Where the ground falls away towards the Grand Harbour, the bastions open for a tall gate that looks more like an English civic building than a fortress entrance. Victoria Gate is the gate that most visitors never plan to see and often end up photographing.
An entrance for a growing harbour
The gate answers a practical problem. At the end of the sixteenth century an original entrance had been built on the seaward side of Valletta, leading from the harbour to the old city. Three hundred years later the harbour had grown and the old gate could no longer meet its needs.
The British authorities of Malta decided to demolish it and build a new main entrance from the harbour, larger and more comfortable for pedestrians and for carriages. Construction began in 1884, and a year later the gate went into service.
Design and name
The architect was Emanuele Luigi Galizia, a leading Maltese architect and engineer of the late nineteenth century. The authorities named the gate after Queen Victoria, with the fiftieth anniversary of her reign approaching.
The result is Victorian in spirit: a lofty façade, classical symmetry, and decoration that carries the Maltese coat of arms along with symbols of the British Empire at the top. Built of Maltese limestone, it sits comfortably within the surrounding fortifications, which keeps the stone tone consistent.
Survival and restoration
The gate came through the Second World War bombing and the later infrastructure changes of the city. In 2010 it was fully restored. The work included cleaning the stone and replacing part of the old masonry, and the lighting installed then, both street lights and night illumination, now emphasises the architecture after dark.
That is the best reason to come in the evening. In daylight the gate has a plain, solid presence; under lights, the archways and the carved details stand out against the dark bastions.
What you do here
Most visitors take photographs. The façade offers a clear subject, and the archways are deep enough to give interesting angles. Walk through and look back to see the gate from the harbour side, then climb a few steps to get a view across the lower town.
You can spend a little time on the details: the coats of arms, the proportions of the central arch and the way the limestone has weathered at different heights. Bring a wide-angle lens if you can, as the gate is tall and the street is narrow.
Around the gate
Victoria Gate sits at the lower edge of Valletta, so what is near it is mostly to be reached on foot. The Upper Barrakka Gardens, high on the bastions, are one of the main viewpoints over the Grand Harbour. The Lascaris War Rooms, the underground headquarters from the war years, lie in the same area, and the Church of Saint Paul’s Shipwreck is a short walk through the streets above.
Valletta Waterfront, with its restored stores and restaurants, is on the harbour below. Combine the gate with the waterfront for an evening: walk down for dinner on the quay, then come back past the gate when it is lit.
Two gates, two eras
Compare Victoria Gate with the Valletta City Gate at the other end of town. One is a Victorian civic entrance built in the 1880s for horse-drawn traffic and a growing harbour; the other is a recent design in clean modern lines. Seeing both in a single walk gives a quick lesson in how the city has adjusted its entrances to the demands of each century.
The Victoria Gate also shows how the British shaped the harbour side of Valletta. The change from an old sixteenth-century opening to a broad, formal entrance reflects the importance of the port, and the Victorian decoration was meant to be seen by people arriving by sea.
Practical points
The ground here is steep and the paving worn, so wear shoes with grip. Cars and delivery vans use the gate, and the carriageway is narrow, so keep to the side when stopping. Midday heat is strong on the exposed stone, and mornings or evenings suit a visit better.
Look at the gate on your way up rather than down: arriving from the harbour gives the view the architect intended, with the full height of the arch above you. Then continue up into Valletta for a coffee in one of the squares.
