Editing Valletta (section)

===French occupation and British rule===
[[File:Malta GC. Valletta-1967 (8240967236).jpg|thumb|Early morning in 1967 on the notorious Strait Street known to generations of British Servicemen (especially to sailors on shore leave) as "The Gut". Bars and bordellos abounded, and brawls were common, but its popularity never waned.]]

In 1798, the [[French occupation of Malta|French invaded the island]] and expelled the Order.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Ekistics|last=Zammit|first=Andre|date=1986|title=Valletta and the system of human settlements in the Maltese Islands|volume=53|issue=316/317|publisher=Athens Center of Ekistics|pages=89–95|jstor=43620704}}</ref> After the Maltese rebelled, French troops continued to occupy Valletta and the surrounding harbour area, until they capitulated to the British in September 1800. In the early 19th century, the British Civil Commissioner, [[Henry Pigot]], agreed to demolish the majority of the city's fortifications.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bonello|first1=Giovanni|title=Let's hide the majestic bastions|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20121118/life-features/Let-s-hide-the-majestic-bastions.445894|access-date=14 October 2014|work=[[Times of Malta]]|date=18 November 2012}}</ref> The demolition was again proposed in the 1870s and 1880s, but it was never carried out and the fortifications have survived largely intact.<ref name=about/>

Eventually building projects in Valletta resumed under British rule. These projects included widening gates, demolishing and rebuilding structures, widening newer houses over the years, and installing civic projects. The [[Malta Railway]], which linked Valletta to [[Mdina]], was officially opened in 1883.<ref>{{cite book |last=Cole |first=Beverly |title=Trains |publisher=H.F.Ullmann |year=2011 |isbn=978-3-8480-0516-1 |location=Potsdam, Germany |page=64 }}</ref> It was closed down in 1931 after [[Malta bus|buses]] became a popular means of transport.

In 1939, Valletta was abandoned as the headquarters of the [[Mediterranean Fleet|Royal Navy Mediterranean Fleet]] due to its proximity to Italy and the city became a flash point during the subsequent two-year long [[Siege of Malta (World War II)|Siege of Malta]].<ref name="Jacobs2016">{{cite book|author=Peter Jacobs|title=Fortress Islands Malta: Defence & Re-Supply During the Siege|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DV6qCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT10|date=31 January 2016|publisher=Pen and Sword|isbn=978-1-4738-8255-3|pages=10–}}</ref> [[Nazi Germany|German]] and [[Kingdom of Italy|Italian]] air raids throughout the [[Second World War]] caused much destruction in Valletta and the rest of the harbor area. The [[Royal Opera House, Valletta|Royal Opera House]], constructed at the city entrance in the 19th century, was one of the buildings lost to the raids.<ref name="cityhistory"/>

<gallery mode="packed">
File:-The Harbor at Valletta, Malta- MET DP115643 (cropped).jpg|Valletta harbour {{circa|1850}}, photo by [[Calvert Jones]]
File:Goats_at_Port_Real_Wellcome_L0045092_(cropped).jpg|[[City Gate (Valletta)|King's Gate]] {{circa}} 1884–1905
<!--File:-Strada Levante, Valletta, Malta- MET DP115250.jpg|Valletta's ''Strada Levante'' around 1850, photo by [[Calvert Jones]]-->
File:Teatru_Rjal,_Malta_1911.jpg|[[Royal Opera House, Valletta|Royal Opera House]] in 1911
File:Bomb Damage in Valletta, Malta, 1 May 1942. A8701.jpg|Bomb damage in Valletta during the [[Second World War]]
</gallery>