PAZO DA SALETA
Located among the places of A Sobreira and Zancade (Meis, Pontevedra), the property is named after the chaple, to honour the Virgin of A Saleta, built between 1863 and 1870 by the colonel Severo Pérez Cardecid, from Cambados. Inside it preserves an altarpiece from 1870, made by the compostelanian workshop of Manuel Magasiñas, a polychromed valult with the coat of arms of the Pérez Cardecid, Rosales and Losada, and a arm coated façade of great beauty.

Contiguous to this chapel, remain some premises of the old farming house (horreo and pigeon house) which may be considered as an architectural unit since the actual residence is a modern house, further apart.

In 1968, Robert Gimson arrived to Galicia from Britain, looking for a place to practice his major passion: gardening. With the help of his wife Margaret, converted the property in an extraordinary botanic garden. The recovery of the traditional celebration to honour the Virgen of A Saleta which takes place every year in the chapel is due to them.

A walk in the garden…

This english styled garden extends itself crosswide five hectares of surface. It was designed by the landscape architect Brenda Colvin, including the part of forest where oaks, eucalyptus and coark oaks mix surounding the octagonal plan. We will also find oriental species like rhododendron and azaleas; proteaceae, australian myrtaceae, south-american ericaceae; all of them, correctly clasified and labled, prooving the great labor of a first order scientific.

The interest of the Gimson for the camellia has provided them with recognishon merits, including the ?Golden Camellia? and the special Antonio Odriozola Award. Varieties of white, pink, red, purple... camellias, lay in this garden offering us spectacular fans of petals which, in a colouristic way, see off the winter and welcome spring.