Monday 25 June 2012

Jimena castle closed off to visitors

JIMENA Further to our question about whether restoration work was about to begin, we found that the castle in Jimena has been closed off to visitors, presumably in preparation for that work. To quote friend and renown archaeologist Hamo Sassoon, in his epilogue to a book published at least fifteen years ago: "I cannot end this report without commenting that the priority in the Castle is not excavation, but rather the urgent and professional repair of the many places where the fabric of the structure is in immediate danger of collapse." (Oba Romana. Roman Jimena. Editorial Regueira.) The fact is that several places have collapsed since then, though fortunately not enough to cause major damage. It is worth noting the word 'professional'. Another point: a report by Councillor for the Treasury Pedro Corbacho, said that of the €750,000 grant the Council received last year for restoring the castle, €250,000 have yet to be found. Is this new restoration work the same project and has the missing money been found? Or are we yet again to see important work stopped half way when the money runs out?

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