John WoodheadIT has recently been announced by Almería council that the El Cable Inglés is to be refurbished and will become a cultural and leisure centre in the city.
This led me to do a little research into the structure on the internet which then led me to look at mining and railways in the province.
According to information available on the internet El Cable Inglés was built off the coast of Almería city by the Alquife Mine Company in the early 1900s. It was used for loading ships with the iron extracted from local mines.
Railway lines were run from the mines, which were inland of the city, right to the coast. El Cable Inglés appears to be a bit like a British pier but instead of its main purpose being entertainment it was used for loading ships.
The situation might change now as18 million euros are to be spent renovating the structure. It will be cleaned up then it will be modernized to include a number of areas that will support conferences, cultural activities, exhibitions and educational activities. A restaurant/bar will also be created.
The target is for the work to be completed by 2014. However given my experience of building projects in Spain my guess is that it might finish a year or two late.
While looking up relevant information on the internet I came across a great site called faydon.com. It is well worth visiting this site if you are interested in some of the history associated with the mines and railways in the province of Almería. The site also has information about salt manufacture in the Cabo de Gata Natural Park and other aspects of the industrial archaeology in Almería.
