Internationally famous for his James Bond film scores - the first was Dr. No in 1962 - Barry was familiar with Mallorca. In the sixties, when he was married to Jane Birkin, he used to frequent parties for the celebrity world at an estate called Sa Capella.
The building was never completed. Following his death in 2011, there were concerns about an apparent abandonment of the finca; the mansion occupies a prominent location on the Santa Margalida landscape.
A German couple then bought the property from one of his daughters. For some years there have been talks with the town hall about its preservation. At the council meeting on Friday, approval was given to list the mansion in the Santa Margalida heritage catalogue. This means that it has preservation status.
The PSOE opposition at the town hall was all in favour, spokesperson Xisco Bergas saying that they had proposed listing the building as a heritage site some years ago.
The mayor, Joan Monjo, explains that the owners are willing to allocate and finance one of the rooms at the mansion in creating an interpretation centre about John Barry and his legacy. The mayor adds that "his music will be heard" and that there will be weekly visits by appointment.
The listing and the arrangements with the owners are also intended to link John Barry to tourist promotion of Santa Margalida and Can Picafort.
* John Barry composed the scores for eleven Bond films up to 1987. He was also known for his soundtracks for numerous other films, e.g. Born Free, Dancing with Wolves, Out of Africa and The Lion in Winter.
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Keep the Music , Lose the House !!!