Fort of São João do Arade
The Fort of São João do Arade (Forte de São João do Arade) in Ferragudo lies on the other side of the River Arade from the Fort of Santa Catarina on the Portimão side.
Both fortresses were constructed to protect the mouth of the River Arade and incursions by pirates further inland to Silves.
History
The Forte de São João do Arade seems to have been the earlier of the two forts with references to a watch tower built in the 15th century during the reign of King John II of Portugal.
It seems that as architect Alexandre Massai was building the Fort of Santa Catarina on the other side of the river, the Forte de São João do Arade was also strengthened.
In 1640 the castle was improved again during the reign of King John IV, the monarch who "restored" Portuguese sovereignty from the Spanish.
The 1755 Lisbon Earthquake caused surprisingly little damage to the structure.
However, by the end of the 19th century the fort was abandoned and was sold at private auction in 1896.
The writer Joaquim José Coelho de Carvalho (1855-1934) acquired the property and did much to restore it as a summer house. He was to die in the castle.
Architecture
The castle is in a trapezoid shape perched on top of a hill made of softish rock which seems to have mitigated the effects of the 1755 Earthquake.
Access
From Portimão there are EVA buses running from 6.45 am-7.40 pm approximately every hour. The journey takes 10 minutes and the buses stop near Praça Rainha Dona Leonor.
eva-bus.com
Many visitors come for the day or just for lunch from Praia da Rocha on the frequent small ferries from the marina.
Hours: Privately owned so closed to visitors.
Nearby
The fort divides the two beaches of Praia Grande and Praia da Angrinha. The Igreja da Nossa Senhora da Conceição sits on another hilltop in Ferragdo.
Accommodation in Ferragudo is mainly rental homes, villas and apartments. There are no large scale hotels. Some recommended places to stay are: Vila Castelo Parque, Vitor's Village, Hotel Casabela and Casa Rei das Praias.