Villa en venta en Icod de los Vinos

A unique 17th Century Mansion House that was built in 1670 for the Military Governor of the Island. When the nearby port of Garachico was overrun by lava from an eruption from the Teide Volcano in 1706, the Port of the island was moved to Santa Cruz. The Governor moved also to Santa Cruz, and the house lost its original purpose. The use of the house in the following years is vague however there is a copy of an Escritura of the house dating back to 1923 and it is known about this time there was a small shop in the front of the house, where the Nelson Study is now, selling domestic items. The house had deteriorated sadly and the three surviving sisters of the family ended up in a care home. When the current owners purchased the house in 2004 it had been empty for 15 years. The last 18 years they have spent restoring the house using the original stone where possible, and Tea wood throughout, which is a heavy indigenous resinous pine tree found in Tenerife and La Palma Islands and resistant to termites. Originally the ground floor was used mainly for stabling horses and most of the surrounding houses were at that time used for staff associated with the Governor. The ground floor off the main entrance now houses the India room, with furniture and artifacts brought from India by the current owners, and the Study which has paintings and memorabilia of Admiral Nelson who famously attacked Tenerife and was defeated and not only lost the battle but also his arm, and recuperated excellently, staying with the Governor for a year before returning to England. Other pictures in the room are of Shakespeare, Henry 8th of England, and his 6 wives including his first wife Katherine of Aragon, The Tzar, and Tzarina of Russia amongst others. There is also a lovely working fireplace. Going through the entrance hall is the central Patio., now housing a fish pond with a central fountain and surrounded by ferns and stone seating. Apart from doors to the India room and Study, there is access to the lift to the two floors above and the door to the Gallery which houses 18 paintings of The Virgin Mary by different artists but all with the fascinating sublime look of serenity and tranquility. There is also an exquisitely carved Cabinet, desk and chair thought to have belonged to an Elite Lawyer on the peninsular and three Masonic chairs having belonged to the current owners of Masonic Temples in Central London. At the end of the patio can be found two bedrooms en suite with shower rooms. To the right, there is an entrance to a small shaded patio which the window of the adjacent shower room looks out onto, and an adjoining room used as a sewing room. Next to the main staircase is the entrance to the area not yet fully completed, housing an office with three more rooms and another large entrance door to the street, and an entrance to the upper level of the garden. Through the exit door of the patio is the wardrobe of the house with a fountain in front and then steps to the garden and steps above the water tank for the water storage of the private 2 fresh water sources for the house and the laundry, with a casual cooking area and a stone table and benches with a view of the garden. There is a stone staircase to the first floor with the dining table above for casual cooking below, with a further collection of blue and white china similar and complementing those in the main Kitchen. From the patio, one takes the main tea wood staircase to the large landing which leads into the three principal rooms of the Drawing Room, the Sitting Room, and the Dining Room all interconnecting. All three rooms are furnished with antique furniture, an abundance of paintings, wall brackets, and chandeliers throughout. Off the dining room, which seats 12, there is a closed tea wood balcony overlooking the garden. The curtains in these rooms and throughout the house are made by the Davila family who has made curtaining for Buckingham Palace and many aristocratic homes in England with the very top designers.