We travelled the length and breadth of the Algarve looking for the perfect spot, going up and down dirt roads, often ending up in some wonderful remote places, miles from anywhere but could not face a twenty mile trip to the nearest shops or doctor. Our fears about the coastal areas were confirmed when many nice plots we had seen the previous year were already in the centre of a housing estate or overlooked by a tower block.
Eventually, in the foothills of the Monchique mountains, we found this magical 12 acre spot with all sorts of fruit trees, cork oaks, pomegranates, orange and lemon groves and of course the lovely mimosas which brighten the place so much at the end of winter. It had once been a farm and among the trees were the ruins of the old farmhouse and stables, close to a stream that runs through the land all year. This was the perfect place to build our house, so good in fact that we had to build something special, but there was a serious snag because at that time, foreigners were not allowed to own more than one acre of land in Portugal. Luckily our lawyer found a solution, which was to purchase a Portuguese company which in turn could buy as much land as it wanted.
Alan used lots of sketch books doodling pictures of possible houses before he came up with an idea that would fit in with such a special place. The sketches became rough plans and these were turned into working drawings by a local architect. After the planning formalities and choosing a builder, work commenced in 1992. In October that year we were joined by a new member of the family, Christopher. To our surprise, the Portuguese builders were quite reliable and any delays were down to Portuguese bureaucracy. The villa was finally completed in 1993.