Angüés

Angüés is about halfway on the main road (N-240) between Barbastro and Huesca. Coming from Barbastro, the fábrica is at your left one of the first buildings of the village. The display of the old machinery is deep on private property: make sure to ask permission!

Pictures: 3.i.2012

(1) Fábrica de harinas y aceites: the wall facing the N-240.

The Sistema de Información del Patrimonio Cultural Aragonés (sipca.es) says about this site: La fábrica comenzó a funcionar en 1924. Su propietario original fue José Guiral, para pasar a manos de su viuda tras su muerte. Es posible que en origen fuera un molino harinero y aceitero, además de central eléctrica.

or
The business started in 1924. Its first owner was José Guiral and after his dead ownership passed to his widow. It is possible that the site orginally housed a flour and an oil mill and furthermore also produced electricity.

The banner on the wall says:

Fábrica de harinas y aceites
Sucesor de Viuda de A. Guiral — Angüés

It tells about the successor of the widow of another Guiral so the link to the family has probably become very weak or non existent.

The exhibit shows machinery of an important manufacturer of old: Talleres de Baró based in Tortosa. The same brand is also present in the village mill (museum now and well worth a visit) of Buera.

(2) Display of some parts of the old installations.

(3) Oil pump with three cilinders

(4) Hydraulic press

Though the display does not show the individual elements in a working configuration, it is an interesting spot because for once everything is free from debris and vegetation and therefore clearly to see.

Notice that the oil pump features three cilinders; at most other places there are only two (e.g. Banastón, Centenera, Castillazuelo).

As told in Banastón a trolley was used to load the press — notice the grooves for the wheels in the bottom plate of the press (4).
The trolley ran on rails between the press and the place where the olive mash was scooped between the mats, esteras. Often (f.e. also El Grado) a turntable (6) was needed to make it possible to reach the required corners of the workplace.