Negro Tower

Negro Tower, locally known as Torre del Negro, lies on a farm, west of the town of El Carmolí in the province of Murcia in Spain.

In the 16th and 17th century the area of Cartagena was prone to attacks by Barbary pirates. Several rural watchtowers were built which both served as a place of refuge for the local farmers and as a signal tower.

The Negro Tower was built in 1585, during the reign of Philip II of Spain. Its original name was Torre de Arráez and at the time of its construction the salty lagoon of Mar Menor was only a 100 meters away.

Although sources dictate the above details of its history, I believe the tower to be older and probably dating back to the 13th century. For the nearby Rame Tower was first mentioned in the 13th century when the area was described after the recent reconquest of the Kingdom of Murcia by Alfonso X of Castile. It was then described as: "The structure of both towers is similar: tapering to the top, eight to ten meters high, walls 1.5 meters thick, a ground floor and two upper floors, a crenelated terrace on top and a considerable defensive mud wall to protect the stables and barn." I believe the other tower to be Negro Tower due to its proximity and rather similar appearance.

It has a square plan, 1.5 meter thick walls and is 14 meters high. Later a country house was build against it. That house is now still occupied, the tower itself stands empty.

Negro Tower is private property and can not be visited. It can however easily be viewed from the public road. The family that operates the farm are currently trying to find funds to restore the tower. On the one hand I hope they will, because that will save the tower for further decay, on the other hand I like it how it is. Rame Tower is nearby.

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