hideout

Hideout hut Lippengoed Bulskampveld.
Lambert Malfait was the first lord of the Bulskampveld. Around 1800 he had his farm converted into a castle. On his death in 1803 his son-in-law Eulisée Bulteau inherited the Lambertsgoed. This Bulteau was a 'workmanlike' who had fled from France. At his death in 1834, four heirs presented themselves. In 1838 the domain was sold to Count Ferdinand de Meeus, director of the National Bank of Belgium. The Bulskampveld remained in the hands of the de Meeus family for the rest of the 19th century. For F. de Meeus, who had his permanent residence in Brussels, the Bulskampveld was just a summer retreat. His son, Count Henri de Meeus, showed more interest in the domain. He took over the agricultural operation and in 1880 started an important drilling project. His original intention was to find coal, but when the drill hit hard rock at a depth of 337 m, the project was abandoned. The well was finally put into use as an artesian well. Around 1887 a new castle was built in the Bulskampveld. The extensive construction work took five years to complete. In 1904, Count H. de Meeus sold the entire property to Mr. Auguste Philippe Lippens 't Serstevens, who died on 18 September 1904. His widow, Mrs. Lippens 't Serstevens, later assisted by her son Raymond, transformed the domain into a country estate with allure. Raymond Lippens married Baroness de Béthune. This new castle resident was a true botanical lover, whose hand we recognize in the planting of bulbous plants and perennials around the castle. Their son
Philippe Lippens (1910-1989) was the last resident of the castle. In addition to managing various companies, he also gained fame as a war pilot and archaeologist. In 1970 he sold the Lippensgoed-Bulskampveld to the province of West Flanders.

The current castle is the second to be built in the Bulskampveld. The Liège architect Clément Léonard drew the plans for this neo-Gothic country estate. From 1887 to 1892, about 80 men worked day in and day out on the new castle and outbuildings. Count H. de Meeus, as client, financed the prestigious project. The new castle shows little castle allure. It is an extensive country house in a sober, neo-Gothic style. Simultaneously with the construction of the castle, a new coach house was built, as well as stables for horses and cows. On the side of the vegetable garden, now a herb garden, we notice that parts from older buildings were used: a piece of fieldstone wall was preserved. A water tower was constructed on the corner of the coach house. On top of this tower was a mill that pumped the water from the artesian well. A clock-like instrument on the tower indicated the height of the water supply.

When the Lippens family bought the domain in 1904, she did not sit idle. E. Galopin, a Brussels native, was hired as a landscape architect to design the castle park. The implementation of the landscape plan included the complete redevelopment of the space in front of and next to the castle as well as the construction of a triple access avenue, 'the new gravee', from the Aanwijs to the castle. The open spaces around the castle were rearranged: the pond of approximately 1 ha was excavated in the shape of a swan and the necessary level differences were created on the site. A park, in English landscape style, broke through the pattern of the rectilinear lanes. The planting plan envisaged an open space with whimsical edges. Groups of trees and shrubs were planted in this space. Several views from the castle were saved. The edge plantings consisted of a rich range of tree species and cultivated varieties that conjured up a varied color palette. Beautiful were the group of tulip trees (Liriodendron tulipifera) against the pond. A lane was also constructed at the back of the castle farm with this tree species. The shrubbery, mainly composed of azaleas and rhododendrons, brightened up the whole during the spring.
The extensive park construction was completed in a minimum of time. The Lippens family carried out other large-scale plans. Within the domain, several large
farms were built and their exploitation was entrusted to tenant farmers. Both the castle farm and the two other farms, which are located in the provincial domain, date from that period.

Willem Vandenameele