Valletta Cruise Port, operators of the Valletta Waterfront announced that the restoration of the Forni Stores buildings is complete, according to a press release.

The Forni Stores restoration took 11 months to complete. This included numbering each individual stone, followed by stone repair or replacement as required in the case of individual, badly deteriorated stones.

The buildings referred to as Forni Stores consist of two separate blocks of different sizes and proportions. The block closer to Pinto Stores, known as Forni 1, was built in 1720, with the facade divided into two bays. Forni 2 is composed of 3 bays and was constructed in 1626. The Forni Stores were converted by the British Navy into a bakery in 1810.

This was the first naval bakery that furnished the growing navy with ship biscuits. The increase in the size of the navy during the first half of the nineteenth century resulted in the need for a larger bakery, specifically built to meet the required rate of biscuit production, thus meaning that Forni Stores were otherwise used during more recent history.

Stephen Xuereb, CEO of Valletta Cruise Port and COO of Global Ports Holding said: ‘Working on buildings of this age and cultural significance is an honour which however comes with a great responsibility. Valletta Cruise Port strives to bring the beauty of these buildings into the future, actively preserving our heritage whilst planning for our common future. It is vital to preserve Malta’s unique architectural heritage, especially through the conservation of our traditional landscape and local stone. Indeed, as operators of Valletta Cruise Port, we constantly receive remarks from ship captains and crew that the sight of our historic port edifices glistening in the light of the Mediterranean sun is one of the most welcoming sights in any port worldwide. It is our prerogative to be curators of this parcel of land within our historic Grand Harbour and to sustain efforts to preserve it.’