Restoration of Puñonrostro Castle. Phases III and IV
Located in Torrejón de Velasco from the late medieval period, 14th-15th centuries
The Castle of Puñonrostro, whose first documented trace dates back to the 15th century, responds to the pattern of the typical stately castle of not very large dimensions, with a turreted enclosure that houses a set of attached rooms distributed around a central patio, where a water collection system.
The land on which it stands is a plain at 606 m. of altitude that slopes slightly towards the southeast, where the old urban center was located, which, in this way, was dominated from the fortification.
Currently, Puñonrostro Castle, in addition to being an Asset of Cultural Interest, in its category of monument, is an authentic "primillar": a colony of lesser kestrels (Falco naumanni), which numbers around 50 breeding pairs, and which gives the group an exceptional environmental value within the Community of Madrid.
The castle of Torrejón de Velasco
The castle has a rectangular plan of 37 x 21 meters and has a total of ten towers: the Torre del Homenaje and nine others distributed at intervals of 7 meters follow the scheme of a tower in each corner, two in the middle of the north and south, and one in the middle of the west side. All of them are built in a single piece, without interlocking walls, and were accessed from inside the enclosure through a lintel opening that opened on the first floor.
The chronological and technical unity of all the preserved structures is observed, not only due to the use of the same rigging but also due to the repetition of the same schemes in canvases and towers: only the south side presents a somewhat different conception with the inclusion of the Torre del Homenaje and the greatest height of the corner towers and their previous closure.
The layout of the Torre del Homenaje in the middle of the eastern canvas, different from its usual corner location, could be inspired by the nearby Batres Castle, with the juxtaposition of two elements of different chronology such as the tower and the enclosure.
restoration project
In 2010, the Phase I project, Execution Project for the Restoration of the Castle of Torrejón de Velasco, was drafted, which partially develops the document Action Plan for the Rehabilitation of the Castle. In 2012, faced with the immediate danger of collapse, the General Subdirectorate of Historical Heritage carried out structural support work to stabilize tower 7C. In 2013, the Phase II project was drafted and executed in 2017-2018.
Phase III Restoration
Phase III had the following actions as its objective:
- Conditioning of the keep allowing its accessibility by people with reduced mobility for its revaluation as a historical-cultural and environmental interpretation center; new access doors, connecting stairs with the upper floors, pre-installation of the necessary facilities for the intended use and a small toilet.
- Stabilization and consolidation of the 10L canvas including the opening, consolidation and finishing of the original holes.
- stabilization and reconstruction from tower 1C.
- Stabilization, underpinning, consolidation and reconstruction of tower 9C and paving with granite cobblestones the adjacent area of Regajera street.
- Gate Closing access to the courtyard of the castle, on canvas 1L.
- Archeology Report and Memory on the foundation of tower 9C and its immediate surroundings.
- environmental monitoring taking into account the protected species that nest in the castle.
Image gallery
Phase IV Restoration
Phase IV of the intervention aimed at the following actions:
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Construction of a structural stabilizer for the interior of tower C-08 that would prevent its displacement or rotation and allow the underpinning of its foundation and that of the canvas L-09 by a system of batches.
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Reconstruction of the original embrasures first floor, according to the remains of the already existing ones and structural consolidation of the two original holes from the time when the castle was a palace-prison.
- Construction and consolidation of canvas L-09 with masonry with selected original rig and with external contribution of stones of similar material, size, texture and color to the existing one.
- Reconstruction of jambs, the opening and the loading bays of the canvas L-01 gate.
- Sanitation of the interior walls of the ground floor of the tower of tribute, consolidation and waterproofing of the cover. The staircase leading up has been painted and the interior lighting completed.
- Elimination of protective perimeter metal fencing, integrating the monument into the public space, so that its conditioning can be carried out in an upcoming phase.
