MNF > Articles by: Madrid No Frills

Madrid No Frills

San Ildefonso, Madrid, Spain. Year 2 Primary, Reading and Writing, 5th December, 2007.
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Madrid classroom portraits, shot one decade ago

"These children will become doctors, hairdressers, cooks, rickshaw drivers, photographers - any number of destinies await them. There are potential millionaires, celebrities and probably criminals too and actually, some of them may already have died or had children of their own."
Inside the central building
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Unlocked: five secret spaces inside La Tabacalera

I've been working on revealing these restricted rooms for a little while now – negotiating access to locked spaces and requesting permission to take photos you won't find anywhere else on the internet. And it's all been worth it, because we finally get to see inside the most restricted corners of one of Madrid's most emblematic buildings. But first, there are rules…
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Lavapiés: forever beaten but never defeated

Despite their straitened circumstances, the citizens of Lavapiés are a fiercely proud tribe. Throughout history, when pushed too far, they have risen up in bloody clashes with the authorities, and here's why.
The Duck Church
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The Duck Church of Lavapiés

Unless you live on this quiet, narrow street in Lavapiés, there's almost no reason for you to walk down it – that is, unless you're going to the Duck Church. Nestled into the ground floor of a centenarian building lives a tiny temple devoted to the rubber duck, and its priest is Leo Bassi, a 66-year-old clown who was born on tour.
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No-frills bars in peculiar places (Vol. II)

Edward Lawrence continues his offbeat adventures to the most surprisingly located no-frills bars in Madrid. This time, he explores two bus stations, a family-run service station and a shrine to Franco, and climbs a hill – passing a decaying bunker – to find serenity in the most peculiar place.
Jose Luís Jiménez
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71 enchanting years of Bodegas Jiménez

When I asked Jose Luis Jiménez who the people in the photographs were, he spent the next half hour telling me stories from his childhood and showing me pictures taken by his friends from all over the world.
Outside Tapas Bar Los Dolores
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Latest obsession: Madrid’s ‘hidden’ drinking fountains

Madrid's drinking fountains are beautiful, carefully designed and soaked in history. But, you've probably walked past dozens thinking very little of them – perhaps you thought they were miniature monuments, a fire hydrant or an electricity box.
Don Justo, now 93 years old
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The Outsider Artist building a life-size cathedral set for demolition

Ex-monk Don Justo survived the Spanish Civil War and even tuberculosis, yet at 93 years old, he knows doesn't have long left. He's just a decade away from completing his 60-year mission to build a life-size cathedral, but when the local city council want it demolished, the question becomes, 'who will outlive who?'
Kiosko de Horchata Miguel y José
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The last horchata kiosk in Madrid

My obsession with horchata began exactly where it should: on the coast of Valencia, surrounded by orange blossom and flamingos. On my return to Madrid, I vowed never to rest until I'd found the best horchata in town, and there it was – as it has been for 74 years – in a little roadside kiosk run by the fifth generation of the same family.
Lavapiés in the 1980s
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Lavapiés in the 1980s

When you first glimpse Marivi Ibarrola's casually composed photographs of Lavapiés in the 1980s, you feel as if very little has changed. But stare for longer and you'll see some profound differences: the Tabacalera no longer emits smoke from its chimney, the anarchists have been gentrified out of their squats, and cinemas have been demolished to pave the way for the Lavapiés we hang out in today.