João, 1st Count of Carvalhal, bought the estate
200 years ago and built the hunting lodge as a country retreat: this is
now the Casa Velha do Palheiro country-house hotel. He imported exotic
trees and plants from around the world to stock the extensive gardens.
The Folly he built on the estate’s highest point – today part of the
golf course - is now its symbol.
John Burden Blandy acquired the estate in 1885 and it has been the family home since that day.
