd 2009, 20:04
An example of a gate to a city............but Piano did not know about because otherwise he would have like to inspire with some of his bizarre ideas. Its never to late.... let us not ridicule our city with the hole in the wall and the green house theatre . or the gladiators aren.............
Peter Roberts
Sep 2nd 2009, 16:45
Am I mistaken in thinking this gate was called DeMonte Gate after the grandmaster who crossed from the old cites into the new city when it was first built.
Ray Mangion
Sep 2nd 2009, 16:00
I can`t understand the mentality of this government. It are going to ruin the entrance of Valletta by horrendous modern architecture. It refuses to build the Opera House to its original glory. The City Gate should never have been demolished. Yet it are restoring one of the very few gates left and rightly so. Why on earth is the government only restoring this gate, which is hidden from major tourism and not rebuilding City Gate and the Opera House as they were before the War? The mind boggles. It will be the downfall of this government if it continues with its plans with the Piano design. At last Joseph Calleja has voiced his opinion in another paper about Malta deserving an Opera House. We should be ashamed of ourselves to have such an international renowned Opera Singer and does not have the rightful place to perform his talent to his people. It makes me wonder why nothing was mentioned in this newspaper regarding Joseph`s opinion.
C.Agius
Sep 2nd 2009, 12:18
The Victoria Gate in Ta' Liesse, Valletta, built in 1885 should be an example of how our entrace to VALLETTA should look like.
Piano/Gonzi please note WHILE IT'S NOT TOO LATE.
Mario Tabone-Vassallo
Sep 2nd 2009, 09:59
Ghaz ma tghidux lil Piano jaghtikom pjantapiano iehor ghaliha wkoll?