The Lines of Torres Vedras, consisting of 152 forts, redoubts and other military works, were built rapidly and in great secrecy, under the overall supervision of Colonel Richard Fletcher who was commander of the Royal Engineers.

After attempting to wait out the enemy, the lack of food and fodder in the area north of the Lines forced the French to retreat northwards, starting on the night of 14/15 November 1810.

Built at an altitude of 345 metres and following an irregular polygonal plan, it was the largest fortification of the Serra da Caduceira and was designed for a garrison of 500 soldiers.

130), both to the north, defended the vulnerable Runa and Ribaldeira river valleys, under the command of Baron Christian Adolph Friedrich von Eben and General Brent Spencer, who was on two occasions Wellington's second-in-command.

[7] The fort underwent some limited restoration at the time of the 200th anniversary celebrations for the Lines of Torres Vedras but little of the original structure remains visible.