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Lorca students restore historic washhouse at Coy river beach
The €35,000 refurbishment has revived a key communal landmark used in Lorca for washing, bathing and social life before running water reached homes
Before running water was introduced into Lorca homes, the city and its districts were dotted with public washhouses. These spaces were more than just functional, they were centres of social life where neighbours gathered not only to scrub clothes and kitchenware but also to cool off during the height of summer.
In recent years, efforts have been made to restore these forgotten landmarks. After successful projects in Doña Inés and Zarzadilla de Totana, the latest restoration has been completed at the famous Coy river beach.
“The washhouse is a fragment of Coy's history. A legacy, a witness to community life, that was essential to recover and enhance,” said Lorca Mayor Fulgencio Gil Jódar on Monday July 21.
With the arrival of running water, the washhouses were abandoned and fell into disuse. However, the mayor wanted to emphasise their importance.
“They lost their purpose, but they are historical heritage, ethnographic elements, that we must not let disappear. We had to preserve the memory of these spaces that were a meeting point. It was the place where neighbours knew what was happening, got the latest news. A kind of social network of yesteryear,” he said.The refurbishment of the Coy washhouse, known as “La Pará,” was undertaken by students in experiential learning programmes and workers hired through a Local Public Employment grant from the SEPE (National Public Employment Service). They also carried out maintenance and repair work at Coy’s River Beach.
“In the latter, the rest areas, lampposts, bridges and umbrellas have been painted. The bridge planks that were in poor condition have been replaced, as well as the pond railings,” the mayor explained.
Since the work was carried out by volunteers, only the cost of the materials had to be covered by Lorca City Council. The entire project was completed for just €35,000.
Mayor Gil Jódar described Coy Beach as one of the most beautiful river areas in the entire Region of Murcia. He praised the location’s charm, shaded by large pine trees and fed by a natural spring.“Just a few metres from a spring, their contributions fill the pool with crystal-clear waters, at a desirable temperature on these intensely hot days.”
The restoration of the washhouse included significant construction and landscaping work. Earthworks were carried out to prepare the site. A 30 square metre concrete block wall was built to allow pedestrian access from Calle La Fuente and a 60 square metre concrete slab was added for walkways.
A 40 square metre masonry wall now surrounds the laundry facility. The floor is paved with 140 square metres of natural flagstone. Two staircases made of wooden beams provide access and a gabled pergola built from pine and covered with asphalt shingles offers shade. Forty metres of wooden railing were installed for safety.
The original features of the washhouse have also been preserved. The elongated rectangular basin, measuring 11 metres, remains, surrounded by flagstones used for scrubbing.These communal laundry spaces were once essential not only to Lorca’s rural districts but also to the city itself. Lorca’s municipal washhouse once stood next to the Fuente del Oro on what was then Calle de los Caños de Cerón, now Avenida de Santa Clara. That washhouse, built in a Hispano-Arabic style by architect Jaime Bort Milia, featured ground-floor basins under arcades and an upper level for drying clothes. It became obsolete after the introduction of domestic water supplies and was demolished in 1966 to make way for the city’s fish markets.
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Images: Ayuntamiento de Lorca
