Fountain, Tanks and Water Tunnel
The Cadaval County has a rich heritage related to fountains, Mines and washhouses.
From the vast patrimony of the Cadaval Municipality referring to fountains, Mines and washhouses we highlight the following:
Fonte do Cadaval, Tanques e Mina
This fountain, with high back wall, municipal coat of arms, which is accessed by staircase, has two water taps and a door to a water tunnel on the right side. At the front, a hemicycle enclosure with benches, in the interior there’s a water tunnel with tank and behind the wall there is a dome and brick arch which shows that in the beginning the fountain used to be opened. It was modified in the 60’s and the coat of arms was added.
At the Largo da Fonte, there are the water tunnel and tank as well as a washhouse. The water tunnel has an arched narrow entrance that is part of a stonewall. In front, a large tank with stone slab edges and above the tunnel entrance, an engraved plate with “CMC” 1987. Also known as “chafariz da fonte”, spring fountain, and “bebedouro”, drinking fountain, as the later was used for watering animals. In front, the rectangular washhouse tanks, still used today by the local population, are surrounded by walls and are lower than the street level.
Chafariz D. Maria
The Chafariz D. Maria is a fountain that was ordered to be built by queen D. Maria I in the end of the 18th century, with a triangular front topped by stone slabs, a stone spout on the left and a frontal rectangular tank with stone slab borders. In the centre there is a royal shield and a stone plate with the inscription that can be translated to “Our
Lady, Her Augustness Majesty Queen D. Maria I, has ordered it built, being the inspector of Lisbon’s yard an public roads His Excellency Count of Valladares III, in the year of 1788”.
In the back of the Chafariz there is a covered public washhouse with numerous tanks inside.
The Chafariz is located on the old royal road that connected Lisbon to Caldas da Rainha. This road was built in the reign of Queen D. Maria, and was travelled for many years by the stagecoach mail service that ran between Lisbon and Coimbra and the Fountain was certainly destined to supply water, not only to the diligence officials and their passengers, but also to the animals.
Fonte e Lavadouro (Barreiras)
This fountain has a wall topped by a triangular gable, a door at the centre of the wall, a spout underneath and a sink at the ground level. In front there’s a well that once had a steering pump. Inside there’s a mine that was carved in the rock.
The covered washhouse that is beside the fountain is composed by six stone tanks that were built in the 1960’s.
Lavadouros (Peral)
This village was, in the 14th century, a town and parish headquarters.
Located in a plain, between hills, it’s rare to find a property without natural spring well. The village has, as its main attraction, the Church and the architecture of the various estates, all of them private property, that date from the 19th century.
In this village, the wine and rocha pear abound, both of great quality, thanks to the favourable microclimate and natural conditions such as the water, and the vast hydraulic patrimony that exists throughout the village. Therefore, northeast of the village, we have a series that is composed by a fountain, tank and washhouse that are covered with a walled outline.
Chafariz (Figueiros)
Figueiros was once a parish of larger dimensions, being one of the oldest in the Municipality. It came to be the parsonage for presenting the priest of Santiago da Vila de Óbidos. Belonged to the old Municipality of Alcoentre until its extinction on the 24th of October of 1855, when it became part of the Municipality of Cadaval. It was annexed by decree on the 26th of September of 1895 to the Municipality of Rio Maior as Cadaval’s Municipality was extinguished. It became once more part of the Municipality of Cadaval once it was restored on the 13th of January of 1898. The villages of Painho and Alguber used to be part of this parish, although they are parishes themselves nowadays.
In the village of Figueiros the hydraulic patrimony is notable. In the central point of the village, Largo do Chafariz, you can find a fountain made of stone. In front of it, on the other side of the street, there is a covered washhouse comprising various tanks.
Contacts
Junta de Freguesia de Lamas e Cercal
E.N. 115-1 nº 27
2550-362 Chão de Sapo
Telef.: 262695421 / 263486750
Fax: 262691539 / 263486750
E-mail: geral@jflamasecercal.pt
Website: http://www.jf-lamas.pt