The building now functions both as the headquarters of the Municipality of Cascais and, on the ground floor, as a museum that explains the history of the town.

This was a ceramic factory in Lisbon that was founded by the Marquis of Pombal and, between 1767 and 1835, pioneered the manufacture of modern pottery, particularly tableware, in Portugal.

[1][2][3][4] The interior of the building, although much altered, also has some elements from the original structure, namely the entrance patio with vaulted roof and the access staircase and landing to the first floor, which is decorated with tiles from the end of the 18th century.

Archaeological work carried out in 1992 in the area of the main entrance revealed traces of occupation by fishing communities between the 13th and 17th centuries with the land believed to have been used for manufacture and repair of nets.

It includes items from prehistory up to a set of photographs from 1900 that show the first steps in the transformation of a fishing village into an important town.