Farmacia Gómez-Pamo

Throughout the centuries, pharmacies were meeting and social centres, in addition to their specific purpose. The oldest surviving one is the Reina Madre in Calle Mayor. But let us stop at Calle Santa Isabel, 7, where the Gómez-Pamo pharmacy opened in 1853. It was established by Nicolás Gómez Calleja, who was replaced by his son Juan Ramón Gómez-Pamo in 1863. Mr. Gómez-Pamo was a pharmaceutical authority and a tombstone at number 25 of the same street, Calle Santa Isabel, commemorates him. But the anecdote about this apothecarys shop, apart from its age, is that it later passed into the hands of Fernando Fresno (Fernando Gómez-Pamo del Fresno), who was a great press cartoonist, as well as a well-known actor. His daughter, also an actress, Maruchi Fresno, is the best known, though. The pharmacy currently has no connection with the founding family.

Text and photos by Antonio Castro Jiménez, Chronicler of the City of Madrid.