It was on the afternoon of 5^th December, 2000, on the Ronda road, when we took a detour to Montejaque to show Romi the place which had, for many years, been a most important part of my life. We walked through the streets and, as we were returning to the place where we had parked our car, we saw a house which was for sale. We loved it. Half joking we both said that it would be the ideal place to open a small hotel. The house felt good.

      In 2002, after some events which are irrelevant, Romi agreed and we decided to embark upon the adventure. I have to say that that I did not know if the house was still for sale, but Romi – I don’t know why – said that she had always felt that it was ours.

      We moved to Montejaque and the house was still unsold. After making some enquiries we met the owners and bought the house. Earlier, I had sold the house which had been left to me by my Aunt Pepa, in Calle Victoria in Malaga and my apartment in La Motilla, in Sevilla. So we arranged a mortgage on the house. For four years we worked hard in the bar which we rented in the village square, and later in a restaurant in the area. Then, with the help of Xavi, who had moved to Montejaque, we started on the restoration and renovation of the house.

      Our investigations had shown that the house was more than 100 years old. Frasquita, who is 84 and the mother of Mariquita, remembered it when she was young. She told me that it had been the first barracks of the Guardia Civil in Montejaque, and that later, before the Civil War, they moved to the building which is now the Casa de Cultura. This barracks, in its new location, was burned down in the first days of the tragic struggle which divided the Spanish people. The Duque de Ahumada founded the Guardia Civil but we do not know how soon after this the barracks in Montejaque was started. We know that, in 1936, the Guardia Civil had already occupied the building which is now the Casa de Cultura for several years. So, we presume that the house was built at the beginning of the century. The construction, its layout, the materials used, the levels of the ground of the terrace, the mortar, the rock and washed stones all showed the inevitable results of wear and tear.

        After the civil war, five families lived in the house until it was acquired by Francisco Hidalgo Duran, who was born in Montejaque, and a neighbour of his, a merchant whose nickname was ‘El Gallo’. This is why the house is now called “Casa del Gallo”. Looking through a magazine – an ABC of 1958 –which was found in the walls as they were being removed, and which must have been left there at that time, there was an article about the “new” work which the current owner was doing.

In principle we felt that the state of preservation was acceptable. Later, the reality was very different. All the timbers at the front of the house were in a bad state because of termites. We had to install electricity, sanitation, a roof and many other things. Nevertheless, we continued to plan our dream and started the work.

In 2003, when the plans were completed by the Arquitectura Técnica in Ronda and had been seen by the College of Architects in Malaga, we could start the work. Just as we suggested, the structure of the building was left in its original form, although reinforced where necessary, and some improvements were made.

       We replaced all the timbers and crossbeams of the floors and covered the floors with reinforced concrete. While the roof was being restored we put in polyurethane foam and we put new tiles around the old ones which had been conserved during the demolition.

    A visit to the Palacio de Mondragón in Ronda to see ceilings, flooring, colours and other details in clay for the floors and walls was useful for this.

       In 2004, the budget was spent and we had to stop the work because we had no funds. In 2005, our friends Paco Hoyos and Nicolas, Head of Insurance and Director of the Branch of the Caja San Fernando, in Huelva, respectively, arranged a new mortgage and we finished the job.

      But we had not finished the work, we had to furnish, decorate, and make the rooms comfortable.

The furniture, which is excellent quality for the price, was chosen and made by the Cooperativa de Muebles de Benamahoma (Cádiz) – the children of Mahoma – who looked after us very well at their factory, and when they delivered and assembled the furniture. Muebles Hnos. Rojas, in Ronda, completed the furnishings in the same way.

     Romi, Xavi and I attacked the painting and repainting of the walls, doors and ceilings, the making of the patio porch, the decorating, visiting to the garden centre, choosing and planting of pots, the making of curtains, the construction of the web page, the installation of the fire prevention system, television and telephones, the setting up of the management system, gaining authorisations, and many other things without flagging.

     Now we are proud of what we have done and the house is warm, a breathing space where one can feel serene, calm and at peace; not in vain have we thought that our mountains give you a feeling of heaven where you can almost touch the stars.

HOMEPAGE