Casa La Engaña was built in 1912 on the instructions of Antonio Lopez who was Pedrosa’s village clerk. The house design is typical of the Cantabrian region. The quality of the stone work is notable, combining ashlar sand stone with rough limestone. The wood used has stood the test of time incredibly well, the oak beams and columns look as if they were put in place only yesterday. In the restoration work undertaken to convert the house into a guest house, we have gone to great lengths to respect as much as possible the original materials and distribution.
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On Antonino's death he house was inherited by his son Cayetano, who was a vet by profession and held the post of Secretary in the Veterinary High Council in Madrid. In the village many people still refer to the house as the house of Don Cayetano. He had the reputation as a good man who had helped out some people, in difficult situations, after the civil war. The next owner was his son Antonino, who was also a prestigious vet. At the beginning of the 1990s the family sold the house to a local butcher, who never lived in the house but thankfully sold it to us in 1999. We discovered the house thanks to a Chinese cat, Tiggy, who luckily got "lost" in the village and lead to our initial visit in search of him. We did not find the cat but we did see an old rusty for sale sign, half hidden by undergrowth, in front of a neglected but impressive house. 9 months later the house was bought and Tiggy reappeared, he had only moved to another house in the village more to his liking!
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| Then we began an epic reform, our enthusiasm being our principal weapon, which was no doubt aided by our complete ignorance of the quantity of work required. After two and a half years of sacrifice we opened our doors to the public in December 2001. | ||
