


	TUCKED AWAY in the Marechal Carmona Park, near the entrance to the new marina and opposite the Santa Marta lighthouse is the Condes de Castro Guimarães Museum, one of two main museums in Cascais. The villa was built in 1900 by Jorge O'Neill, of Royal Irish descent and was known as the Tower of Saint Sebastião. He sold it in 1910 to the Count and Countess Castro de Guimarães who made various changes to the original house, adapting it to their own requirements. The Count and Countess had no heirs and when the Count died in 1927, at the age of 69, he bequeathed the house as well as the contents which included his collection of books, objets d'art, silver and furniture to the Cascais Municipal Council, 'to be used as a museum and public library'. The museum opened in 1930. To the right of the entrance is the chapel of Saint Sebastian, a 17th century chapel lined with tiles depicting the life of the saint. Weddings and baptisms are held here and every Sunday there is an English Mass by the Dominican fathers. In the garden is a statue by Joseph Bernard 'Woman Dancing With Child' (1866). A kiosk in the gardens overlooking the ponds serves light meals and snacks. Tables are put outside on warmer days. The Museum has several rooms on two floors. Portraits in oil of the Count and Countess (1904) by Victor Mateus Corcos greet you in the Yellow Room or Clover Room so called by the Irish clover leaves. Lined with azulejos (tiles), the room also has a portrait of Queen Amélia de Bragança (1905). The coat of arms of the Counts ancestors are painted on the ceiling in the Red Room also known as the Music Room. The Library houses a collection of books mainly on Portuguese history. An important treasure of the museum is the 16th century Chronical of King Afonso Henriques by Duarte Galvão, with an illustration of Lisbon. The dining room has two large 18th century vases bearing the Sobral family coat of arms. Display cases in the study hold Sevres pieces, glassware and fans from the 18th and 19th century. Displayed on the bedroom walls are rugs from the orient. The former Dressing Room, now the José de Figueiredo Room, has exhibits of Engish engravings. The Cabinets Room contains heavy wooden cabinets of Indo-Portuguese style from the 17th century. Classical music concerts are held here throughout the year. Visits to the Museum are by guides. Open Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm. ******************** The Museum of the Sea - Rei D. Carlos in Cascais was innaugurated in June 1992. The museum is a study of mammals and artifacts, some still found in the surrounding waters. Exhibits are displayed in small galleries. Models of mammals are grouped together showing porcupine fish, white skate, various types of sharks including the seven gilled, Atlantic Bluefin Tuna, sperm and the pigmy sperm whale. The connection between town and sea is shown with models of fisherman with their clothes, nets, and fisherwives with costumes, aprons and slippers and shoes, some used in the traditional processions relating to fishing. In another gallery some navigational instruments including compasses, lanterns, a bronze gun - cast at Florence dating to the seventeenth century collected at Cascais are displayed. Cannon balls, also from the seventeenth century, were found in Carcavelos and silver coins dating to the eighteenth century in the São Julião da Barra and Troia waters. An interesting collection of eighteenth to nineteenth century ceramics, mainly vases and jars, with the name George Rex were found in a Dutch ship sunk off Luanda, Angola. Up a short flight of stairs is a boat gallery housing models of fishing boats and pleasure crafts that once sailed the Tagus. A curious find is the picnic hamper with kettle and burner dating to the nineteenth century. Below are exhibits of old cannons from the Tejo and Sado estuaries and Roman vases. The latter were used to transport fish paste to provincial towns from the Sado estuary. An audio-visual room which seats about forty people is to the right side of the entrance. Videos are shown throughout the day. Open Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm. January 2002