Castle farm

Oostendestraat no. 87. Located at the back, castle farm, rebuilt in the 1920s under the direction of architect H. Steels (Brussels) and Richard Acke (Kortrijk). Situated in a low meadow, marking the Sint-Annakapel at the estate access. Returning to a minimal 17th-century farm according to archival data from the years 1640-1650 concerning a "behuuste hofste with 't huus van Playsance and other buildings standing there." The farm is indicated on the Ferraris map (1770-1778) with a moated L-shaped (house?) volume, marked as "Beerst Casteel." In 1807, the sale of the farm, supposedly "le petit château," to Johannes Antonius Verwilghen from Diksmuide (this family is still the owner today). The Primitive Parcel Plan (circa 1835) and the Atlas of Neighborhood Roads (circa 1843, marked as "kasteelken") clearly indicate the structure of a moated upper courtyard with a farmhouse and an unmoated lower courtyard with utility buildings. In the archive of the service for devastated regions (file about the reconstruction of the farm), there is a photo of the pre-war farm. The pre-war volume of the farmhouse can be characterized as a possibly whitewashed volume (photo quite unclear) on an L-shaped floor plan and with varying ridge heights, for example, of the upper rooms. Behind the moated farmhouse, a simple barn or shed volume under a gabled roof. During World War I, the farm is completely destroyed. In the reconstruction period (at the latest in 1928), the farmhouse is more or less historically reconstructed, maintaining the moat. The intention for historical reconstruction is also evidenced by the measurement plan of the "still existing window frames." However, the barn is rebuilt in a non-historical manner (at the latest in 1928), in a regionalist form language typical of the reconstruction. Farmhouse according to the pre-war model, cf. a comparison between the pre-war volume (photo), the reconstruction plans, and the realized volume. Preserved moat surrounded by, among others, pollarded poplars and weeping willows, to the west with an open side towards the barn. Partly preserved sidewalks of bricks on their side. To the south, a wide arch bridge (made of natural stone) with a central access gate with wide slanted buttresses under a small slate gable roof (not completely built according to plan). Yellow brick volume on an L-shaped floor plan, presumably partly with recovered bricks (cf. fairly large size) and partly on a natural stone base, under slate gabled roofs with varying ridge heights (cf. upper rooms). To the south, a 'low house' with an entrance (cf. bridge and access gate), adjacent to a 'high house' with in the side facade a recovered date stone "1702." Attached to this volume to the north is a lower utility volume (kitchen, cooking, and baking area according to the reconstruction plan) with roof windows. Very careful brickwork cf. the finishing of the gable facades and the rectangular wall openings recessed in segmental arches, basket arches, and profiled Tudor arches. The latter mentioned on the south side of 'low house' (with entrance) and 'high house': portal with preserved hardware and door nail, right flanked by a higher placed cross window, right in the upper room the same window. Furthermore, wooden framed windows: among others, cross frames with lattice-covered lower sections, in the non-renewed parts with preserved small division, also bow windows. Interior: spaces of cooking and baking areas (preserved baking oven) and the kitchen, preserved interior joinery; in the latter mentioned space, a fireplace with a mantel beam inscribed "EIGEN HAARD GOUD WAARD", flanked by a wall cupboard, a quite heavy elaborated staircase with the same handrail, access to the basement fenced off with a wooden wall with a three-part window with stained glass. Entrance with assembled beam layers, intermediate beam with heavy beam foot with plant motif, flooring of red Boomse tiles. Wide fireplace with brick fireplace sides and filling of the fireplace mouth with Boomse brick. Wide mantel beam with circular motifs. Steps to the upper room. Cellars with brick vaults. Chapel of 1930 dedicated to Saint Mother Anna, cf. the engraved inscription "19HMA30" above the door. Yellow brick chapel on a natural stone base under a steep slate gable roof with gable ends. Pointed gable with natural stone starting blocks and a similar top stone with a cross braced by slanting buttresses. Careful woodwork with long wrought iron hinges. Barn from the 1920s in a regionalist reconstruction style. Spacious cross barn under a hipped gable roof, characteristic (corner) buttresses, roof overhang on elaborated corbels. To the right, a curved barn door, to the left an incorporated stable with loading windows, among others. KADASTERARCHIEF WEST-VLAANDEREN TE BRUGGE, Primitive Parcel Plan. KADASTERARCHIEF WEST-VLAANDEREN TE BRUGGE, Cadastral Register 212, article numbers 55 and 416. KADASTERARCHIEF WEST-VLAANDEREN TE BRUGGE, 207: Mutation sketches, Beerst, 1924-1928/26 and state 223. NOTEBAERT A., NEUMANN CH., et al., Inventory of the archive of the Service of Devastated Regions, General State Archive, Brussels, 1986. no. 6571 regarding the reconstruction of the farm. Where one goes along Diksmuide roads, one encounters a small chapel, s.d., s.l.

Onroerend Erfgoed Vlaanderen