Alfândega Velha (Old Customs House)

The Alfândega Velha, or Old Customs House, stands on Rua da Alfândega in Funchal Old Town, on the island of Madeira in Portugal, close to the waterfront and the municipal square. It was built in the early 16th century, during the reign of King Manuel I, to collect duties on goods passing through Funchal's port. In that period Madeira was a leading producer of sugar and later wine, and cargoes left for Lisbon, Flanders, England and the wider Atlantic world, so the customs house stood at the centre of the island's economy. The building is one of the most important examples of civil Manueline architecture in the Atlantic islands. Its decoration includes Manueline window frames and stonework in the style of the period, with ropes, armillary spheres and other maritime motifs that echo the age of discovery. Over the centuries it was altered and extended, and the Old Customs House later changed function as trade patterns shifted. In the 20th century it was adapted as the headquarters of Madeira's parliament, and it houses the Regional Legislative Assembly, the elected body of the Autonomous Region of Madeira. A large modern extension has been added to meet the needs of the assembly. As a working institution, the building is not open as a museum, and the interior is usually seen only on special occasions or heritage open days. Visitors can admire the facade and the Manueline details from the street at any time and at no cost. The building lies a short walk from the Sé Cathedral, the Mercado dos Lavradores and the Zona Velha, which makes it easy to include in a walk through the early historic core. A pause at the facade typically takes 10 to 15 minutes, though it combines well with a longer circuit of sixteenth-century Funchal. The Old Customs House is a reminder of how royal power regulated trade across the Portuguese empire.