History of the building

This eighteen-century Palace House played a pivotal role in Spanish history. During the Peninsular War (1808–1814), the original building housed the British Embassy, the location of which was crucial in defending Cádiz and delivering supplies to it by sea.

During the war period it was Ambassador Sir Richard Wellesley’s abode, who was the elder brother of Arthur Wellesley, better known as the Duke of Wellington, one of the most prominent military and political figures of the British Empire in the 19th century. It is believed that some of the allied army’s strategies to expel the Napoleonic troops from the Iberian Peninsula were planned behind these walls.

After the end of the war, both the Embassy and the Courts and other government institutions relocated to Madrid. Decades later, in 1851, merchant Benito Cuesta y Blázquez acquired the house from the Trechuelo family and carried out a comprehensive refurbishment, transforming the baroque building into its current Elizabethan style.

The Palace Houses of the time had four floors used for different purposes: storerooms on the ground floor; on top of that, offices for business dealings; the main living quarters were located on the noble floor, which had a loftier ceiling and more opulent décor; and the top floor housed the plainly decorated servants’ quarters.

This house in particular is structured around a high-rise central courtyard covered with a beautiful glass and iron mound. At the bottom of this is the imperial staircase built in 1860, and above it one of the most important lookout towers with a sentry box in the city.

While staying at the Áurea Palacio de Sagasta, you can admire a wide variety of restored architectural features that accentuate the building’s uniqueness. The façade boasts ornate balconies and intricately crafted wooden shutters dating back to the 19th century. Its remarkable white marble entrance, dating from 1738 to 1743, prominently displays the heraldic shield of the Díaz Trechuelo family, the original residents.

Discover the original essence of the building as you step into its typical central courtyard, characteristic of the House-Palaces of the Merchants of the Indies, and let yourself be captivated by the beauty of the main staircase, restored with marble and plasterwork. The glazed skylight of the courtyard illuminates and protects the central space. Significant rehabilitation was necessary to restore it, as years of damage had affected the glass and the structure.

Áurea Palacio de Sagasta offers panoramic views of the city from the octagonal watchtower, rehabilitated to regain its original splendour, thus becoming an emblematic symbol of Cádiz architecture.