Towards the end of the 19th century a wealthy cork merchant built an impressive mansion in S. Brás de Alportel. At the time the town was undeveloped, populated by little more than half a dozen narrow lanes with modest homes of exposed rock.

The cork industry employed practically all the men of the area. The most dedicated and hard working of these accumulated colossal fortunes which helped to change the old village.

The mansion, an extraordinary sight in this humble land, is a monument not only to the success of the merchant who built it but also to art.