Castille door's stonework next in line for restoration

Work on the intricate stonework which decorates the main door of the Auberge de Castille is to be taken in hand in the coming days.

Workers have just completed restoration of half of the façade of the 16th century building. Scaffolding was taken down yesterday and today, unveiling the splendour of the building.

The work on the façade was started exactly a year ago. The work is being carried out by the Restoration Unit within the Resources Ministry.

Once the scaffolding goes up around the main door, the bust of Grand Master Pinto - who built the auberge - will be removed for restoration by Heritage Malta at its Bighi laboratory.

The Castille restoration project was started in 2009 and has so far also included the Merchants' Street side of the building. The project is on track and will be completed next year.

The work involves removing years of grime and repair or replacement of stonework.

This is the first time the auberge is being properly restored, other than repairs made when it was hit by a bomb in the second world war.  The walls of the auberge have been blackened by emissions from traffic and the Marsa power station. The stonework, including elaborate sculptured decorations, also suffered deterioration because of the building's proximity to the sea.