[3] In 1947, under the direction of the Reconstruction Minister Dom Mintoff, the sentry rooms were demolished in order to make way for two modern openings to enable passage for vehicular traffic.

[3][5] The portal's main façade is built out of alternating plain and rusticated hardstone masonry courses, and it also contains an ornate keystone and two half-columns which support a cornice.

These originally depicted the coats of arms of the Order of St. John and of Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena, but were defaced during the French occupation of Malta in 1798.

[3] The arched entrance is surmounted by a marble plaque containing the following Latin inscription, which gives an account of the construction of the Santa Margherita Lines:[3][1]

It is one of only two gates in Malta which bear representations of life-sized artillery pieces, the other one being Porte des Bombes which was built in 1721.