Veemarkthal, Oude Engelenseweg 1

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.

Located to the northwest of the city centre, the CATTLE MARKET HALL, originally known as the 'beef hall', with FORECOURT BUILDING from 1931 and surrounding loose, loading and parking area with tethering posts. The hall and forecourt building form part of what is nowadays known as the "Brabanthallen" complex. The cattle market hall and forecourt building are situated on a plot bounded on the southwest side by a railway line along an arm of the Dieze, on the southeast side by the Oude Engelenseweg, on the northeast side by the Diezekade situated along the Dieze and on the northwest side by the remaining halls of the complex. The location makes the site easily accessible by water, by rail and by road, and limits the nuisance caused by the large number of visitors (with accompanying freight traffic) and the pollution of the site.

In 1929 the decision was made to construct the complex which was officially put into use on 20 May 1931. The complex was designed by P.H. van Kessel of the Municipal Works department. The specification drawings were signed by director J.H. Pereij. The forecourt building is constructed in a style that blends influences from Expressionist Amsterdam School and Traditionalism. The architecture of the cattle market hall testifies, through the primacy of functional considerations (such as internal traffic flows and hygienic requirements), to a design procedure as advocated by the Modern Building Movement.

The supply of livestock increased explosively in the years 1892-1933. As a result, the 's-Hertogenbosch cattle market grew to become the largest in the Netherlands, with the greatest daily supply in the most extensive building complex. For the first time, cattle market halls were set up on such a large scale and at the same time entirely covered and enclosed. The beef hall, now called the Heusden and Altena hall, is nowadays used not only for cattle markets but also for various events. The constantly changing requirements for use resulted in several adjustments and modernisations after the war (especially in 1953).

Description.

The object covers an almost rectangular floor plan and consists of a forecourt building with small forecourt and an adjacent three-aisled hall ('beef hall') with the ridge direction perpendicular to the Oude Engelenseweg.

A. Forecourt building.

The partially cellaraged brick forecourt building covers an almost L-shaped floor plan and consists of various volumes mostly covered with variously coloured, glazed Gothic tiles. Various roof dormers with flat roofs with partly (multiply) coupled windows. At the front a pentagonal, single-storey conservatory extension on which a balcony with balustrade edged with ridge tiles.

At the eaves a recessed, overhanging brick gutter on corbels. Brickwork in Flemish bond, with alternating use of dark brown and yellow brick. Details in natural stone and glazed dark green and blue brick. Distinctive windows (including sash windows and fanlights with casements) with horizontal glazing bars but also, especially on the upper storeys and in the roof dormers, with small glazing bar divisions. Ceramic tile bands. Gable openings partly altered, in particular on the outer north side of the forecourt building.

The public entrance is located in a rectangular tower, approximately 25 metres high to the spire, of six storeys with a copper pitched roof with spire on ball. Semicircular central entrance with natural stone setting and closing pieces. Doors renewed.

Behind the tower a two-storey volume with flat roof and the main entrance to the beef hall, accessible via the tower portal. To the left a two-storey volume (built as dining room with conservatory, toilet, cloakroom) with flat roof and at the front a hipped roof. To the left of that a two-storey volume (with kitchen, buffet at the time) with attic storey under steep gabled roof, perpendicular to the roof of the dining room.

Eaves of the southern roof slope descend to man height. Austere entrance section. Far left a single-storey, five-sided enclosed volume (built as café) with an attic storey under gabled roof with tile on roof ridge end. To the right of the tower a narrower, elongated two-storey volume (ground floor originally for offices, canteen, storage, police, veterinary inspector, veterinarians) with attic storey under a hipped roof of which the gable roof with lower eaves. Entrance under semicircular arch. On the upper storey a balcony running over half the length of the front façade with rounded corner.

Original layout on the upper storey: in and behind the tower several meeting rooms, to the left the living quarters of the café operator, to the right the residence of the market superintendent and a hay loft, later renovated. Of the rich interior, the following are notable: tower portal with three parabolic windows with yellow cathedral glass; steeply angled staircase to the former residence of the café operator with animal heads in the wrought ironwork and terrazzo steps alternated with tile flooring on the landings; glazed double doors with horizontal glazing bars and orange-black-yellow wall tiles in the toilet areas; blue-black wall tiles and the setting of otherwise boarded-up arch ribs in the café, which further contains a large number of interesting geometric and figurative, partly fired stained-glass windows (depictions of livestock) by among others E. van Stiphout.

B. Hall ('beef hall') and adjoining structures.

The walls of the hall are likewise constructed in Flemish bond with yellow and dark brown brick alternating. The beef hall, which is in open connection with the forecourt building, measures 70 x 80 metres and is divided into three spans of 20, 30 and 20 metres wide respectively. Laminated wooden knee arch trusses with tie rods support the covering, internally covered with asbestos cement sheets and externally with rubberoid. Over the entire length of the coverings continuous, austere roof lights with frosted glass. Ventilation caps on the ridges. On either side of the hall a 3.5 metre projecting canopy under which iron tethering posts arranged in rows, partly renewed. The brick side walls comprise thirteen bays, with three windows per bay. In the first, seventh and thirteenth bay large external roll gates through which the livestock entered; on the north side from the waterside and on the south side from the now demolished loading platform. Internal corridor system based on double-row floor plan with lightly sloping stalls for livestock arranged in rows with partly renewed tethering posts and continuous open gutter. Of the interior, the following are further notable: drainage system under the floor for the removal of faeces, cemented clinker floors (most hygienic and animal-friendly) which close at the walls with a tile plinth above which wall covering with light-coloured and black tiles used in combination. Bronze portrait of the former 's-Hertogenbosch mayor Van Lanschot on marble plaque with inscription 'Presented by the municipal council / 11 March 1930' made by artist A. Falise in 1927.

Valuation.

The cattle market hall ('beef hall') with forecourt building and the surrounding loose, loading and parking area with tethering posts are of general interest. The object, formerly part of the largest cattle market halls in the Netherlands, has cultural-historical values as a distinctive expression of the explosively increased livestock trade in the early twentieth century. Furthermore because of its importance for the typological development of large-scale cattle market halls with associated accommodation for people, and as such for the typology of inter alia cafés, restaurants and small offices. Furthermore because of the pioneering character of the object as the first such large-scale entirely covered and enclosed hall complex with associated accommodation. The object has architectural-historical values because of its importance for architectural history on the basis of the combination of stylistic influences employed and for building technology on the basis of the (knee) arch truss constructions that came into common use in the nineteen-twenties. Furthermore because of the aesthetic qualities of in particular the forecourt building and the engineering work in the hall and further because of the distinctive ornamentation and detailing in various elements of the interior and exterior.

The object has situational value and ensemble values because of its location, deliberately chosen at the time outside the centre of 's-Hertogenbosch to limit nuisance. Furthermore because of the historical functional-spatial relationship of the complex with the surrounding supply channels by road, rail and water, as evidenced by the loading wharves then constructed at the Diezekade. Furthermore because of the manner of arrangement of the necessarily very large outdoor area with tethering posts on the south and north sides. Finally as a characterising element of the historical buildings on the Oude Engelenseweg.

The object is of importance because of its well-preserved principal forms and various elements from the fairly rich interior and possesses typological, architectural-historical, building-technical and functional rarity.