The House
Fifteen years ago the house at Calle La Cañada
2 was a ruin - the 'tower' at the front containing the
only useable rooms. Its square cross section and pointed
roof is typical of local architecture and is one of
the oldest surviving examples of this style in Haria;
its age estimated at 2-3 hundred years. The original
timbers have been preserved - a very heavy resinous
type of wood, cut with a horizontal axe rather than
a saw - I suspect that this wood may have come from
the last of the trees to be cut from the mountain behind
the village, (the restoration of this slow-growing cloud
forest is one of my main interests).
Our two very comfortable apartments are availible for rent.
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Before Repairs |
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After Repairs |
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Other rooms needed varying amounts of repair. The large
room behind the tower required a new roof - this preserves
the shape of the original although modern materials
were used - the 4 metre-high roof keeps it cool in summer,
(important for its original use as a fish shop). The
original layout of the house has been preserved, the
main modification being the addition of a garage and
a couple of rooms at the side. The restoration, plus
this addition, has resulted in three self-contained
units, two of which are available for our guests.
In 1998 the house (and garden) were listed by the island
council as 'a site of cultural and historic importance'
The
restored rooms in the old part of the house. Click
to enlarge |
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Outside |
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Patio |
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Outside |
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| Bedroom |
Kitchen |
Outside |
Bathroom |
Kitchen |
