Construction of the fort took place during the 1640s, with it becoming integrated into a group of fortifications that formed a defensive belt along the Cascais coast to the north of the River Tagus estuary. Construction was ordered by António Luís de Meneses, governor of Cascais during the post-Restoration era. It was a strategic point north of the Tagus River, and used to watch for ships on the high-seas and protect against disembarkation on Guincho beach. Its cannons intersected with those of the battery of Galé to the south of the beach, the site of which is now covered by a hotel.