Buying a piece of history in the sun
As a child , born and raised in Eastbourne , my school friends would always be somewhat bemused with my passion and longing for Spain . Returning back to school , after long summer holidays there , I always had far too many stories to share at the start of term . The stories kept the memory of my summers alive until the next summer , when new memories would be made and the adventures would start all over again .
It is no surprise that as an adult my family and I chose to purchase a property in my beautiful little paradise called Lage (‘ Laxe ’ in Galician ). Laxe is an idyllic fishing port in Northern Spain , in the province of La Coruna , Galicia - more commonly known for its famous “ Deportivo ” football team . Equally , it is the birthplace of both my parents and the source of my heritage and very Castilian surname .
Northern Spain ’ s Galician coast is commonly known as “ Costa da Morte ” ( Coast of Death ) a name adopted because its dangerous shore-line has over the years sealed the fate of many ships , the British Adelaide in 1890 amongst these . Romantics will argue that “ Costa da Morte ” is where the sun lies to rest , a place where the land ends and life meets eternity . You will be hard pushed to find sunsets anywhere else as beautiful as you can here .
Undoubtedly the most sought after properties in the region are the oldest properties , primarily those made of stone – their durability against the fierce Atlantic winter stand the test of time . Metre thick solid stone walls are insulating , and provide a significant resistance to the elements and noise . In the height of summer , stone walls remain cool and unblemished in the fierce sunlight which often deteriorates common masonry materials . The workmanship of stone masons of that time is truly remarkable and it is no wonder that these properties are highly sought after . Equally , given the age of some of these properties , often hundreds of years old , potential buyers need to be mindful of whether the property is listed , and if so , how much restoration and repair is required – you may be buying a home abroad , but one of this kind will almost certainly be an extensive project .
When one of the oldest and most renowned properties in Laxe came up for sale a few years ago , the local community were stunned . Not only is this property perfectly situated in the centre of the main square , Plaza Ramon Juega , it also overlooks the beauty of the harbour and beach which has been nicknamed “ Sonrisa del Atlantico ” (“ Atlantic Smile ”). The property also boasts of having been the birthplace ( in 1900 ) and life long residence of the famous Don Isidro Pondal , a local Geologist and founder of the Laxe Institute of Geology . He was also the nephew of the literary genius Eduardo Pondal who is a national icon for his poetry and the Galician national anthem – which he wrote . Don Isidro Pondal around the time of the Civil War ran a kaolin factory in Laxe , which provided a great fountain of employment in the area , until the 1970 ’ s when the Institute and Laboratory would pass to Don Isaac Diaz Pardo who would later promote and create the famous “ Sargadelos Ceramics ”, which today is one of Galicia ’ s artistic trademarks .
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