Beckford's Waterfall

Sintra, Lisbon Region, Portugal

About Beckford’s Waterfall

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Beckford’s Waterfall is really a pair of attractive man-made or man-modified waterfalls within the Park and Palace of Monserrate.

This is a fairly popular historical site a bit further to the west of the well-touristed attractions in and around the town center of Sintra.

Monserrate_122_06022024 - The main drop of the Beckford's Waterfall within the Park and Palace of Monserrate
The main drop of the Beckford’s Waterfall within the Park and Palace of Monserrate

The pair of waterfalls focused upon on this page are situated within the garden area on the way to the Palace of Monserrate after getting through the admissions area of the complex.

The falls are man-made features because they drain a man-made pond situated in between the spillover parking area and the main parking area (see directions below).

By the way, this stream also harbored another waterfall situated right before the main car park and main entrance to the Monserrate complex.

Even though I’m generally not a fan of man-made or man-modified waterfalls, I think the history and scenic allure of the grounds comprising the Park and Palace of Monserrate were enough to have a page about this place.

A Brief History of Monserrate

Monserrate_005_06022024 - A waterfall draining from a pond by the spillover parking area to the main parking area fronting the Park and Palace of Monserrate
A waterfall draining from a pond by the spillover parking area to the main parking area fronting the Park and Palace of Monserrate

The waterfalls are merely a backdrop to the main attraction of the Palace of Monserrate, which is a Moorish-style retreat that saw its beginnings in 1540 and eventually became part of the Parques de Sintra in 2000.

Friar Gaspar Preto ordered the construction of the hermitage to dedicate it to Our Lady of Monserrate after having been inspired by the monastery of Montserrat across the Iberian Peninsula near Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.

However, the current form of the property exhibiting a style of Romanticism was brought about when a British trader named Gerard of Visme ordered the construction of the current form of the palace after the devastation from the Lisbon Earthquake in 1755.

When British writer William Beckford became the tenant of Monserrate in 1794, he commissioned works on the building and its gardens during his years here.

Monserrate_113_06022024 - Approaching the Palace of Monserrate
Approaching the Palace of Monserrate

His efforts attracted foreign visitors, which included Lord Byron, a poet who publicized Monserrate in a poem called “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage”.

In 1863, a British trader and art collector named Francis Cook took over the Estate of Monserrate, and during his time, he commissioned the construction of the palace that became the centerpiece of this complex.

Inspired by a combination of Gothic, Indian, and Moorish aspects of his travels, both the palace and the gardens pretty much took on the shape that we were able to witness upon our visit.

Indeed, the palace itself really reminded me of a smaller version of the Real Alcázar de Sevilla as well as the Palace of Nazaries in the Alhambra in Granada (both Moorish sites in Southern Spain).

Our Visit of Monserrate

Monserrate_003_06022024 - The pond next to the spillover parking area for the Park and Palace of Monserrate
The pond next to the spillover parking area for the Park and Palace of Monserrate

After getting through the admission and ticket check area, we pretty much followed one of several paths that explored the extensive garden area (featuring church ruins, ponds, and lots of forest).

However, the Beckford’s Waterfall was a mere 150m from the entrance though it only got to the top of the falls, which was gated off and closed during our visit so we didn’t have any shots from up there.

Continuing another 150m downhill then veering to the right, we then found ourselves in front of the attractive main upper drop of the falls seen across the pond and plunge pool named Lake Hippocrene.

Just a few paces further downstream of Lake Hippocrene, we noticed a smaller rock-walled lower waterfall draining this pond, and after continuing another 200m further downhill past more ponds, gardens, and a detour to a cafe, we got to the palace.

Monserrate_059_jx_06022024 - The Moorish-influenced interior of the Palace of Monserrate
The Moorish-influenced interior of the Palace of Monserrate

The palace itself was compact, but it had enough rooms that were photogenic enough to compel us to try to be patient with other visitors, especially on the ground floor, which featured a corridor-lined Moorish atrium.

Overall, we spent about 90 minutes away from the car though we really took our time here to cover the minimum 1km or so distance that we walked.

We easily could have spent even more time here as we didn’t even fully explore the garden complex that included the Ornamental Lakes, the Japanese Garden, the Rose Garden, and the Mexican Garden.

In any case, we visited the Palace of Monserrate before settling in on the Sintra Centro knowing that this place was a bit out-of-the-way compared to the other signature Sintra sights within walking distance or a short taxi ride.

Monserrate_025_06022024 - Some church ruins within the Park and Palace of Monserrate complex
Some church ruins within the Park and Palace of Monserrate complex

Indeed, these Sintra sites included the likes of the whimsical Pena Palace, the Great Wall of China-like Moorish Castle, the National Museum of Sintra, and the gothic Quinta da Regaleira among others.

Authorities

Beckford’s Waterfall is within the Park and Palace of Monserrate near Sintra in the Lisbon Region of Portugal. It is administered by Parques de Sintra. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, you can try visiting the Parques de Sintra website.

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Tagged with: sintra, montserrate, cascais, lisbon region, portugal, artificial waterfall



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Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
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