Brecklenkamp

English translation

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Description

MAIN BUILDING (Huis Brecklenkamp) FORECOURT, WATCH TOWER AND ACCESS BRIDGE.

The house is formed by a main building constructed in red brick on a rectangular ground plan, consisting of a straight main wing with a short wing projecting at right angles to the front on either side. Huis Brecklenkamp was restored in the period 1941-1946 by the architects Feenstra and Broekhuizen (Hengelo). The then owner A. van Heek had considerable influence on the choice of a number of historicising additions. In the years 1991-1994 the house was restored again by J. Kreek (Diepenveen). The architectural and construction history research of the owner, M.A.M. Wanrooy, formed the basis of this restoration.

The house is covered by a hipped roof tiled with red tiles with overhang, the hips of which during the 1941-1946 restoration acquired a slightly spreading slope towards the bottom. It is surrounded by a sandstone plinth and stands on a rectangular forecourt paved with cobblestones and sandstone flags and enclosed by a moat, the retaining walls of which are constructed of large blocks of sandstone. The main wing is articulated by sandstone string courses, which are in the extension of the window sills and which run around the rear facade and eastern halves of the side wings. The string course at the level of the sills of the first-floor windows exhibits a forward-projecting profile. The facade windows and both entrance doors on either side thereof all have flat sandstone reveals (seventeenth-century), above which ground floor level the original semicircular relieving arches and on the first floor the likewise original segmental arches are still present. During the 1941-1946 restoration the house was provided throughout with sandstone cross windows, which according to several photographs from the first half of the twentieth century (coll. RDMZ), were only present on the rear side of the first floor.

The house was built in the period 1631-1637 by the married couple Bentinck-Van der Marck; four ornamental wall anchors in the left side wall form the date 1637. Dating from this period is in any case the upper chamber located on the north side with a beam ceiling, with painted grotesques from the same period. Also the monumental Bentheim sandstone chimney on the north side of the hall in the ground floor of the main wing dates from this time. The sandstone moulding on the chimney breast, on which the Bentinck-Van der Marck arms are carved, may well originate from the (vanished) gatehouse.

In 1654 the house underwent major alterations. The present main wing was then extended in a southerly direction and two side wings running at right angles to the main wing to the moat were realised with a staircase (north wing) and watch tower (on the SW corner of the forecourt). A drawing from 1733 (illustrated in G.J. Ter Kuile, Geschiedkundige Aanteekeningen op de Havezathen van Twenthe, Alemlo 1911, p. 71), shows a completely enclosed rectangular building complex.

The first significant alterations to the house took place after the Zegers family acquired the house with park and estate in 1804.

In 1820 Johan Hendrik Zegers had the complex of north wing and gatehouse in a very dilapidated state and the connection between them demolished, while the south wing acquired its present form. In 1844 the new north wing was built and the present complex came into being.

The front facade consists of a gable section divided into five bays with at ground floor level three sandstone cross windows, (above which semicircular relieving arches) with leaded glass windows in the upper lights and 9-pane windows in the lower lights. The upper lights of the centrally located window still bear the stained glass coat of arms of Bentinck and Van der Marck. Originally all upper lights of the windows of the great hall were provided with stained glass coats of arms (Ter Kuile, op. cit., p.74). On either side of these windows a door surrounded by sandstone mouldings with rectangular 8-pane fanlight with spaakroeden. The door sections are crowned by a sandstone coat of arms: on the left Bentinck and Van der Marck (first half 17th century with frame from the second half of the seventeenth century) and on the right Von Elberfeldt zu Langen (late 18th century). In the panel of the left door the date 1633. On the first floor five sandstone cross windows beneath segmental arches, with glazing bars as ground floor level.

The front facade shows on the left and right of the centre a construction joint, which presumably recalls respectively the staircase and the alteration from 1654.

Centrally in the short front (west) side of the wings is a semicircular double gate door with on the inner jamb of the sandstone door frame a semicircular chamfered stone. The door frames are terminated by a sandstone key stone with lion's head, crowned by the coat of arms (Hendrick)Bentinck-(Sophia) van Moerbecke (left) and (Gerard Adolf) Bentinck-(Lucretia) van Caumont (right). On either side of the gate door a sandstone oculus.

During restoration in 1941-1946 four sandstone cross windows at regular intervals apart were inserted on the first floor in the right gable of the right wing, which until then consisted of a brick wall without windows. At ground floor level a sandstone cross window was also placed on this side on the left bay. On the right side two half cross windows were then inserted. In the left gable of the left wing built in 1844 four half cross windows were placed during 1941-1946 both at ground floor and on the first floor. The seventeenth-century part of this gable had always had 4 windows; they were replaced by the present cross windows in 1941-1946. In this period three roof dormers, still present today, were added to the roof at the rear of the house. At this time the open bell tower with roof covered with red tiles was also (re)constructed. Perhaps a bell tower had been located at this spot since 1787; this date is engraved in the bell. On a fairly poor photograph from around 1900 the lower parts of the outlines of a bell tower are visible. On later photographs (1919) the roof is completely bare (photographs in scrapbook Mr. G.J. Ter Kuile).

The rear facade shows an arch at the height of the boundary between the side wings and main wing. Between them are 5 window bays with sandstone cross windows with respectively ground floor and first floor their original semicircular relieving arches and segmental arches. Barely adjoining the right arch at ground floor and first floor is likewise a cross window.

Around 1654 the present small watch tower was built on the SE corner of the forecourt, which was also restored during the period 1941-1946 and in 1991-1994. The watch tower has a square ground plan and is covered by a roof tiled with red tiles, the hips of which during the 1941-1946 restoration acquired a slightly spreading slope towards the bottom. The tower is half built out into the moat and rests on a base of large blocks of Bentheim sandstone, which blend into the retaining walls of the forecourt. The tower exhibits sandstone corner blocks and sandstone string courses running around at the height of the sills and heads of the windows. To the right of the entrance accessible via a steps on the NE side a half cross window. The remaining sides likewise show a half cross window. Below the steps a door to the lower floor. In the gable sections of the lower floor situated above the moat the original sandstone gun ports have been preserved. The SE gable exhibits a single gun port, the remaining three gables show two gun ports. In 1941-1946 the entrance (NE) side of the present steps with wrought-iron railings was provided.

At this time the bridge situated centrally at the front of the forecourt and on the axis of the layout was also restored and provided with the present wrought-iron railings. The bridge abutments, on which the decking rests, are constructed of blocks of Bentheim sandstone, taper slightly at the ends and project relatively far into the moat. On the forecourt side two rectangular piers on sandstone bases and chamfered stones placed towards each other mark the transition from forecourt to bridge. The piers are crowned by a spherical ornamental piece. Perhaps the bases of the piers and the chamfered stones recall the original gatehouse situated here.

The open bell tower situated centrally on the ridge of the main building with roof covered with red tiles presumably dates originally from 1787: this date is engraved in the bell.