Factory House

British Factory House (Feitoria Inglesa)
British Association Factory House
Factory House (Feitoria)
The front façade of the Feitoria Inglesa along the Avenida Infante D. Henrique, showing the traditional Neo-Palladian designs characteristic of the Neoclassical era
Official name: Feitoria Inglesa
Name origin: Portuguese for factor
Country	Portugal
Region	Norte
Subregion	Grande Porto
District	Porto
Municipality	Porto
Location	Sé
- elevation	11 m (36 ft)
- coordinates	41°08′29″N 8°36′49″W / 41.14139°N 8.61361°W / 41.14139; -8.61361Coordinates: 41°08′29″N 8°36′49″W / 41.14139°N 8.61361°W / 41.14139; -8.61361
Architects	John Whitehead (1726-1802), Manuel Moreira da Silva
Styles	Neoclassical, Palladian
Origin	1727
- Initiated	1785
- Completion	1790
Owner	British Association
For public	Private
Visitation	Closed
Easiest access	Rua do Infante Dom Henrique, Rua de São João
Management	Instituto Gestão do Patrimonio Arquitectónico e Arqueológico
Operator	British Association
Status	Uncategorized
Listing	Included in the Historic Center of the City of Porto (PT011312140163) and Historic Zone of the City of Porto (PT011312070086)
Website: http://www.portopatrimoniomundial.com/feitoria-inglesa.html

The British Factory House (Portuguese: Feitoria Inglesa), also known as the British Association House) is an 18th-century Neo-Palladian building located in the northern Portuguese centre of Porto, associated with the influence of Britain in the Porto Wine industry. This building is part of a group of buildings and infrastructures that mark the British presence in the city of Porto, that include the Oporto Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club (founded 1855) and the Oporto British School (1894).

The building reflects the 600-year Anglo-Portuguese Alliance, and the importance of the city’s British community and its prominent role in the Port trade. The oldest British Factory in north of Portugal, the building dates to the 16th century, when the association was established in Viana do Castelo.

The charter for the first Porto Factory House dates to 1727, where it was located along the Rua Nova dos Ingleses. With the construction of the building occurring between 1785 and 1790, the Club moved to its present location, by the Oporto docks.

The Factory House is one of the last remaining that existed throughout the British, Portuguese and Dutch empires. The building’s construction was entirely financed from annual contributions made by British Port merchants that were based in the city. The purpose of the 17th-18th century factories (chiefly in trading seaports) was to provide a meeting place for foreign merchants, known as factors, to conduct their business and to defend their interests. Conceived as a meeting place for British shippers to discuss business, the house became a private club for the British where they colluded to consolidate their monopoly over the manufacture and export of Port wine.

In 1806, the Portuguese government granted the land upon which the Factory House is built to the British consulate in perpetuity "....from this day and forever." With their frequent meetings, the British shippers were able collude together on pricing and strengthened their monopoly over the Port wine trade. All business was conducted in absolute secrecy from the Portuguese.