Elevador de agua de Gordejuela - puertodelacruz.info

Perhaps one of the most fascinating abandoned and derelict buildings on the island of Tenerife – certainly in the north of the island anyway – is the old pumping station on the coastline near the village of Los Realejos, known locally as “El Elevador de Aguas de Gordejuela” or “Casa Hamilton”.

History of the Building

Built on the former location of Juan de Gordejuela mill right next to the Gordejuela waterfalls, the building was built by the Hamilton family in 1903 at a cost of 1 million pesetas to pump water from the Gordejuela springs to provide fresh water for the banana plantations up in the Orotava Valley and to also power a flour mill. The pumping system was powered by the first ever steam engine on the island of Tenerife. The water was pumped to the top of the cliff, some two hundred meters (six hundred and sixty feet) above the sea level by the steam engine. The water was then stored in a reservoir which was approximately two kilometers (approximately 1.2 miles) away which had a capacity of 12,000 cubic meters (which is approximately 420,000 cubic feet). The water was then transported via a twelve kilometer aqueduct to the banana plantations.

The Hamiltons were one of the first of many British who found a new life in the Canary Islands during the 19th Century. They were growers and exporters of bananas, tomatoes and potatoes and their company was the first agent in the Canary Islands for the Lloyd’s Shipping Register of London.

As well as the import and export business, the family were instrumental in setting up a savings bank on the island. They were founders of the Children’s Hospital and the British Cemetery in Santa Cruz, also of the football club Tenerife FC, the Hotel Taoro in Puerto de la Cruz and the Real Club Nautico in Santa Cruz.

THE BUILDING ITSELF

This fascinating old building was built in the year 1903 and was the first building to house and make use of the steam engine on the island of Tenerife and was once of the largest buildings on the island of Tenerife. Covering 5 floors, and located approximately forty meters (around one hundred and thirty feet) above sea level, the rectangular shaped building is twenty seven metres tall.

The foundation of the building is built into the rock face and makes up the ground floor, and the second floor would have housed the machinery and ventilation systems. The third floor had four rooms, but two of these have collapsed and are now buried. Entrance level was on the fourth floor and the fifth and top floor housed the main machine of the pumping station.

The facility originally had three buildings, as well as a warehouse and a chimney (measuring 43 metres in height, which is approximately one hundred and forty one feet) together with connecting water carrying structures. The building at the top of the cliff was designed to house the workers of the pumping station.

THE DETERIOTION

Due to competition in the banana trade, Casa Hamilton began to loose money and despite trying to unsuccessfully sell water to the other parts of the island, the use of the pumping station was not viable for them to sustain so it was leased to Elders and Fyffes in 1910. In 1919 it was sold to the Fyffes company and eventually the building entered in to the public domain. Water is still extracted from the natural springs at the site, however this is now done by electrical means.The building is now a spectacularly eerie ruin without windows, doors or a roof.with some of the internal floors also having collapsed. In the year 2000 there was a proposal to restore the building but nothing happened with this project. Finally on 31 January 2019 it was added to La Lista Roja (The Red List) due to its delapidated state which inevitably will lead to further collapse of the magnificent structure.

TOURIST ATTRACTION

The building is popular with tourists who are staying in the area of Puerto de la Cruz and in particular with walkers, as the pathway to reach this building follows along the coast with spectacular views out to sea, and along the coast line of the north part of the island in both directions. Although some of the pathway has officially been blocked off, many ignore this and just continue along anyway. There is plenty of local flora and fauna to also enjoy along the pathway.

The pathway has various entrances, perhaps the easiest and safest is from Calle Geranios in Toscal. This entrance offers mostly flat access to Casa Hamilton along a beautiful clifftop path that should take around 30--45 minutes each way

For those unable to make the walk along the pathway, we have created a virtual tour which offers a fabulous 360 degree view of the pathway and on to the old ruin. There is also a 3d model created by Arqueomodel 3D.

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