Project restoration manor house

From the beginning, the Corral d’en Capdet project was to be one of restoration, and wherever structurally sensible and possible the striking details of the original construction were carefully taken down, retained and then rebuilt.

The Masia was in a state of natural self-demolition. The main internal floor had fallen in, the front wall of the house was falling outwards away the rest of the building, and when it rained the property flooded.

A vital part of the restoration was the Villa’s sundial clock; a key element in its heritage. During the structural works, to save the front wall of the Masia, a much older clock was found under the existing one painted in a glorious royal blue. There was much discussion about preserving or restoring the clock, with the question then being which one! In the end the voice of preserving triumphed, so that both could be shown. The stucco on which they were painted was loose and had to be infused with special products to bind it with the face of the house as well as to preserve it from the rain.

The other splendid feature was the way the eaves had been constructed using flat clay tiles (the “rafek” in Catalan). The rafek and the clay gutters were dismantled and then rebuilt.

During the works inside the Villa, a bricked-up area was discovered by one of the owner’s sons who carefully removed the old blocks to reveal a small shrine painted in pastel colours. This has been protected and is located in the first-floor lounge.

The bathroom on the first floor has retained the stalls and stone feeding troughs all in original form.

Last but not least, the original bread oven was integrated into one of the downstairs rooms. Creativity was used to repurpose the original entrance doors which had seen many years of service, had rotted and been eaten by countless generations of insects. The doors were protected from existing and further infestation and were reframed together with a glass top to be used as tables for the dining room in Villa Masia.

Finally, all visitors will note the original wine press at the entrance of Villa Masia. It had been installed inside the house, apparently with some difficulty since the front doors were not wide enough to allow the press to be brought in - which is why the stones of the entrance arch are chiselled away near the bottom.