Meertensheim

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed, in Dutch. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

Description

Introduction

LANDHOUSE "Meertensheim" from 1879 in Neo-Renaissance style and elements of Neo-Gothic with associated fence-work at the street. Former residence with atelier of the Breda architect and church builder J.J. van Langelaar according to his own design. The landhhouse is situated in the middle of a park-like garden with the front or south façade on the Haagweg. When divided in 1953 into two houses an extension was added at the rear with among other things a separate laundry room and garage. This extension falls outside the protection.

Description

The two-storey house has an L-shaped ground plan with mutually perpendicular gabled roofs between spout gables. The extension under a flat roof is partly single- and two-storey. In the angle at the front a three-storey square stair-tower under a steep hipped roof with overhang. The composition of the façades and tower gives the whole an asymmetrical, picturesque appearance. In the various roofs, which are covered with natural stone slate, roof lights with wooden shutters under a steep small gabled roof with overhang crowned by a lead finial. At the street a monumental main entrance under an attached round-arch porch with cross-rib vault supported by two small columns standing on a platform with a frontal staircase with on the side a small balustrade. The platform has tilework in which French fleurs-de-lis and bird figures are worked. In the right side façade and above the porch in the front façade a wooden balcony.

The house is built of red hand-formed brick laid in bond alternated by natural stone and stucco decoration work, among other things for setting-out and closing stones around windows and doors, porch and basement. Ornamental brickwork in geometric motifs of multicoloured brick in blind windows of the gable ends, arch drums and basement. The three-bay wide monumental front façade has a recessed panel over two storeys with in the overlying spout gable covered by natural stone a double hoist door. The wall openings of the house have a blind arch. They are moreover trimmed with moulded stones. The tower has a herringbone frieze. Under the gutters of the house a row of dentils. Rich application of ironwork among other things for the tackle iron, wall anchors, tower crown and roof cresting.

Of the interior particularly the hall, corridor, stairwell are of importance with multicoloured tilework and in both living rooms fine stucco work with ornaments in ceilings and walls.

The boundary fence at the street consists of a brick parapet wall provided with wrought-iron fence-work.

In the garden various trees from the time of construction among other things a linden, two copper beeches and a ginkgo.

Valuation

The landhhouse and the surrounding garden are of general interest. The whole has cultural-historical values: it is of importance as an example of a nineteenth-century urban development formed by the construction of landhouses in a green setting surrounding a city well accessible via rail. The object has architectural-historical values: it is of importance because of the mixture of style motifs and the asymmetrical, picturesque composition; it is of particular importance for the oeuvre of the Breda architect and Cuypers pupil J.J. van Langelaar; it is of importance because of the aesthetic qualities of the design. Rarity: the object is of importance as a rare and relatively early example of a landhhouse in a picturesque mixture of Neo-styles.