Inside Portugal’s 19th-century goat tower, where dwarf goats climb a spiral ramp

19th-ce tu y
goat
towe
PC:
Wikipedia

At
Qui ta
da
Aveleda,
a
histo ic
wi e
estate
i
Po tugal’s
Vi ho
Ve de
egio
ea
Pe afiel,
a
th ee-sto ey
sto e
towe
sta ds
amo g
the
p ope ty’s
oma tic
ga de s,
built
ot
fo
people
but
fo
goats.
K ow
as
the
To e
das
Cab as,
o
Towe
of
the
Goats,
it
was
co st ucted
i
the
late
19th
ce tu y
by
Fe a do
Guedes
da
Silva
da
Fo seca,
a
membe
of
the
family
that
has
ow ed
the
estate
si ce
the
17th
ce tu y.
Rathe
tha
leavi g
the
estate’s
dwa f
goats
to
g aze
o
flat
g ou d,
the
family
built
them
a
mi iatu e
mou tai
i stead,
complete
with
a
woode
amp
spi alli g
a ou d
the
outside
so
the
a imals
could
climb
f om
the
g ou d
floo
to
the
top.

Why
the
Aveleda
family
built
thei
goats
a
towe
i stead
of
a
field

Qui ta
da
Aveleda
was
fou ded
as
a
wi e-p oduci g
estate
i
1870
by
Ma oel
Ped o
Guedes,
though
the
family’s
co ectio
to
the
p ope ty
st etches
back
to
the
17th
ce tu y.
Acco di g
to
accou ts
of
the
estate’s
histo y
published
by
the
family,
the
To e
das
Cab as
was
co ceived
as
a
ode
to
atu e
a d
to
ea lie
ge e atio s
of
the
Aveleda
family,
a
th ee-sto ey
st uctu e
built
specifically
to
house
dwa f
goats
withi
the
estate’s
ga de s.

I
Po tuguese
folk
t aditio ,
the
goat
is
associated
with
fe tility
a d
abu da ce,
a d
the
family
has
desc ibed
the
a imal
as
embodyi g
the
idea
of
la d
that
has
always
bee
able
to
p oduce
its
fi est
f uit.The
towe
belo gs
to
a
b oade
catego y
of
st uctu e
k ow
as
a
folly,
a
o ame tal
buildi g
co st ucted
with
o
st ictly
p actical
pu pose
beyo d
aesthetic
o
symbolic
value,
a
t aditio
especially
popula
i
Eu opea
ga de
desig
th ough
the
18th
a d
19th
ce tu ies.
Aveleda’s
ga de s
co tai
seve al
such
follies
scatte ed
th oughout
the
p ope ty,
i cludi g
a
Victo ia -style
tea
house
a d
a
16th-ce tu y
Ma ueli e
wi dow
elocated
to
the
g ou ds,
but
the
goat
towe
has
become
by
fa
the
most
ecog isable.

How
the
towe ‘s
desig
actually
wo ks
fo
the
goats
livi g
i
it

The
To e
das
Cab as
sta ds
th ee
sto eys
tall,
built
f om
sto e
with
a
woode
amp
that
spi als
a ou d
the
towe ‘s
exte io ,
allowi g
the
goats
housed
i side
to
move
f eely
betwee
floo s
u de
thei
ow
powe .
This
desig
lets
the
estate’s
ow e s
give
thei
goats
somethi g
close
to
the
va ied,
elevated
te ai
the
a imals
would
atu ally
seek
out
i
the
wild,
athe
tha
co fi i g
them
to
the
flat
ga de s
su ou di g
the
towe .The
towe
co ti ues
to
se ve
this
same
fu ctio
today.
Small
dwa f
goats
still
live
i
a d
a ou d
the
st uctu e,
a d
visito s
tou i g
Aveleda’s
ga de s
egula ly
e cou te
them
maki g
thei
way
up
a d
dow
the
spi al
amp,
much
as
they
have
fo
well
ove
a
ce tu y.

How
o e
family’s
ga de
folly
i spi ed
goat
towe s
a ou d
the
wo ld

Fo
decades,
Aveleda’s
towe
emai ed
a
la gely
local
cu iosity,
admi ed
mai ly
by
visito s
to
the
estate
itself.
That
cha ged
afte
a
membe
of
the
Guedes
family,
t avelli g
ab oad,
e cou te ed
a
seco d
goat
towe
e ti ely
by
cha ce
at
Fai view
Wi e
a d
Cheese
i
South
Af ica,
u awa e
at
the
time
that
a y
co ectio
existed
betwee
the
two.
Fai view’s
ow e s
had
i
fact
built
thei
ow
towe
i
1981
afte
the
ow e ‘s
so
visited
Aveleda
a d
saw
the
o igi al
To e
das
Cab as
fi stha d,
ca yi g
the
idea
back
to
South
Af ica
with
him.Fai view’s
ve sio ,
built
f om
b ick
with
a
steeply
sloped
metal
oof,
we t
o
to
house
a
he d
of
hu d eds
of
Saa e
milk
goats
a d
became
a
defi i g
featu e
of
the
wi e y’s
b a d,
d awi g
co side ably
wide
i te atio al
atte tio
tha
Aveleda’s
o igi al
st uctu e
eve
had
o
its
ow .
That
e ewed
visibility
helped
spa k
a
small
wave
of
simila
towe s
built
elsewhe e
ove
the
followi g
decades,
i cludi g
examples
i
No way,
A ge ti a
a d
the
U ited
States,
amo g
them
the
Towe
of
Baaa
i
Fi dlay,
Illi ois,
built
i
1998
a d
ow
ecog ised
as
the
tallest
goat
towe
of
its
ki d.

Why
the
towe
emai s
o e
of
Aveleda’s
most
disti ctive
featu es
today

Mo e
tha
a
ce tu y
afte
it
was
fi st
built,
the
To e
das
Cab as
co ti ues
to
sta d
as
o e
of
the
most
photog aphed
a d
talked
about
featu es
withi
Aveleda’s
oughly
eight-hecta e
histo ic
ga de ,
itself
fo mally
classified
as
a
Ja dim
Histó ico,
o
Histo ic
Ga de ,
by
the
Po tuguese
Associatio
of
Histo ic
Ga de s.
Set
amo g
sequoias,
Japa ese
ceda s
a d
othe
a e
pla ti gs
collected
by
successive
ge e atio s
of
the
Guedes
family,
the
goat
towe
emai s
a
ge ui ely
fu ctio al
piece
of
a imal
housi g
athe
tha
a
pu ely
deco ative
elic,
still
home
to
live
goats
climbi g
the
same
spi al
amp
thei
p edecesso s
used
ge e atio s
ea lie .What
bega
as
o e
family’s
u usual
solutio
to
housi g
thei
goats
has
si ce
become,
almost
by
accide t,
a
i te atio ally
ecog ised
a chitectu al
cu iosity,
copied
by
wi emake s
a d
fa me s
o
at
least
fou
co ti e ts,
each
buildi g
thei
ow
ve sio
of
a
mou tai
fo
a imals
that,
as
the
Guedes
family
appa e tly
o ce
decided,
simply
did
ot
belo g
o
flat
g ou d.

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