During the process of research, documentation and restoration of the ornamental Font of La Glorieta, a valuable discovery for Pedreguer has been discovered: two original street lamps dating from the initial construction of La Glorieta.
The exact date of the construction of the Font de La Glorieta, the drinking water source and the installation of the streetlights remains unknown. Approximate data suggests that these structures are centuries old, coinciding with the time of urban intervention in the area.
The obvious deterioration of the streetlights, affected by rust and the passage of time, prompted the City Council's decision to intervene and restore them. Not only to preserve their historical value, but also to restore their functionality.
The restoration work, led by brothers Juan Tomás and Pere Noguera González, included meticulous mechanical cleaning, rust removal, structural repairs and the implementation of new lighting led by Vicent Fornés. The procedures, complex due to the state of the streetlights, involved everything from the dismantling of added elements to the manufacturing of new metal parts and the installation of LED lights.
The work was presented by the Councilor for Culture of the Pedreguer City Council, Noèlia Garcia López, and the Councilor for Heritage, Ferran Lloret Morell, who stated that "this is proof that investment in culture and heritage can be combined and, at "At the same time, being able to value it at the service of citizens in addition to providing public service."
The restored streetlights have been moved to the La Glorieta garden, representing a return to their original splendor and a living testimony of local history, while offering new functionality for the enjoyment of citizens.
The painstaking recovery work
The restoration work on these 350 cm high and 18 cm diameter street lamps has been complicated, as a result of the state they were in, but it has finally been carried out. These tasks have consisted of:
- Dismantle the added elements such as the brass structure that held the last lanterns and the electrical wiring
- Mechanical brush-based cleaning
- Removal of cement mortar from the base of one of the streetlights
- Removing the remains of the paint layers with stripping paste
- Manual cleaning with different punches and chisels of the most delicate corners of the bas-relief decorations of the street lamps, made with cast iron
- Thorough cleaning of stripper residue and other greasy elements
- Repair with synthetic paste of some iron defects, especially in the bases of the street lamps most affected by humidity, rust, urine, etc.
- Volumetric reintegration of the decorative edge formed by a plant leaf located at the base of the upper cross of one of the street lamps
- Manufacture of four new metal sheet doors: two fixed and two mobile with the corresponding opening/closing system and the corresponding keys, to facilitate access to the interior of the streetlights, repair the electrical wiring system, etc.
- Manufacture of two ground anchoring systems that go inside the streetlight and are not visible on the outside. These pieces have been nickel-plated to protect them from humidity and later painted
- Construction and placement of metal supports adapted to the characteristics of the new lanterns
- Application of an epoxy-type iron and anti-rust protective element
- Primer with light gray paint with a slight blue tone, epoxy type
- Application of a dark gray paint with bright spots. This paint is the same one that has been used on the ornamental fountain
- Installation of new wiring and electrical elements
- Dismantling and removal of existing streetlights from 1991
- Opening of holes to place the metal bases that will support the new streetlights
- Leveling of the bases and concreting, transfer of the old restored streetlights to the La Glorieta garden and assembly and placement of the new LED streetlights and connection to the electrical network
