1939Casademont to Cadaqués
Francesc Casademont, from Barcelona, living in Figueres, visits Cadaqués for first time, just after the civil war, and despite the relative poverty, is attracted by the lively art scene (Dalí had just begun to put the town on the art world’s map), and the “spaciousness of the sea”.
1973Michelle is born
Michelle is born in South Africa, and subsequently lives in Zimbabwe, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, the US, Switzerland and London.
1978Building La Bruguera
After decades in the Cadaqués scene Casademont constructs La Bruguera, in the Vall de La Pera, having suffered a heart problem and “burn out”, and seeking refuge from the hustle-bustle of a gentrified town in the art world spotlight.
1979Mike is born
Mike is born in Canada, and over the next two decades lives in Japan, Switzerland, Chile and London, working in Africa, Asia, Russia, the Middle East and the US.
1979
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2007Casademonts to La Bruguera
The Casademont family live in La Bruguera, and Francesc turns almost exclusively to painting, “in the shelter of the forest”. Here he is able to generate the bulk of his prodigious body of work.
1994Cross of St George
Francesc D’Assís Casademont is awarded the Cross of St George, Catalonia’s highest civil honour.
2004Mike and Michelle meet
They meet at the London School of Economics and Political Science, where they both studied, and then worked.
2007
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2009First sustainable renovation
They acquire and renovate an 1867 historically-protected cottage, engineered by Sir Joseph Bazalgette, part of the Abbey Mills Pumping Station, which they renovate to run entirely on renewable energy, getting a taste for sustainable historic renovations…
2010
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2015Project in Catalonia
Mike is engaged to work with the Gresol Art Association in Madremanya, to develop a plan to seek finance, for a new art school, based around the archive of recently deceased art critic, Maria Lluisa Borras, co-director of the Joan Miro Foundation, and thus starts to travel to and from the Empordà regularly.
Brain surgery scare
In 2013, Mike requires sudden brain surgery, and a prolonged recovery and a new daughter give Mike and Michelle pause for thought, and they begin to investigate living in the Empordà.
2015
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2019La Bruguera purchase
Mike and Michelle buy La Bruguera from Maria Angels, having sold up in London. Maria Angels, almost 90, moves to Barcelona, to be with her older sisters.
Mike and Michelle reprise the renewable-energy driven complete renovation project, but on a building almost 8 times larger than their previous London attempt.
Now La Bruguera reborn
La Bruguera is reborn, and once again thrives as a place for creative and active people to focus on their personal development “in the shelter of the forest”.
