39530 Puente San Miguel. Cantabria.
ptesmiguel@tresnet.com
Teléfono: +34 942820115
Don Marcelino Saenz de Sautuola, a learned and illustrated man who lived during the second half of the XIXth Century, decided to plant various exotic species like the Spanish Silver Spruce (Abies Pinsapo) , sequoyas, magnolias, araucarias and Cedars of Lebanon in his country house near Santander, growing them together with local species like beeches, lindens, chestnuts and yews.
The garden can be divided into three areas: the old garden, the Winthuysen garden and the new garden.
The first is still part of the original and includes the ancestral house. It was designed in the late XIXth Century, and still conserves its naturalist character, with paths and short winding walks.
The second area mentioned was designed by the Sevillian painter and gardener Javier de Winthuysen. This little garden, despite its small size, manages to create very different landscapes. The first one with a square patio with impluvium; the second with a fountain and a bower, surrounded by a hedge of common box and tall trees. The third one with arcades and rambling roses, and the fourth with a fountain and a flight of steps.
The most recent area, the new garden, designed by Doña Carmen Añón, began to be planted in the 80’s. A rose garden was grown in Winthuysen’s honor, a great lake created with a waterfall, and on a little island a pavilion was built with columns. Nevertheless, the most original part of this garden is found at the end of a walk decorated with laurel hedges: a circular pond surrounded by grass, iron latticework, columns and mirrors that reflect the garden and the lake as well as the sunlight , creating a magical, surrealist atmosphere.
An orchard, a nursery and a small forest complete the property.
It is a living monument to nature, especially the outstanding trees, over a hundred years old, kept in their natural form, without pruning or mutilating.They are an example of the love, dedication and interest of their owners, the Saenz de Sautuola-Botín family. The finca Puente San Miguel was declared a National Heritage site and classed as Historical Garden in 1986.
