Century-old shopfront vanishes from Valletta

The removal of a century-old, protected shopfront in Valletta is being investigated by the heritage watchdog. 

The red wooden façade of the former Raffaele Portelli shop, in Merchants Street, has disappeared, prompting concern among residents and heritage campaigners.

The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage confirmed it is investigating but said it could not disclose further details at this stage. It did not say why the Grade 2 scheduled façade was taken down from 78/79 Merchants Street or who was responsible.

The façade, bearing the name Raffaele Portelli 1917, was among the Planning Authority’s list of 100 scheduled shopfronts and kiosks in Valletta. That scheduling exercise was first carried out 30 years ago and updated in 2011. But critics say it failed to prevent the gradual deterioration and eventual disappearance of the historic shopfront.

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Earlier last week, the Planning Authority (PA) placed a notice on one of the now-exposed doorways asking the owner to contact it “in terms of article 94 of the Development Planning Act (2016)”. The notice warned that failure to do so could result in further action.

Enforcement

Under the Development Planning Act, the PA may take enforcement action and issue a conservation order when a scheduled property is at risk of damage. The order would require the owner to carry out conservation works to avoid any further damage.

The Cultural Heritage Act also allows the superintendent to serve a conservation and protection order on the owner or occupier of a property in cases of infringement. 

The Raffaele Portelli shopfront before it was left to decay. Photo: Jonathan Borg

Concerns about the state of the shopfront have been raised for years.

In 2021, the PA told Times of Malta it would carry out a site inspection after a Facebook page flagged its poor condition.

As far back as 2012, the Belt Valletta Facebook page had raised the alarm after an enforcement notice pinned on the deteriorating façade was torn.

The 2011 public notice listing scheduled properties in Valletta, including the red shopfront, had been welcomed as an “excellent” initiative to protect the capital’s old wooden shopfronts.

But the Belt Valletta Facebook page – designed to gather content related to the capital and its community – had questioned what would happen if these properties were not owned by anyone and left to fall apart. 

Showcasing before-and-after images of the decay, it had highlighted that “it looks like it was all for nothing” in the case of the Raffaele Portelli 1917 shopfront.

The disappearance of the shopfront was announced on the Facebook page Valletta Photos

‘Pakkett crayons 2c’

The disappearance of the shopfront was announced on the Facebook page Valletta Photos under the heading: ‘Gone After Over 100 Years’.

The post drew anger, disappointment and nostalgia from commentators, who described it as “disgusting” and a “shame”.

One woman said she had fond memories of the shop from her childhood, when she had lived nearby. “I realise it was in a terrible state but, for me, it is still another precious icon lost from Valletta,” she said.

Others said they feared the space would soon make way for outdoor tables and chairs, and some hoped the façade had been moved for restoration or would be replicated and replaced. 

Several commenters suggested the shopfront had been deliberately allowed to decay until its removal could be justified on safety grounds. 

Another said she had repeatedly sought intervention to save the shopfront before it became a total loss, but her appeals had gone unheard.

The timber front was barely bound together by a piece of wire by 2025.

By the end, the timer of Raffaele Portelli was splintering and was barely held together by a wire.

The current ownership was not known at the time of writing. The premises behind the shopfront were said to have been used as storage for nearby bars.

For many, the loss revived memories of childhood visits to the shop to buy stationery, toys, buttons, beads and haberdashery items.

Some recalled buying wooden pencils and “pakkett crayons 2c” from the Portelli family.

The Raffaele Portelli toy shop in Merchants Street, Valletta. Picture: Malta Memories Facebook page

“I bought my first toy from there. I was with my grandpa,” one person wrote. 

An 80-year-old woman said she remembered being sent by her mother to buy buttons and measuring tape from the shop, adding that she felt heartbroken each time she passed the neglected building.

“I hope we do not see some aluminium apertures soon,” she said.

Another said the smell of the haberdashery from the 1950s remained vivid in her memory.

Now, one commenter said, the shopfront remained “only in our memories”.

The shopfront has disappeared, and the Planning Authority has asked the owner to contact it. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli