A Castle in Spain

Oct 1, 2024 11:28 AM

Author:Matthew Parris

A Castle in Spain

Matthew Parris's A Castle in Spain is one man's attempt to transform a magnificent forgotten ruin into his own castle.

Walking in the Pyrenees one spring morning Matthew Parris stumbled upon a magnificent ruined mansion standing on the edge of a line of huge cliffs. Later he was to discover that parts of the house dated back to the 14th century though it had not been completed until 1559; and that it had survived two massive earthquakes before falling into disrepair in the early 1960s.

A few years later, seduced by 'one of those foolish challenges that grip us in middle life', Parris bought the house, L'Avenc, and set about restoring it to its full glory. This delightful book chronicles it all: the original discovery, the attempts to discover its history, and then the long effortful years trying to bring it back to life in the face of scepticism from family, friends and Spanish neighbours. The original edition of A Castle in Spain was published in 2005 when the renovations were a work in progress; this new edition triumphantly records all that has happened since.

'Stands apart... This Englishman's castle might have started as a dream, but it has ended up being an extraordinary reality' Sunday Times

'So infectious is his enthusiasm for L'Avenc and the dramatic, unvisited landscape of Collsacabra, that I wanted to leave at once to explore it ... And it's all just a few miles away from the Costa Brava!' Christopher Hudson, Daily Mail

Matthew Parris had a short career in the Foreign Office where one of his tasks was to distribute incoming valedictory despatches. He was a Conservative MP from 1979 to 1986, since when he has worked as a journalist. He is the author of A Castle in Spain, Parting Shots, and A Spanish Ambassador's Suitcase. He divides his time between Derbyshire (where his old constituency was situated) and east London.

Reviews

In a class of its own

—— Guardian

So infectious is his enthusiasm for L'Avenc and the dramatic, unvisited landscape of Collsacabra, that I wanted to leave at once to explore it ... And it's all just a few miles away from the Costa Brava!

—— Christopher Hudson , Daily Mail

Stands apart... This Englishman's castle might have started as a dream, but it has ended up being an extraordinary reality

—— Sunday Times

'A delish book to curl up with on a designer day-bed while sipping rose water, or on an Ikea futon while scoffing Wotsits'

—— Guardian Weekend

'A great gift for a newlywed or a girlfriend, this is a great little gem to have to hand'

—— OK

Practical advice to help you live like the Nigella Lawson-inspired domestic goddess you long to be... With Giorgio Aramani advising on entertinaing, Jimmy Choo helping out with shoe care and Lulu Guinness making suggestions about accessory storage you'll be getting tips from the very top

—— Bliss

Written by a fashion editor with advie on everything from laundry to modern manners - the Mrs Beeton guide for 2005

—— Woman

There's a bit of a wood theme this year, in fact, with ... Robert Penn's The Man Who Made Things Out of Trees. One can't help but wonder if all these books encouraging self-reliance and back-to-nature are signs of impending apocalypse

—— Ian Sansom, 'Books of the Year' , Guardian

A eulogy to the importance of ash throughout human history . . . Fascinating

—— Tobias Jones , Guardian

I was completely smitten . . . [A] delightful, page-turning love letter to an often-overlooked material

—— Grant Gibson , Craft Magazine

Often wry and always interesting . . . A passionate love letter to the ash tree

—— Harry Wallop , Daily Telegraph

A delight to read . . . Penn's writing is poetic . . . [The Man Who Made Things Out of Trees] speaks to the quality of the human experience, of craftwork and making things by hand, of appreciating resourcefulness and natural beauty

—— Nathalie Spencer , RSA

This book is a great pleasure to read . . . I defy anyone to read this and not want their own collection of natural and unique objects to connect our daily lives back to the natural woodland which once covered the country

—— Royal Geographical Society

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