The whole property has recently undergone a decade long restoration and refurbishment to carefully and sympathetically bring this special place into the 21st century.
The Solar, (manor house in Portuguese) is situated on a secluded hill top surrounded by an estate of over 50 hectares of rural idyll, ancient cork oak forests, olive groves and fields guaranteeing fine views, privacy, tranquillity, nature and clean air. It’s the perfect place to celebrate your wedding or hold your retreat, yet is conveniently located to visit the historic and cultural attractions of beautiful Lisbon and Sintra, the wine and gastronomy of the nearby towns of Azeitão, Sesimbra, Palmela & Setubal, the stunning coastline and beaches of the Arrábida natural park and golf at Quinta do Peru.
The gardens are laid out on a west facing hill side leading down to the so called “Vale Real” that runs to Coina where at high tide you could catch a boat to Lisbon, and named Real (Royal) due to the royal visits of King Joao V. A long staircase descends from the house towards the old river passing the swimming pool, terraces and the traditional Portuguese style garden with a formal garden and even an aqueduct.
The swimming pool was originally built in the 18th century as a water tank to store the Quinta’s spring water. It has been carefully adapted to create a unique solar heated salt water swimming pool with plenty of room to relax and enjoy the great Portuguese summer. The pool is usually warm enough to use from mid May until the end of October. Behind the pool is the sauna, bathroom and massage space.
History
Quinta da Nossa Senhora da Conceyção, as it was originally named, was built for the Dutchman Antonius Cremer and his Dutch Portuguese noble wife Lady Catharina Sofia van Zeller in 1715.
The dedication above the chapel door has a latin inscription which reads:
“Supreme God and also the most pure and Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mother of God, Antonius D. Cremer erected this chapel, Knight of the Order of Christ, admiral, charged with all of the affairs between the United Provinces of Belgium and Portugal, as well as his precious wife, D. Catarina Sofia van Zeller, both to satisfy their own devotion as well as that of their neighbours. They built this house together for their home and to provide a quiet life for their descendants, may the grace of the Almighty grant this to them, for which they also planted here a garden. The foundation stone was laid on the first day of May 1715 precisely on the day the peace treaty between Portugal and Spain was published. And here, on September 8 of that year, in all solemnity, the first religious service was held. Accept o Virgin, these altars that we dedicate to you and do not despise, merciful Mother, this small house.”
Antonius Cremer, born in Ootmarsum in the Dutch province of Overijssel, arrived in Portugal during the Spanish war of succession (1701-1714) where he served as a commisary aiding and provisioning Dutch corsairs in the capture and plunder of Spanish ships. In 1706 Cremer was appointed a knight of the “ordem de Cristo” for his services by the newly crowned King João V, a great honour and highly unusual for a foreigner not of noble birth. Two years later, Cremer married Lady Catharina Sofia van Zeller, a Portuguese Dutch noble and their fortunes steadly rose during the remainder of the war. After the treaty of Utrech was signed in 1713, Cremer stayed in Portugal acting as a Dutch diplomat and merchant and in 1715 they started construction of their new ancestral manor at Quinta da Conceicao. In 1725, Cremer was appointed by King João V to oversee and revolutionise the production of gunpowder for the Portuguese empire, a vital commodity for the Portuguese navy in defending what was at that time probably the richest empire in Europe. Portuguese gunpowder was in short supply and of inferior quality, so Cremer designed and built several new water powered factories bringing in all the latest technologies from around Europe and by 1729 Cremer who by now held the title ““Intendent of Gunpowder in the Kingdom” and a monopoly to sell gunpowder in Portugal, produced what was regarded by the King as the best gunpowder in Europe.
King João V visited Quinta da Conceição in 1715, and once again in 1727, this time accompanied by his wife Arch Duchess Maria Anna of Austria and their children Donna Barbara (later Queen of Spain), Dom Pedro (Pedro III) and the then 13 year old future King José I, who 25 years later would bestow great favours on Cremer’s widow when he succeeded to the throne. It is recorded that the Royal party was greeted with a nine gun salute and refreshments before setting off for the Palace of Calhariz.
With the huge success of his gunpowder factories Cremer started to construct a larger house in 1733 about 1km to the north west, which is now known as Herdade do Peru. Unfortunately Cremer died in March 1733 so was never able to take up residence there. After his death, control of the factories and the monopoly passed by law to his underage son, however it was his widow Lady Catharina who took over the running of the business with enormous success becoming one of the richest and most powerful women in Portugal. She was so highly regarded by King Jose I, upon the renewal of the gunpowder contract in 1753, she was given the title “inspectress” of gunpowder with the right to inspect all gunpowder facilities in the whole of Portugal including producers of Saltpeter and appoint her own officials to control the entire industry. As such she become much hated by the Dutch and Portuguese merchants who lost out. Of their two sons, the elder Andre perished in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, the younger Maruice’s only daughter died shortly after marrying a Portuguese noble without heir. Thus ended the line of Cremer van Zeller. In the 19th century the Quinta belonged to the Vicount of Lançada and then the de Sousa family.
The coat of arms of Antonius Cremer and his wife Lady Catharina Sofia van Zeller which sits above the fireplace in the Sala includes references to Cremer’s gunpowder heritage on the left side with a stork clutching a cannon ball in one foot. On the right side are the arms of the van Zeller family (three birds and a star).
The manor house which is approximately 800m2 in size is a true gem of baroque architecture with a Dutch inspired bell tower and traditional Portuguese layout and features. It is a wonderful and compact example of a baroque building both inside and outside, being dramatic, imposing, yet beautiful and completely unexpected to find emerging from the forest at the end of a long and winding dirt road. It is a building that can not help but make an impression on you. It is laid out on two floors with the upper floor containing grand rooms with high ceilings and the ground floor with more rustic charm.
By 1941, when the family of the current owners purchased it from the de Sousa family of Quinta das Torres, the house had fallen into disrepair. The new owner, Carlos Ferreira, one of the most prolific entrepreneurs of his day, commissioned the Portuguese architect Antonio Lino to transform the old Palace into more or less how it is laid out to the present day. After falling once more into disrepair and suffering extensive vandalism over the last decades, over the past decade the house and gardens have been slowly brought back once again to their former magnificent selves and now serve as a marvelous historic wedding venue and retreat centre. We hope this new life will see this wonderful place through to its 400th birthday!
