Militair verblijfsgebouw, te Culemborg

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

Cluster 503.

NEW HOLLANDIC WATERLINE

Introduction

FORT KEEPER'S HOUSE on the northern part of the work, at the foot of the intersection cut by the Lekdijk. Because most forts and other (located outside the built-up area) defensive works - when there was no mobilisation or exercises - had no garrison of military personnel, in many cases there was a separate house or other accommodation for a manager or keeper. Sometimes such a house or accommodation also had another function, such as that of a bridge or lock keeper's house. As to the location of a keeper's house no clear standards applied; the building materials used vary, but usually consist of brick or wood. Usually the houses are located at the gorge side of the forts, sometimes inside, sometimes outside the ditch. The location of this house - within the Work at the Spoel - not at the gorge side, but at the road, is rare. Furthermore, the sunken location is remarkable, directly along the thoroughfare Goilberdingerdijk. The house was restored around 2010; a rectangular, flat-roofed later extension on the rear was then removed.

Description

The FORT KEEPER'S HOUSE of the Work at the Spoel is located centrally within the fort on the north side of the Zuider Lekdijk, which locally is called the Goilberdingerdijk. The fort keeper's house was initially built in the 19th century as a lock keeper's house; in the second half of the 19th century the building was adapted to also function as a keeper's house of the Work at the Spoel. Originally the house had an L-shaped plan and a shallow pitched hipped roof. The house was later - presumably around 1925 - adapted and in its present condition has a rectangular plan. The building, executed as a double house, consists of one storey with a broken gabled roof. The ridge of the roof runs parallel to the Zuider Lekdijk. The roof is covered with hollow, re-repaired Dutch tiles; in the roof ridge three brick chimneys. The facades are built up in masonry; the gable ends are cemented from roof level upwards. The gable ends are finished by lightly painted weather vanes. In the facade facing the road five facade openings: three windows with currently sash windows with fanlights divided in three parts and flanked by wooden shutters and separated by two entrances with likewise fanlights. The opposite facade has comparable facade openings. In the gable ends on the ground floor there are two window openings (east) or a window and an entrance opening (west), each also with fanlights divided in three parts; on the roof storey in both gable ends one window opening with double window. All mentioned facade openings are finished with a straight course of headers. Interior was not visited.

Valuation

The FORT KEEPER'S HOUSE of the Work at the Spoel is of general interest because of:

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

* Architectural-historical values, in particular as an expression of buildings related to military-strategic building design, which is based on: a. the system of inundation and access defence (19th century), b. the race with increasingly strengthening offensive means (19th century).

This concerns a component from the second half of the 19th century - presumably adapted around 1925 - namely a single-storey, arising from the conversion of an existing lock keeper's house, brick double fort keeper's house.

* Ensemble value and situational values as part of the New Hollandic Waterline. Also because of the functional and physical coherence with the other components of the complex and because of the special location along the intersection of the fort.

* The component is representative because it is an example of a fort keeper's house installed on a defensive work with related function as a lock keeper's house.

* The component is fairly well preserved because main form, building characteristics and building detail have remained intact and have been restored with the restoration.