worst restoration project by locals who have slammed it as a 'wreck'
[Credit: Pedro Sanchez]
Castillo de Matrera in Cádiz in southern Spain is a listed building and an official site of cultural interest which has withstood assaults by Moors and Christians but seems to have finally succumbed to restoration work.
The beautiful building had needed structural work after part of it collapsed following heavy rains but bosses hired a local building firm rather than archaeological experts to carry out the work.
They used grey concrete to fill in and square off the crumbling, sand coloured stone, with locals now saying the ancient fortress looks ‘absolutely terrible’ and is ‘a disaster of a project’.
The castle was built on a hill 523 metres above the sea in the Andalusian town of Villamartin.
Local residents told Spain’s La Sexta channel they hate the restoration.
“They’ve got builders in rather than restorers and, like we say round here, they’ve cocked it up,” one man said.
The Spanish heritage and conservation group, Hispania Nostra was also critical.
“The ‘consolidation and restoration’ – as the architects involved call it – is truly lamentable and has left locals and foreigners deeply shocked,” it said.
Source: The Urban Developer [March 10, 2016]