Torre Salafranca

The tower, built in ashlar masonry, has a prismatic ground plan and a buttressed base, reaching a height of 10 metres thanks to its walls, which are more than a metre thick. The interior space consists of a ground floor and two upper floors, topped by a roof terrace. The upper floors are connected by a spiral staircase. The solidity of the exterior architecture contrasts with the modesty of the building materials used inside the fortress, as the ceilings are formed by means of a beamed ceiling topped with a plaster masonry resting on the walls. The south face of the tower had two loopholes, now closed, which were narrow windows used for the defence of the complex. The noble façade of the house has a noble coat of arms.

Two peculiarities appear in the enclave that are directly linked to water. On the one hand, the tower has a cistern that can be accessed through a small door from the outside. The chroniclers Isidro Buades and J. Ramón Martínez tell us that it is enigmatic that access to the cistern is from the outside. If we were to seek refuge inside the tower because we were being attacked by a group of pirates, it would not be advisable to go outside to get water. This may indicate that either the well was built after the tower lost its defensive function, or that there may have been an access from the dwelling to the interior of the well. As the house has undergone numerous modifications during the 20th century, it is not easy to date its construction period, so we leave this question unanswered for the time being.

Another of the tower’s water-related curiosities has to do with the irrigation system. Although the dwelling has a pond inside the property and very close to the site, between Salafranca and the chapel of Santa Ana, there is another beautiful photograph from the 1940s showing another large pond, which unfortunately has not survived to the present day.

Knowing and disseminating the marvellous cultural legacy that survives in the Camp d’Alacant can help to prevent the future loss of other vestiges inherited from its fascinating past.