Wallpaper Magazine Celebrates Malta’s Iconic Architect Richard England
Malta might be small, but its architectural scene has one quietly radical figure who’s made an outsized mark on the world stage: Richard England. Wallpaper Magazine has turned the spotlight on the local architect, celebrating over five decades of work that blends memory, place and form into buildings that are unmistakably Maltese yet globally resonant.
England first emerged onto the scene in 1962 with the now-iconic Church of St Joseph in Manikata, a bold departure from the island’s traditional ecclesiastical styles. Since then, his work has explored Malta’s post-war identity, balancing light and limestone, colour and lineage, craft and experiment, a living testament to critical regionalism.
Some of his most celebrated works, highlighted by Wallpaper, include:
- House of the Good Samaritan, Santa Venera – domestic architecture turned into a chapel-like sanctuary, where light, stone and shadow are sculpted into meditation.
- Aquasun Lido, St Julian’s (1983) – poolside leisure transformed into geometric mirages, mirrors and water bending into modernist poetry.
- St Francis of Assisi Parish Church, Qawra (1993‑96) – geometric volumes rise heavenward, drawing inspiration from Malta’s megalithic past and religious heritage.
- Manikata Church, Mellieħa (1964‑74) – curving walls of native stone evoke traditional girna huts and modern spirituality in one sweeping gesture.
- Villa La Maltija, San Pawl tat‑Targa – reimagining residential spaces, England blurs interiors, gardens, and verandas into a seamless continuum of living which has now been demolished
- A Garden for Myriam, St Julian’s (1982) – an abstracted, poetic landscape of architectural gestures, a love letter to his wife.
- Razzett ta Sandrina, Mgarr – a sculptural interpretation of traditional Maltese stone farmhouses, quietly resonating with climate, craft and context.
Wallpaper’s feature cements England’s legacy as Malta’s architectural icon, a creator whose work honours local traditions while pushing boundaries, making him not just a national treasure, but a figure of international admiration.
Photo credits to @wallpapermag
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