In 1848, Dr Bernardino de Castro requested permission to build a series of public bathhouses in Sintra, located directly to the west of the current Volta do Duche. An old villa with a reservoir existed there, which pumped water across town. The establishment was humble, comprising a pair of medium-sized pools and quarters. It was officially shut in 1908 after being inherited by António Pereira. Nicknamed the "Unlucky" for his string of failed businesses, he predictably ran the place to the ground, although the waters of the reservoir were used until 2013. In 1855, construction began for a new railroad connecting Lisbon with Sintra, which was finally inaugurated in 1887. Until then, the two cities were linked exclusively via the so-called "Sintra Road". Volta do Duche was the main artery, connecting the new train station with the town. Once called "National Road No. 88 to Mafra", the name was later changed to Volta do Duche, which literally means "turn of (or return from) the shower", in honour of the public bathhouses.