Issue date: 27 Apr, 2004
An architectural masterpiece in iron and one of the few surviving examples of this type of construction, the Cable Inglés, also known as El Alquife, is celebrating the centenary of its inauguration. This engineering structure has been used, over a long period of time, in the loading, transportation, storage and marine embarkation of material extracted from the Alquife iron mines in Granada.
The Cable Inglés crosses the beach at Almadrabillas (Almeria), and has been declared an Object of Cultural Interest by the Governing Council of Andalusia, which has classed it as a Monument. Its construction began in autumn 1902, at the orders of a British company, The Alquife Mines and Railway Company Limited, which wanted to simplify and reduce the cost of loading its minerals onto boats. At the time, this was an extremely slow process that required a large amount of manpower, and the new structure meant that the company could increase its loading capacity from 1,000 tons in 10 hours to 8,000 tons in the same period of time. It was inaugurated by King Alfonso XIII on 27 April 1904 and first used on 12 June of the same year, remaining in operation until September 1970.
The structure of the Cable Inglés includes a conveyor line (made of alternating metal and brick sections) and a loading pier, which is built on several levels and forms the densest part of the structure as it had to bear the weight of the accumulated minerals. The structure forms part of a group of engineering works completed in the province of Almeria at the beginning of the 20th century to facilitate the transport of minerals from the places in which they were mined to the ports along the seaboard. Today, the Cable Inglés has become a symbol of the city and a source of pride for its citizens.
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