Francisco Caldeira Cabral
After the decease of Manoel Cabral‘s father, the properties, including the Quintal do Forno, passed to his great-nephew Francisco Caldeira Cabral (1908-1992).
Alfreda Ferreira da Fonseca (1909-2001) married Francisco in 1936
The couple had their first child, António, in 1937. Two years later, their first daughter Maria do Rosário was born in Berlin, where the family was living.
Francisco, Agronomist from Instituto Superior de Agricultura (ISA) in Lisbon, was finishing his studies at Friedrich Wilhelm University. On his graduation in 1939, he became the first Portuguese Landscape Architect.
Upon his return to Portugal, he became professor at ISA. In 1942 he started the “Open Degree on Landscape Architecture”, considered the basis for the first educational training in the profession in Portugal.
Caldeira Cabral, as he was known, captivated a series of young Agronomy students such us Gonçalo Ribeiro Telles (1922-2020), Álvaro Dentinho (1924-2014), António Viana Barreto (1924-2012) and Ilídio Araújo (1925-2015), among others.
They would become not only the first generation of Portuguese Landscape Architects but important references to Portuguese society for their legacy on urban planning, nature conservation, and environmental policy.
His third child João (1940) was followed by José Maria (1942) and Ana Maria (1943).
From 1942 to 1962, Francisco lectured at ISA, where he started the Centre for Landscape Architectural Studies in 1953.
During that period, and until his last days, he also had his private architectural practice working on public and private projects.
In addition, Francisco kept an active role in Portuguese civil society. He was part of different organisations such as the Liga para a Protecção da Natureza; the Comissão de Proteção da Natureza within the Sociedade Geografia de Lisboa; the Associação dos Antigos Alunos dos Jesuítas.
Meanwhile, the family continued growing with Alice (1945), Francisco (1948) and the twins Pedro (1950) and Maria da Assunção (1950-2020).
From 1957 Francisco started to represent Portugal at the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA). In 1960 he was elected vice-president of IFLA and he was its president from 1962 to 1966.
Francisco received the Prize Fritz Schumacher for Landscape Planning from Hamburg Senate in 1965.
In 1971 he became Doctor honoris causa from Hannover University and in 1980 from the University of Évora.
He was awarded Great Official of the Order of Public Instruction in 1982. Later, in 1989, received the Great Cross of the Order of Prince Henry.
Even after he retired from ISA, in 1975, Francisco maintained considerable international activity. He participated at several conferences and congresses in different countries and collaborated with European and North American universities.
Francisco led many landscape projects at different scales and areas: from public and private spaces to landscape planning.
In his properties at Paços da Serra Francisco Caldeira Cabral restructured and maximised the agricultural practices.
In the late 1940s, he developed the garden nursery Casa do Oitão, which provided plants for his projects.
During the 1970s and ’80s he also worked on improving pastures, owned a flock of sheep and a small cheese factory.
Next to Casa do Oitão, Francisco tested and initiated new agronomic techniques such as sprinkler irrigation.
His last project was with his son João in the garden of the Casa do Oitão. Successfully they trialled the reproduction of native daffodils’ bulbs from Serra da Estrela, a locally threatened wild species.
At 82 years old, Francisco was one of the few people I have ever met full of plans for the future.
Alumni PLA.
Francisco and Alfreda had 9 children and 28 great-children.
Currently, there are over 50 great-great children and a few great-great-great children.
Quintal do Forno in the 20th century
Francisco Caldeira Cabral also left his stamp in the Quintal do Forno.
Francisco transformed part of the orchard into a flower garden. He used a classic design for the sunny boxwood area where he placed a granite stone basin in the centre.
He also added more species to the garden like bearded iris (Iris germanica), Prunus laurocerasus, Deutzeas, or belladonna lilies (Amarylis belladonna).
In the 1970’s Alfreda bought the third and last cottage adjoining the Quintal do Forno, Casa do Balcão.
Under Francisco Caldeira Cabral’s management, the garden was maintained for many and good years. When he passed away in 1992, the Quintal do Forno was in good shape and many of its trees were over a hundred years old.
