5. Glimpses of the Ferrol That Was

Plaza de España before my departure

The streets of Ferrol compose a perpendicular grid with its main axis (Calle Real) aligned northeast-southwest and partitioned by three squares, outermost Plaza de España, central Plaza de Armas where the city hall is located, and harbour-nearest Plaza de Amboage. The first one is now a pedestrian zone. The trees of the Town Hall square were cut down and the pavement is cracked in spots. Plaza de Amboage is the least altered.

This short train ride from Ferrol to the hamlet of Neda was also filmed before my departure.

In the mid-fifties Town Hall created a small artificial beach on the seafront beside the harbour. A snack bar accessible by a raised boardwalk was installed and the beach was ironically named Copacabana.

The Harbour in the Year 1958

Courtesy of this webpage

Old Postcards And Year

1. Plaza de Amboage (1955)


2. Plaza de Armas (1960)


3. Mouth of the Firth of Ferrol (1960)


4. View of Ferrol from the hermitage of Chamorro (1960)


5. Ducks in the pond at the municipal park (1960)


6. Post and Telegraph Office (1960)


7. Admiral Churruca Obelisk (1961). Wikipedia page on Admiral Churruca (1761-1805)


8. The Ring Road (1961). Shipyard is on the left, Cantón de Molins is on the right


9. Swans in the pond at the municipal park (1961)


10. Port of Ferrol (1961)


11. Grand Hotel of Tourism (1962)


12. Typical Ferrolian family in Cantón de Molins (1963)


13. The beach of A Frouxeira (Valdoviño) (1964)


14. Fishermen's dock (1964)


15. Ornamental fountain in the municipal park (1964)


16. Post and Telegraph Office (1964)


17. Plaza de Armas (1964-65)


18. Plaza de España (1965)


19. Two-storey ice factory (1965)


20. Peek behind the whitewashed wall (1965)

Mostly Old Photographs

1. Plaza de Amboage


2. Barbershop "El Fénix" where I used to get my hair cut (near Cantón de Molins)


3. Another view of the port of Ferrol (ca. 1958)


4. Steam locomotive at the train station (July 1961)


5. A recent photo of the Firth of Ferrol

Not So Pretty: A Working Class Suburb

1. Year 1962


2. Year 1963


3. Year 1963