Rústicos El Barrero – Pedro Ávalos Torres
TELEPHONE:
ADDRESS:
Carretera Nacional Sevilla-Huelva, km. 595 – 21890 Manzanilla
ACTIVITY
Rústicos El Barrero makes bricks and other traditional craft ceramic objects, suitable for either restoration or new building, with applications in walls, flooring, cladding, etc.
The family have their own clay pit near Manzanilla. All the grinding of soil and kneading of clay is done in… an artisanal way using an adapted agricultural motor hoe. Once the clay reaches its optimal consistency it is poured manually into metal moulds of the desired size, and the objects are left to dry for subsequent storage or distribution.
On occasion, especially in restoration work, the dimensions and characteristics of original elements need to be replicated, as was the case in the restoration of the dome of Seville Cathedral, or in reconstruction work at the site of the Roman ruins of Italica.
The objects they make include traditional tiles for use in wainscoting or wooden floors, curved bricks for cladding and ornamenting circular pillars, carved mouldings for skirting, decorative lintel brackets and other facade protrusions and trim, as well as bullnose bricks, used in particular as trim in overhangs, window doors, fireplaces, etc.
The firm has been recognised by the regional department of tourism and trade with the “Andalusia Craft Quality” mark, and by the Andalusian government with the “Intangible Heritage of Andalusia” seal. In 2018 it was a finalist in the “Andalucía Artesanal” craft awards, and it was again a finalist in the 2019 “Ciudades de la Cerámica” national ceramic awards.
TRAINING
Pedro Ávalos Torres belongs to the fourth generation of a brick-making family. From his great-grandfather’s time they had a ceramic plant in Puebla de Cazalla, where Pedro began working at the age of 13, learning the trade from his father Manuel Ávalos Andrades. The firm… had to close during an economic crisis, and in 2004 Pedro decided to launch a new project for the wholly traditional manufacture of the rustic bricks commonly known as “ladrillo de taco”.
TEACHING
His son Raúl Ávalos Reinoso is now learning the trade.
SELECTED WORK
His products have been used in such iconic projects as the refurbishment of the dome of Seville Cathedral or work at the archaeological site of the ruins of Italica (Santiponce, Seville province).
