Fort, vesting en -onderdelen, Fort Uitermeer Weesp (Amsterdam 27)

English translation

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Description

Cluster 4. Remains of a bomb-proof gun shed.

NEW HOLLAND WATER LINE

Introduction

REMAINS of a BOMB-PROOF GUN SHED as a built component of Fort Uitermeer. Fort Uitermeer has various building periods from the seventeenth through the twentieth century, from which several structures remain. The bomb-proof shed was constructed in 1885, when the fort was strengthened with a number of bomb-proof buildings. The shed served for the stalling of artillery and the lodging of a small number of troops. Originally the shed was earthed over and was considered bomb-proof according to the standards of the time. Thickening of masonry, application of shock-absorbing masonry systems (among other means through arches), shallow slope angles and curved or pointed forms, use of concrete - and later reinforced concrete - in increasingly heavy construction, was one of the ways to keep the fortifications resistant to increasing attacking force. Moreover, the application of earth coverings proved to be a good means to absorb or dampen energy. This is the reason why many masonry or concrete works were provided with an earth layer or front protection of sand or earth. Depending on the period of construction - and thereby the expected impact force of projectiles - the term 'bomb-proof buildings' was used when they were deemed to be resistant to a predefined number of impacts from heavy calibre. With the invention of the high-explosive shell in 1885, a bomb-proof situation was no longer the case from the start and buildings of this type could already be considered obsolete.

Around 1954-1955, when Fort Uitermeer was taken into use by the Ministry of Defence for the purpose of ammunition storage, the entire terrain was levelled and stripped of all earthworks, including those on top of the buildings. During the restoration and consolidation of Fort Uitermeer, in the years 2003-2006, the gun shed was consolidated and among other things new doors (to original model) were installed. An extension at the rear, in which the latrines were located, was removed. The earth covering was partially restored. The shed is now a sleeping and wintering place for bats.

Description

Consolidated REMAINS of a BOMB-PROOF GUN SHED from 1885, located in the southeast on the fort island. It is an almost rectangular brick building of one storey, partly provided with a basement, originally serving as a water reservoir. The building was originally earthed over on the front side. The gorge side was uncovered and is provided from left to right with three single doors and two double clamped doors, all provided with triple relieving arches. The single doors were originally flanked by windows with shutters, but these have been bricked up. Behind the double doors the cannons and other artillery were stalled, behind the others were spaces for troops. In the interior there are various spaces provided with segmental arched vaults with thick brick walls (bomb-proof). The building was partly earthed over and partly provided with a concrete roof during the recent consolidation.

Valuation

The REMAINS of the BOMB-PROOF GUN SHED is of general interest because of:

* Cultural-historical values as part of the New Holland Water Line as designed by C.R.T. Kraijenhoff and initially from 1815 by him, Jan Blanken and major-engineer Willem Offerhaus and thereafter by others for approximately 125 years strengthened and improved.

* Architectural-historical values in particular as an expression of military-strategic building practices, which is based on: a. the system of inundation and access defence (nineteenth century), b. the race with increasingly strengthened offensive means (nineteenth century).

This concerns a component from the period 1871-1886 that is an example of a bomb-proof building from 1885.

* Ensemble value and situational values as part of the New Holland Water Line. Also because of the functional and physical coherence with the other components of the complex.

* The component is an example of a building from the construction period 1871-1886 when so-called bomb-proof buildings were added to many forts of the New Holland Water Line with the application of comparable building materials, layout and detailing. The building remains as the only component of the building activities that took place on Fort Uitermeer in 1885.

* The component is moderately well preserved because after deliberate dismantling it remained recognisable as a consolidated remnant of a gun shed and troop quarters.