Pipes from St. John Street, Valletta, Malta

Abstract

Following the unsuccessful Turkish Siege of 1565, Pope Pius V appointed the Italian architect Francesco Laparelli to design a new city named in honour of the victor, Grand Master Jean de la Valette. Valetta was built on the Sceberras peninsula, a spit of land between the Grand harbour and Marsamuschetto. Vallette was the leader of the Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem and St. John's Cathedral had a central position in the city. Travelling south from the façade, St. John Street (Triq San Gwann) crosses Merchant Street. On the left, at number 111, is a late sixteenth-century building where, in the nineteenth century, during the British period, part of the building was altered to function as the Cumberland Hotel, which it continues to do. Renovation work that was undertaken in July 2016, involved excavation in the basement of the Cumberland Hotel. This work revealed a number of artefacts, including clay tobacco pipes. The archaeology on site was managed by the Maltese company En-Sure. Their finds are in the custody of the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, who kindly granted the author access.