Romblon Houses
or Houses that Fascinated Me
Text and Photos by Aline Parrone
Special to Sanrokan.com

Some readers may not totally agree with me when I will say that I find old houses fascinating, even some which are kind of run-down. Maybe because I am attracted to the piece of history it tells. On cable TV station Lifestyle which shows canned programs from the United States and Europe, there is this charming hostess named Rachel Ashwell (a sort of Martha Stewart type) who promotes "shabby chic". I understand it is a bit of a fashion now. Shabby chic consists of second-hand and old (not necessarily antique) pieces of furniture that she hunts down patiently in garage sales, finding treasures in these old pieces: cabinets, shelves, mirrors, beds, sofas, etc. Many of these pieces are used as they are, unpainted and all and become the centerpieces of a new room for instance. It seemed hard for me to understand at first what Ms. Ashwell finds so cute and fascinating in it, until I realized she was after the history and little stories those pieces of furnitures tell. A crack, a spill of liquid, a tarnish of paint are part of the historical value of these pieces, making them valuable in a way.

I guess, it is probably in the same way that old houses become appealing to some people, including me. They may not be as colorful or as sophisticated-looking as many of our big mansions these days, but they remind us of wonderful periods in our history or at least in our lives. Each crack, hole or splinter remind us of our childhood and of our past, humble or magnificent, and the events the houses withstood -- a typhoon, an earthquake, etc. Here are some pictures of these "magical" houses which to my eyes are more beautiful than big modern houses. I hope by the time you get to the last house, you would agree with me, or somewhat at least! :-)

This house is actually annexed to the church in Cajidiocan, Sibuyan Island. It has been converted to a cooperative center.