El Elevador de Aguas de Gordejuela, also known as Casa Hamilton is a spectacular ruin hanging on a cliff above the sea. The roof is gone, and most of the arches and the floors have collapsed. Looking at the ocean through the hollow windows one might wonder whether this is a real place with a dramatic past or an old abandoned movie setting. The story is simple though.

It was built in 1903 by the British company Hamilton (hence the nickname) to pump water to banana plantations in the Orotava Valley. The system was designed to raise water from the Gordejuela springs to the top of the cliff 200 metres above sea level, so that the fresh water could be used in banana plantations as well as to power a flour mill. The construction of the complex cost around 1 million Spanish pesetas, and included the installation of the first steam engine on Tenerife.

In the ruined building above Casa Hamilton the coal-fired boiler was located. The  well-preserved house further to the left was used as workers housing.

Only a few years have passed, and the Hamilton company started losing money due to competition in the banana trade, and tried to sell water to other parts of the island, but this was not successful. The building was first leased, then sold, and later entered the public domain. Electric motors came into use to extract water from the springs, and Casa Hamilton was no longer needed.

It is now a popular tourist destination. However, the ruin is in such a poor state that the paths leading to it have been closed. But you can still admire the view of what is now known as one of the most spectacular abandoned buildings in Tenerife.

Source: Wikipedia