Welcome to Conde de Ferreira Palace, the 18th century family house, where King Fernando II chose to stay in Tomar, Portugal. We hope to see you very soon.
Rua Conde De Ferreira, 5 Tomar, Centro Region
Tomar
2300-557
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CONDE DE FERREIRA PALACE, the house where King Fernando II chose to stay. * Welcome to the Conde de Ferreira Palace, cryptonym of this family house, built in the 18th century by my 8th Grandfather. In the wake of our ancestors, in keeping with traditions and in the context of the times in which we live, we seek to return the house to its former dignity, reinventing its use through sharing. We invite you to live an experience of unique authenticity, to be received among the family in this beautiful house, full of history, a privilege that belonged to our ancestors and now also to our esteemed guests. The house has lived through eight generations full of stories of family members recognized for their works and deeds, from famous knights, navigators, members of royalty, commanders and entrepreneurs, among others. I will be happy to tell you more about the family's stories, if you please. We have maintained the original characteristics of the house, thus advising our guests, in winter, not to expect the "instantaneous" heating of more modern buildings, but instead expect the true comfort of authenticity, history of a 200 year old family home. It will be an honor to welcome you to Conde de Ferreira Palace and share unforgettable moments with you, which will surely add to the history of this family home. We hope to see you very soon. Kind Regards, Diniz de Lemos Macedo HISTORY OF THE HOUSE * Following the visit of the Queen D. Maria II, Tomar was elevated to the category of City in 1844. Accompanying her came her husband King Fernando II ((Fernando de Saxe-Coburg-Gota), who on his visit to the convent thought that the paint on the ceiling of the “Charola” (church where the Knights Templar attended Mass) was too faint so he ordered it to be repainted. When he returned to supervise the work he had commissioned, he decided to stay here instead of the house of the Count of Tomar - who at the time was also Prime Minister. The room where he slept thus became known as the King’s Room. This manor house was dedicated to agriculture with its main produce being wine, olive oil and livestock. The family and the house suffered a deep crisis in the sixth generation, however, which paradoxically, dictated its unity to the present day. The 7th Grandfather, a cosmopolitan man, lived a large part of his life in London, having married a Scottish lady. His favourite "sport" was Poker, which was quite popular in those days. Nevertheless, he was a gentleman. When Napoleon's soldiers arrived with General Junot in 1807, he poured all the wine in the cellar into the Nabão River so that the soldiers would not intoxicate themselves, thus obviating the nefarious consequences of plunder, r**e, and fire. The outcome of his legacy was dramatic, the 6th Grandfather and his two brothers, ruined, settled in the house and converted it into three autonomous areas. The 5th Grandfather, an only child, received in 1876 a prize in Philadelphia, USA, for the wine and olive oil made here. Horrified by the conversion of the house he has seen and of which the house still shows the indelible scars on its stones, he buys the house from his uncles. He then reunites it, establishing the “Keep the House Together” tradition. For the same purpose, the house is donated to the first grandchild of the eldest son, or to the eldest son, and the grandfather and the father maintain the usufruct of everything, all privileges except the sale. Thus, as a result of the "poker crisis", this house, which would already be divided in more than 160 parts, remains united, forming a rare example of Portuguese heritage. The 4th Grandfather, born in the Second Stage of the Industrial Revolution, which occurred in the period from 1860 to 1900, founded a Bank and began to finance industries. Consequently, in its last 120 years the house loses its agricultural vocation, to be maintained by the bank and associated industries. The 3rd Grandfather was the last farmer, building a large cattle business. In fact, he even writes a letter to the city of Setúbal proposing to supply it with live cattle all year round, to be shipped on the railroad recently arrived at Tomar at the time. However, the house becomes more and more dependent on the Bank and Industries until the Carnation Revolution of 1974. The Bank and Industries, made up of a total of 2,300 employees, constituting the second largest industrial group in the country, are immediately nationalized. At this point the house loses its base of support.
