D. João Gonçalves Câmara, the fourth count of Calheta, had the palace built in the mid-17^th century as a summer home. It was subsequently purchased and redesigned by the King D. João V in 1726. Around the same time, the monarch also acquired the neighbouring ‘Quinta do Meio’ (currently the Tropical Botanical Garden). On the 3^rd of September 1758 King D. José suffered an attack in the ‘Pátio das Vacas’, an adjacent patio, which was later to be used as pretext in the tragic trial of the Távoras. The suspect interrogations took place here.

In the 19^th century this royal residency was used to host illustrious foreign guests, as was the case with the sons of the King of France. Baroque in its style, the interior of the building is profusely decorated by tile panels dating back to the 17^th and 18^th centuries, which depict hunting, rustic, maritime and military scenes.