IPW3 2019-2020 - Ferme de la Bouverie & Spontin

Ferme de la Bouverie & Spontin INTEGRATED PROJECT WORK 2019-2020 RAYMOND LEMAIRE INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR CONSERVATION, KU Leuven Archana Vinod Chloé Ducroizet-Boitaud Kaanan Thakkar Ludmila Albuquerque da Costa

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All rights reserved. This book is the intellectual property of the authors and bodies involved, preserving it from unpermitted reproduction by mechanical or electronic means.

This publishing is an academic work produced by the Raymond Lemaire International Centre for Conservation (RLICC) students, part of KU Leuven.

Leuven, Belgium June, 2020.

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Chloe

Archana

DUCROIZET-BOITAUD

VINOD

FR historian

architect IN

Ludmila

Kaanan

ALBUQUERQUE DA COSTA

J. THAKKAR

architect IN

BR architect and urban planner

Team 3

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Spontin was a dense project, simply because it is a complex subject.

Fulfilling the expectations for our IPW3 was only possible with the assistance of many people.

First, a special thank you to Prof. Dr. Thomas Coomans, responsible for bringing this amazing topic into our lives and assisting us tirelessly and enthusiastically along this journey. Many thanks to the whole Coomans family for opening their property to us.

A very big THANK YOU; To all professors and staff of the RLICC: Prof. Barbara Van der Wee; Prof. Paul Lievevrouw; Prof. Dr. Koen Van Balen; Prof. Krista De Jonge; Prof. Dr. Em. Luc Verpoest; Dr. Aziliz Vandesande; Ann Schram.

To all assisting professors and professionals who helped us with the practical aspects of the project: Prof. Olivier Guillitte; Prof. Christian Ost; Hendrik Herbaut; Prof. Dr. Francis Tourneur; Marteen Bassier.

To the people of Spontin, and especially the local experts and history enthusiasts and professionals who shared their knowledge with us to help us understand the village and its history, and whose contributions was essential to our work.

Vincent Fortemps; Jean Germain; Patrick Evrard.

Lastly, to our second favorite place in Spontin, Deschamps Boulangerie, for bringing a taste of local life to our project and showing us another value of authenticity.

Acknowledgements Image 01 5

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During one of our project meetings, looking at this specific photograph of the South façade of the Bouverie farmhouse, Kaanan said the following sentence: “conservation is for the people, and this photo translates that.”

The four of us kept looking at this image and what we could read beyond just the family photo. Much more than historic outfits in a black and white medium-resolution photograph, we started looking for the people there. The more we looked, the more we saw.

Some of the men are holding pitchforks. Others have a pocket watch. One of them wears an apron while others wear vests and ties. Some people stand with crossed arms, looking serious (maybe even a bit angry). Others have prominent cheeks that attest to a genuine smile behind a thick mustache. Only three women are present; two of them sit gracefully at the background, but the third, in the right corner, has a strong expression and a half-smile, a dirty apron and two milk buckets in her hands. A black dog completes the scene, looking out of frame as it worries about something in the distance - another animal? A bird?

Chloé found that the photo was taken during the time of Pierre Réveillon, at the start of the 20th century. But we do not need to know that - the photograph on its own can transport us through time and space. Just by looking, we can understand the functioning of that farm, who were its workers, who was the landlord, who was milking the cows and who was working in the fields. We may not know their names, but we know their faces.

Despite agreeing with what Kaanan said, this photo translates much more. What we did amongst ourselves when talking about this photo - picturing, imagining, translating visual clues without written information - is a pure reflection of what we did for the whole of our project in the farmhouse.

We let it tell us its own story.

Prologue Image 02 7

Table of Content Team Acknowledgements Prologue

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3 5 7

PRESENTING

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Introduction SPONTIN Location Legal Context The Farmhouse METHODOLOGY HISTORY The Valley The Village

12 16 18 20 26 30 40 44 58

FERME DE LA BOUVERIE & SPONTIN

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DOCUMENTATION & ANALYSIS

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URBAN Macro Scale Meso Scale Micro Scale Maps and Analysis ARCHITECTURAL Survey Building Investigations

88 90 92 96 100 108 112 130 198 200 222 230 242 246

TECHNICAL Materials Pathologies Structures Water Sanitation

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VALUES & CONSERVATION

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VALUES Nara Grids Value Assessment

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CONSERVATION Conservation Masterplan

254 256 266 268

ECONOMICS OF CONSERVATION

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Cultural Value Mapping Jansen-Verbeke Model The Surroundings Economic Values SWOT Analysis Multi-Criteria Analysis

280 290 292 300 304 306

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6 Bibliography Annex

PROPOSALS

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OPERATIONAL MASTERPLAN The Village The Farmhouse

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CONCLUSION

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The Future Epilogue

312 328

346 348 350 356

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chapter one

PRESENTING: Image 03

Ferme de la Bouverie & Spontin

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Introduction 12 June 2020 Welcome to Spontin, a small community of approximately 800 inhabitants located in the picturesque valley of the Bocq river, in the Condroz region South of Belgium. Its long history is complex, layered and exciting: Spontin was at the border of disputed territory for centuries and took part in the absurdly named War of the Cow. More recently, Spontin was severely impacted by the First World War. The village’s past is reflected in its urban fabric and architecture, which include late Roman and Merovingian cemeteries, a castle with a thirteenth-century keep, a late Gothic church, a seventeenth-century watermill, remains of the nineteenthcentury local industry around limestone quarries and water springs, and a railroad that contributed to the local industrial and touristic development. We really took the urban part of the project to heart, enjoying walks around the village and exploring how the quality of life in Spontin could be improved.

The Ferme de la Bouverie, a large farm complex with a beautiful stone farmhouse, is located at the heart of Spontin, across from the church and near the castle, within walking distance of the pharmacy and the bakery, the two central businesses of the village, and along the busy road leading in and out of the valley. La Bouverie’s privileged setting in Spontin was a key point for this project, as it enhances the village’s potential to be developed through heritage conservation.

When we first visited Spontin on a cold and sunny morning we did not yet know this project was going to occupy a large part of our lives but we were already enchanted by its lovely landscape and picturesque setting. Six months and several visits later, we’ve really come to appreciate the village as a lovely place to live and work.

This IPW3 project was a learning process and a journey of discovery: we began with no plans and no information and investigated everything ourselves, with the assistance of Professor Coomans, the RLICC staff and professors and local experts from Spontin. We are very proud of this book as a final product of all our work, and hope that you will enjoy reading about our research, our proposals, and everything we learned along the way.

Team Spontin.

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Image 04: Spontin. Undated postcard.

(Source: Thomas Coomans)

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Image 05: View of the church from the courtyard of the farm.. March 2020.

(Source: Authors)

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Image 06: Spontin village centre. December 2019.

(Source: Authors)

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Spontin

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Location Spontin is located in Wallonia, South of Belgium, in the commune of Yvoir.

The neighbouring villages are Durnal and Dorinne.

Image 07: Location of Spontin (Source: Authors)

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Image 08: Location of Spontin, Dorinne and Durnal.

(Source: Authors)

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Legal Context Water & Natural Protection

Image 09: Water surveillance zone by Arreté Ministériel, 2000.

(Source: http://environnement.wallonie.be/legis/eau/easou016.htm)

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Image 10: Both La Rochette and La Grande Carrière are Site de Grand Intérêt Biologique (SGIB) because of the rare or endangered fauna and flora.

(Source: http://biodiversite.wallonie.be/fr/recherche-geographique.html?IDD=833&IDC=2828)

Heritage Protection Listed buildings are awarded specific legal protections to ensure their survival in good condition, as they are of interest for the nation. On this map, the hatched green zone around the castle and the blue dots shows the listed buildings and protected area.

The inventory lists buildings, sites and monuments with heritage value, authenticity and integrity. Buildings that are “pastillé” are buildings on the inventory that are recognised as of particular interest and whose survival is deemed important because of they are representative of a particular typology, time period or construction technique.

On this map, the red triangles show the buildings “pastillés” in Spontin: the buildings of our farm complex (the Coomans’s property and the neighbour’s house) and the mill.

Image 11: Listed and inventorised heritage monuments and zones.

(Source: WalonMap)

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Archaeological Zones Since June 2019, there is a new Walloon heritage code regulating certain elements of protection and legislation for heritage in the South of Belgium.

This has meant the creation of newly defined “archaeological zones”.

Spontin is such a zone. This new category means that any work requiring a building permit in an archaeological zone must first proceed to an archaeological evaluation and excavation of the site.

The code also determines which authority to ask about building permissions. For works on non-listed buildings, if they are in an archaeological zone, projects of over 2 hectares, and buildings and sites on an inventory, the Agence Wallonne du Patrimoine must be consulted in addition to the relevant local planning authority.

If the building is “pastillé”, part of a listing buffer zone, or the works will visibly affect the appearance of a building in an archaeological zone, the Commission Royale des Monuments, Sites et Fouilles must also be consulted.

This new code is very relevant to our project, both because Spontin as a whole is now designated as an archaeological zone, and because our farmhouse is on the inventory as “pastillé”. The new code also offers subventions for works on buildings that are “pastillé”, small vernacular architecture and the restoration of historical roofs. This information could be relevant to the owner and in consideration of our project proposals.

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Image 12: New archaeological zones, as defined by the new Wallonian Heritage Code (2019) (Source: WalonMap - CoPat map)

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Zoning

Image 13: Plan secteur.

(Source: WalonMap)

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Image 14: Surroundings of the house - on the right side of the photo, the entrance to the church.

(Source: Thomas Coomans)

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The Farmhouse Location The Bouverie Farm is located on the junction between Chaussee de Dinant and Rue du Bouchat, in the very centre of Spontin, at a walking distance to main services in the village: a bakery, a supermarket, a few restaurants and others. The farmhouse is part of a larger U-shaped farm complex.

However, due to ownership and accessibility conditions, the study here presented focuses only on the farmhouse.

Image 15: Surroundings of the farmhouse - view from Rue des RiviĂŠres.

(Source: Authors)

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Ownership The farmhouse and its garden belong to Professor Coomans, though historically the building was part of a larger U-shaped farm complex that included a barn and stable that currently belong to the neighbour.

Image 16: Scheme for the legal boundaries of the parcel nowadays.

(Source: Authors)

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Interior Features

Image 17: Kitchen on the ground floor.

(Source: Authors)

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Image 18: Living room on the ground floor.

(Source: Authors)

Image 19: Dining room on the ground floor.

(Source: Authors)

Image 20: Connection between house and annex on ground floor.

(Source: Authors)

Image 21: Bedroom on first floor.

(Source: Authors)

Image 22: Attic above the annex.

(Source: Authors)

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Methodology

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Historical Research We conducted historical research from the start of our project, looking at a variety of documents and contacting several experts to find out more information about the history of the village and the farmhouse.

sources. However they can give us a general understanding of what the village may have looked like, going as far back as 1604-1605 for the Albums de Croy.

a | Maps: our initial research involved maps, using those available to us on WalonMap, including the first Belgian cadastre, the Ferraris map and a number of other historical maps such as the Dépot de la Guerre map.

This range of resources was interesting because it allowed us to project the village back to the late 16th century to understand the way it evolved until today.

c | Secondary research: we conducted as much secondary research as was made possible by the limited resources available on Spontin. The ASBL Le Patrimoine de Spontin, working with local experts, published in 2004 a very complete study about the history of the village, edited by Jean Germain, a historian and linguist and director of the library of the Université Catholique de Louvain. This book, called Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, was the source of much of our information.

b | Artistic representations and postcards: our research also involved a significant amount of investigations into historical postcards and artistic representations of Spontin, using the Kik-IRPA database, online postcard resell websites, and learning about paintings and engravings of Spontin through our discussions with our interviewees. Professor Coomans also found and forwarded to us several postcards from the townhall of Yvoir. The postcards are interesting because they show us an accurate evolution of the house and different elements of the village, such as the church. Unfortunately, they only take us back to the start of the 20th century. Pictural representations are more complicated to use as accurate historical sources, because liberties were probably taken by the artist when representing the village, so they are not necessarily very reliable as visual

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d | Interviews: we interviewed Jean Germain, as well as Vincent Fortemps, a geographer and writer of several of the chapters of Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, to ask our questions about the evolution of the village and the development of vernacular architecture. These interviews were very helpful to understand the history of the village and the house. e | Building history: a large part of our understanding of the history of the farmhouse came from our study of the building itself, through our survey and careful reading of the built fabric of the building, by looking at façades, openings, wall thicknesses, wall connections, etc.

Urban (Built Fabric) Analysis We are calling here “urban” the analysis of the built fabric, though of course our village is positioned in a rural setting.

The scope of this IPW3 project was urban from the outset, as is visible from its title: “the Ferme de la Bouverie and the village of Spontin”. We therefore spent a lot of time analysing the urban setting of the village, its integration in the landscape and the issues it faces today. a | Visiting, walking, looking: to start our analysis, we adopted the learnings from IPW2 and spent time walking around the village, taking note of the features, the streets, the layout and the different elements of interest of the village. This was essential to give us a first understanding of our object of study. b | Maps: we also spent a lot of time reading different maps to understand the fabric of the village, including cadastre maps to look at built-unbuilt ratio, topographical maps to understand how Spontin integrates in its landscape, geological and water table maps to understand the soil composition, the sources and the river. Looking at the zoning of the village also revealed that it was relatively disconnected from the fields surrounding it, having relied for decades on industry as the main economic motor. c | Traffic and mobility: we spent a lot of time trying to understand the organisation of traffic in the village, the connection of Spontin to the nearby

villages and to the highway, and the public transport. When going to Spontin, we took several routes, from both Yvoir and Ciney, which also helped us understand the connection and mobility in the village, and to take note of all the stops of public transport. d | Interviews: we interviewed the mayor of Spontin, Patrick Evrard, to understand the current situation of the village, its economic outlook, its projects and its hopes for the future. We asked all our interviewees (Patrick Evrard, Vincent Fortemps, Jean Germain) about what they felt was missing in the village, and what they thought could be improved. We also discussed the condition of the village more informally with the employees of the bakery, who highlighted concerns over the traffic and a desire to see the castle reopen.

Legal Context: part of the urban analysis was understanding the legal context of the village, including heritage and natural protection, zoning, property rights and ownership and water protection. This context has shaped the urban fabric by restricting planning permissions for projects unsympathetic to the historical fabric of the village, and land acquisition for water protection purposes has also led to reforestation, redefining the built-unbuilt of the village.

For more detailed description of the built fabric, see the Urban section.

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Survey a | Total station to record the outlines of the house and the slope of the street. We also took points inside the house for reference. b | Laser scanner for most of the complex spaces of the house, including staircases, basements, stable and attics. We anchored them with our total station points to scale the scans accurately in Recap. c | Hand measurements were taken for all the rooms of the house that could not be measured with total station and laser scanner, as well as small details and elements like door and window frames, fireplaces etc. d | Photogrammetry of the faรงades, allowing us to create the elevations. e | Drone: we attempted to use the drone for accurate images of the roof, but it ran out of battery.

For more detailed description of the survey, see the Survey section.

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Building History Historical research on the farmhouse yielded frustratingly little information, because there is very little on record available. We therefore had to use other investigation methods to determine the building’s history. a | Plans & elevations: using the data from our survey, we found that the plans and elevations of our building revealed some fascinating information about the evolution of the house. Looking at façades, wall connections, wall thicknesses and superposition of levels we determined several hypotheses for the historical evolution of the house. b | Typology: using two monographs on the typology of farm buildings in Wallonia and in the Condroz region, we compared our plans to the different typologies available in the books, to try and understand what our early building could have looked like, and how it evolved into the building we can see today. c | Expert opinion: we exchanged emails with Jean-Louis Javaux, the Walloon region expert on farm and vernacular architecture. He wrote the description of the farmhouse that allowed it to become a “pastillé” building on the inventory, and recommended several avenues of investigation. He also indicated that unless we could strip the walls of all their plaster and gypsum boards to study the masonry below, we would probably never have a definitive idea of the building history.

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Technical Analysis a | Materials: We attempted to identify the different materials used in the house and on our faรงades. This involved mapping them and trying to understand the complex geological context of the Condroz. The help of Professor Francis Tourneur was invaluable to this part of our work. b | Pathologies: We explored the house from top to bottom to try and identify salts, insect and biological attacks. Professor Olivier Guillitte very kindly visited us in Spontin, his expertise was a fantastic help. c | Solutions: Using our class notes from the Kik-IRPA and other materials and conservation techniques lectures, as well as discussions with Professor Van Balen, we came up with a series of technical solutions to the key challenges of our house, namely water, insulation, reopening of the crosswindow, stabilization of the vaulted ceiling and sanitation of the stable.

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Value Assessment Our value assessment involved long discussions, amongst ourselves and with Professors Van Der Wee, Coomans and Van Balen. We were able to determine quite easily that the thick masonry walls and the faรงades had high heritage value, because of their historic significance and because they told the history of the house. However we found the stable an object of contention, as the materials of the floors and ceilings are all recent, but their shape and organisation (ceiling vaults, drain down the centre) are the only remnants of a farming activity inside the building, so they have functional value.

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Economic Analysis Following the instructions of Professor Ost, we constructed our economic chapter with the following steps: a | Cultural value mapping: we mapped the cultural and natural heritage assets of the village, and connected it to the wider regional network of cultural heritage assets. b | Jansen-Verbeke model: this was not part of our economic assignment, but we thought it was a useful way to analyse the tourism potential of Spontin, and to evaluate how its existing assets could support a cultural tourism activity. c | Economic landscape: we first mapped the shops, businesses and accommodations of Spontin to understand the economic assets of the village. Then we combined this analysis with our existing urban maps of traffic and the legal protection maps to create a comprehensive economic landscape, allowing us to understand the existing economic landscape which can support our cultural assets. d | Economic values: we identified the use values, non-use values and externalities associated to our building. e | Stakeholder mapping: we made a list of actors with a stake in the

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building, and mapped their power and interest in a power-interest grid. f | SWOT analysis: using our previous urban and economic analyses, we evaluated strengths and weaknesses of our buildings, as well as external threats and opportunities to determine our mini-mini, maxi-maxi, minimaxi and maxi-mini strategies. g | Multi-criteria analysis: we created a set of criteria through which we decided to evaluate the sustainability of our projects.

Masterplans Conservation Using our value assessment, we started listing our demolition, conservation and restoration interventions, with spaces we believe could be adapted.

Operational a | Conservation imperatives: We started from our conservation masterplan to determine what could not be changed, or had to be restored to an original state. b | Identifying problems: We also studied what was problematic in the current the house, such as for example the lack of bathrooms on the first floor, the confusing circulation of the ground floor, and the important unused and under-used spaces. We tried to find solutions to solve these issues. c | Owner’s wishes: We talked to Professor Coomans, as the owner, about his family’s plans and wishes for the house, and what they wanted to use it for. After discovering that it would serve mostly as a family house and

vacation home, to be occupied irregularly throughout the year, we decided to think of the house as a big family home, imagine ways to generate income, how to improve its sustainability and how to ensure that the building is still in use when the owners are not there. d | Discussion: We spent a lot of time discussing what functions and uses we wanted in the building. Our talks, aided by sketches and drawings, revealed that we were all very invested in creating a public space for the village in front of the house, to recreate a “village centre” atmosphere. An important aspect of our discussions centred around solving the problems for the village as a whole, not just the house, referring back to our urban analysis and identification of issues, notably with traffic. e | Proposals: After discussions, sketches and paper cut-outs to test a wide range of scenarios and ideas, we decided on 2 scenarios inside the house and a series of propositions for the village that can work individually or together.

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History

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Image 23: Castle of Spontin. November 2019.

(Source: Authors)

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Spontin: a brief historical overview

First occupation of Spontin by a Gallo-Roman then Merovingian garnison

4-7th C

Spontin family arrives in Spontin.

Keep is built between 1266 and 1284

1104

First mention of Spontin in a document from Stavelot Abbey

13th C

23rd of August Spontin is burned to the ground by German troops

19th C

Start of industries and tourism in the village

1914

Team Spontin from the RLICC arrives!

1960s

Today

Heyday of tourism

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The Valley The Bocq River The Bocq river and the valley in which Spontin is situated are an essential part of its history. The settlement of the site of Spontin is entirely due to its position by the river, likely crossed by a ford in ancient times, at the place of its historical bridge1.

The Albums de Croy, dated 1604-1605 for the County of Namur, show the Castle, the Church and the three arch bridge by the mill, the oldest bridge of Spontin. Today the most used bridge is the one in front of the farm of the Castle, connecting Spontin to the highway.

The other natural features of the valley also played a central part in the history and development of the village. Beyond its geological wealth, which led to Spontin’s economic development in the 19th century, the rock formations of the village have shaped it from its earliest history.

The earliest Gallo-Roman and Merovingian occupations of the site were likely situated on one of the two rocky outcrops South of the river. As high, defensible locations, they gave a view of the whole valley and were prime real estate for these early garrisons, settled in the valley between the 4th5th centuries (Gallo-Roman) and the 6th-7th centuries (Merovingian)2.

The occupation of these sites since this period, as well as the location of the Gallo-Roman and Merovingian cemetery, do not allow us to pinpoint which of these two rocky outcrops constituted the earliest occupation of Spontin3.

Images 24-26: The ancient bridge.

From: Albums de Croy, undated postcard (Source: Thomas Coomans), Delices du Pays de Liege

1. Germain, J. “Mais que signifie donc Spontin ?” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-laNeuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 21-25 2. Germain, J. “De 1104 à 2004, Spontin dans la longue durée” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 11

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3. Germain, J. “De 1104 à 2004, Spontin dans la longue durée” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 12

Image 27: representation of Spontin in Albums de Croy (In: DUVOSQUEL, 1989, p.182 / Source: Thomas Coomans)

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The Condroz region is shaped like an undulating sheet of metal: it has regular sloping valleys. Geologically speaking, you can find sandstone on the top of these hills and limestone at the bottom of the dips4. This formation is a result of two different phenomenon: on the one hand, limestone is deposited by the accumulation over millennia of calcium rich remains, like animal skeletons. On the other hand, sandstone is created by the erosion of emerged continents and very, very old stones5.

The gradual erosion of limestone, the more recent and therefore topmost geological layer, in contrast with the higher resistance of sandstone to erosion, has created the many folds of the Condroz region and the Bocq valley. This particular geological context has meant the preservation of forests on the steep slopes and rocky, non-arable land. The Condroz today remains a region with a well-balanced proportion of forests, pastures and cultivated land. This variety of terrain and ecological conditions has allowed a flourishing and diverse biodiversity to take hold in the natural landscape6.

4. Discussion with Olivier Guillitte, 03/03/2020 in Spontin on site visit.

5. Marion, J-M. and Barchy, L. “Le Context géologique de Spontin » in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 275 6. Discussion with Olivier Guillitte, 03/03/2020 in Spontin on site visit.

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Farmhouse Rocky outcrop Image 28: Location of the possible earliest sites of occupation of Spontin.

(Source: Spontin team.)

Image 29: The geological formation of the Condroz has created sloping valleys.

(Source: Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, 2004, p. 275.)

Image 30: Geology of the Condroz region.

(Source: Architecture Rurale de Wallonie Condroz, 1989, p.10.)

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A Wealth of Natural Resources The exploitation of these rich stone and water resources has brought industry, immigration, tourism and economic development to Spontin.

Spontin’s underground water table was exploited in two ways, first in 1889 by the Etablissement des Eaux Minérales de Spontin for its thermal qualities7. This exploitation led to the creation of a modern factory bottling and exporting the “Eau de Spontin” and using it to make flavoured syrups8.

It also increased tourism to the village, as visitors flocked to admire the modern machinery and try the water and syrups in the factory cafeteria9.

The second exploitation of Spontin’s water came with the CIBE, the Compagnie Intercommunale Bruxelloise des Eaux, which started building a pipe system to bring water to Brussels in 1895 and is still active to this day under the name Vivaqua (since 2006)10. Spontin’s mineral richness has also led to quarrying activities, starting industrially in the second half of the 19th century and, though much reduced, still active to this day11. At its heyday, Spontin had as many as 11 quarries, 6 lime kilns and several stone and marble sawmills12. The water factory, the CIBE, quarries, lime kilns and sawmills represented the majority of the village’s employment and a draw for immigration, especially of Italian stone cutters and specialists in the period following the Second World War13.

7. Genette, L. “Les eaux de Spontin : histoire économique” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 590 8. Moreaux, J. La Vallée du Bocq: sites, légendes, histoire : Yvoir, Evrehailles-Bauche, Crupet, Spontin (Bruxelles : Commissariat général du tourisme, 1956), 84-96

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9. Genette, L. “Les eaux minérales de Spontin” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 600 10. Vivaqua, “125 ans d’eau potable”, accessed 20/03/2020 https://www.vivaqua.be/fr/profil/125-ans-deaupotable

Image 31: Vue du Chateau de Spontin en Condroz Remalce Leloup.

(In: Delices du Pais de Liège, 1740. Source: Jean Germain)

11. Germain, J. “Les carrières et le travail de la pierre” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvainla-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 558 12. Germain, J. “Les carrières et le travail de la pierre” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvainla-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 559

13. Del Zotto, C. & Sangoi, P. “Spontin del Friuli ou l’immigration italienne à Spontin” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 407

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The Evolution of Boundaries While the limits of Spontin today are clearly identified by the evident borders constituted by the villages of Durnal in the North, Dorinne in the West and the A4 highway in the East, Spontin is a territorial entity that has evolved over time. Its size has expanded and shrunk, and its allegiance has shifted between the surrounding strongholds, principalities and other political entities that have governed the region.

The area around Namur and Liège is a veritable puzzle, full of pockets and strongholds defending the territorial claims of various political and religious entities. During the Middle Ages, these are disputed between, in no particular order and stretching over multiple centuries, the feudal court of Poilvache, the Prince-Bishopric of Liège, the County of Namur, the principality of Stavelot-Malmedy, the County of Luxembourg, and the Dukes of Burgundy.

Spontin was involved in the 1275-1278 Guerre de la Vache (War of the Cow), which opposed Jean de Beaufort, lord of Gosnes and cousin of the lords of Spontin, and the prince-bishop of Liège14. The village was also on the frontline of the 1460s war between the Prince-Bishopric of Liège and the Dukes of Burgundy. In more recent times, the village suffered extensive destruction during the first world war when 133 of its buildings were destroyed15 . It was less affected by the second world war.

14. Wouez, A. Spontin, Durnal & Dorinne, (Brussels: Editions Techniques et Scientifiques, 1958), 64 15. Wouez, A. Spontin, Durnal & Dorinne, (Brussels: Editions Techniques et Scientifiques, 1958), 191 16. Wouez, A. Spontin, Durnal & Dorinne, (Brussels: Editions Techniques et Scientifiques, 1958), 42-43

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According to Wouez, Spontin was first a vassal of the County of Luxemburg, which explains the Count’s financial support in building the Castle of Spontin. From 1289, it supported Poilvache, also allied with Luxembourg.

From 1342, it became a vassal of the County of Namur. It remained that way until the incursion of the Dukes of Burgundy in the 1460s, who conquered the region. They were followed by the Austrian, Spanish, French and again Austrian kings, until 1795, when France took over until 1814. From 1814 the region is part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands until the independence of Belgium in 183016.

Beyond Spontin’s political and military allegiances, the borders of the village themselves have evolved over time. This is due to the village’s intimate link to its castle and the Spontin family. The territory of Spontin was composed of a group of lands, buildings, natural resources and infrastructure that changed continuously in relation with the families’ fortunes, marriages and inheritances. It was not rare for marriages to be cemented through exchanges of land, for wars to be solved by redrawing boundaries and for inheritances to divide or bequest land to different parties, whether family members or religious institutions.

Historically, the entity of Spontin was much larger than it is today. In the 1281 document subjecting Spontin to Poilvache’s authority, Dorinne, Durnal, Purnode and Stiet (today Chansin) are not mentioned. This

Image 32: Spontin in the Ferraris Map (Source: http://mapire.eu)

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suggests that these villages and their accompanying fields, pastures and forests were considered part of Spontin and were owned by the Spontin family living in the Castle. Through marriage and inheritance, the Spontin family also owned land in the area near Poilvache17. These boundaries changed continuously through time due to war, marriage, inheritance and sales of property.

In 1850, Durnal became its own commune, and over time parcels, lands, forests and fields belonging to Spontin were allocated to Dorinne, Durnal and Purnode18. In 1977 new communes were formed as political administrative entities. This led to a fusion of Godinne, Purnode, Dorinne, Durnal, Spontin and Yvoir to form the commune of Yvoir, starting January 1977 and cementing the village’s current boundaries19.

17. Javaux, J-L. “Le Château de Spontin” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-laNeuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 57 18. Genette, L. “Démographie et évolution de la population” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed.

Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 384

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19. Genette, L. & Germain, J. “De 1918 au XXIe siècle, d’hier à demain” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 193-194.

Image 33: Spontin from above. November 2019.

(Source: Authors)

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Spontin in a wider geopolitical context (651-1482) Spontin is at the crossroads of several territories over different time periods*

651-1794

972-1789

1384-1482

Principality of Stavelot-Malmedy

Prince-Bishopric of Liège

Burgundian Netherlands

* Images 34-39: Website Connaitre la Wallonie by the Walloon government (http://connaitrelawallonie.wallonie.be/fr)

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Spontin in a wider geopolitical context (1549-1830)

1549-1715

1795-1814

1814-1830

1830

Spanish Netherlands

French annexation of territories of Stavelot, Liège and Austrian Netherlands

United Kingdom of the Netherlands

Belgian independence

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Image 40: The ruins of Poilvache (Source: Authors)

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Image 41: Spontin’s domain at the end of the Middle Ages (in: Germain, J. et Genette, L., 004), p. 103)

Image 42: First Belgian cadastre, 1830-1833 (Source: WalonMap)

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The Village Earliest Occupations The earliest occupation of the site dates to the 4th century. Between the 4th and the 7th centuries, Gallo-Roman then Merovingian garrisons were located in Spontin, along an ancient Roman road (diverticulum) linking Dinant to Huy. It is likely that a guard post stood at one of the two rocky outcrops on either side of this road20. It is also possible that this set up was meant to collect taxes or levies on goods travelling between Dinant and Huy21.

traditions between an established, sedentary population and small contingents of “barbarians” at the service of the Roman empire24. The early occupation of Spontin therefore did not constitute an established, sedentary occupation until after the 7th century.

This information is derived from an archaeological excavation of GalloRoman (380-420 CE) and Merovingian (6-7th centuries) cemeteries near the centre of the village, above the church. Unfortunately, there are no other archaeological or building remains from this period to confirm these hypotheses. The graves themselves were relatively poor and mostly empty of grave goods, making it difficult to gain a precise understanding of their owners’ lives22. The large quantities of weapons suggested the presence of soldiers, and similar cemetaries found in Furfooz, Eprave and other nearby sites, where an associated small garrison post was discovered, led to the conclusion of a similar garrison at Spontin. The exact location of the guard post remains unknown23.

The cemetery reveals that it is unlikely that a sedentary population was established at Spontin at this time. Archaeological sites for this same period in the region have shown the difference in grave goods and funerary

20. Germain, J. “De 1104 à 2004, Spontin dans la longue durée” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 11 21. Vincent Fortemps, interview 18/03/2020. See transcript in annex.

22. Dasnoy, A. “Spontin avant Spontin : les tombes du Bas-Empire et de l’époque mérovingienne” in Spontin d’Eau

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Image 43:The cemetary (hatched) next to the church (orange) and the farmhouse (pink).

(Source: Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre (2004), 34)

et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvai n-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 33 23. Dasnoy, A. “Spontin avant Spontin : les tombes du Bas-Empire et de l’époque mérovingienne” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 39 24. Dasnoy, A. “Spontin avant Spontin : les tombes du Bas-Empire et de l’époque mérovingienne” in Spontin d’Eau

Image 44: Vandermaelen Map, 1846-1854 (Source: WalonMap)

et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La MĂŠmoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 40

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An Early Tower ?

The Castle of Spontin is now a defining feature of its landscape and attractivity – it has been on every postcard and stamp series produced by the village. Nevertheless, it is possible that there once existed an older tower in Spontin, belonging to a local notable family of little power living in Spontin before the Spontin family built their castle. The remains of very ancient walls, found on the Roche Buant, 4m x 4m, could correspond to an old fortified tower25. These few traces are not enough to precisely date the tower, which could be from the Merovingian or medieval period26. The Roche Buant is unfortunately no longer accessible to the public because it is on Vivaqua testing and draining land.

Image 45: The remains of a very old wall on the Roche Buant

(Source: Spontin Patrimoine, http://www.spontinvillage.be/a-voir-roche-buant.php)

25. Germain, J. “De 1104 à 2004, Spontin dans la longue durée” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 12 26. ASBL Patrimoine de Spontin, “la roche buant”, visited 26/03/2020 Spontinvillage.be/a-voir-roche-buant.php

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Image 46: Carte du dépôt de la guerre (1865-1880).

(Source: WalOnMap)

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The Church and Early Farms Following the Gallo-Roman and Merovingian garrisons’ occupations, the first mention of Spontin comes in 1104 in a charter from the Abbey of Stavelot. The charter includes the name of a monk, Berticus de Spontin, who signed as a witness of a testimony.This is the first official mention of Spontin in any historical documents.

Earlier documents from the Abbey of Stavelot indicated that the Church of St Georges (Spontin’s church) is under the authority of the Abbey of Stavelot, and has been sending its tithe to the Abbey since approximately 102027.

The Church of Spontin is probably therefore the oldest point of the village. Initially, it was probably a poor oratory under the authority of the Abbey of Stavelot surrounded by a few farms in the village centre28. This location is important because it suggests that our IPW3 site, located across from the church and one of the five central farms of the village, was occupied in some way or another for a very long period of time.

The Church of St Georges has evolved over time – we have no notion of what it originally looked like, and no consistent archaeological excavations have been conducted. Nevertheless, remains of a Romanesque church were found when restoring the foundations of the church, nave and choir. A document from 1486 records a cry for help from the Church’s priest to the Pope, for the restauration of the Church which was in a very poor state29. Two theories are put forward – on the one hand, the Church’s age led to a high level of disrepair, or the incessant wars in the region during the 15th century led to its destruction. The Castle of Spontin was destroyed twice during this tumultuous period, in 1429 and 146530. The construction

27. Germain, J. “De 1104 à 2004, Spontin dans la longue durée” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 11 28. Germain, J. “De 1104 à 2004, Spontin dans la longue durée” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 12

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of the Gothic church, which replaces and extends the Romanesque one by three bays and a polygonal choir, is approximately dated to the 15th century. The Romanesque tower remains. The Church then undergoes several additions and restorations, including a chapel for the lords of Spontin added around the 1640s and a neo-Gothic restauration by the architect Van Assche between 1880 and 1885. The Church is, like most other buildings of the village, burnt to the ground on the 23rd of August 1914. It is reconstructed in 1922, extended by a bay Eastward. The church tower is rebuilt like it was, except higher and with a slightly shorter roof with a curved base31.

Image 47: These are probably the oldest farms in the village. (in: Germain, J. et Genette, L., 2004, p. 211)

29. Parfonry, A & Germain, J. “L’église au milieu du village” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 481 30. Parfonry, A & Germain, J. “L’église au milieu du village” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 481-482

The Church Church St. Georges of Spontin before 1914.

Image 48: Undated postcards

(Source: http://www.matelecommeen14.bespip. phparticle13)

Images 49-50: Undated postcards (Source: Thomas Coomans)

The Church St. Georges of Spontin after reconstruction in 1922.

The bay extension and the shape of the tower are the most obvious changes.

Images 51-52 (top-down): Undated postcard; and recent photo.

(Source: Thomas Coomans)

31. ASBL Patrimoine de Spontin, “l’église Saint Georges”, visited 26/03/2020, http://www.spontinvillage.be/a-voir-eglisesaint-georges.php

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A Local Ruling Family, a Castle The Castle of Spontin, and the family that ruled it, are important elements to understand the development of the village and the history of the Ferme de la Bouverie. We have very few records of the first lords of Spontin, with a document citing Libert de Spontin in 1241 and his donation of part of Spontin’s tithes to the Abbey of Stavelot32. It is likely that his son, Pierre de Spontin, built the Castle keep between 1266 and 1284. This first and oldest part of the Castle was constructed with the financial support of the Count of Luxembourg.

This financial support should be understood within the larger political context of the region, mentioned above. The first named provost of Poilvache, Pierre de Gesves, is the uncle of Pierre de Spontin, who most likely initiated the construction of the keep of the Castle of Spontin. The Count of Luxembourg, lord of Poilvache, seems to have contributed financially to the construction of the keep, and the son of Pierre de Spontin, Guillaume, was his squire. There are clearly deep connections between the Count of Luxembourg, the Gesves family and their cousins the Spontin family, which could explain the construction of a keep at Spontin to defend the interest of the Count through a local strongman, Pierre de Spontin (a knight) and his descendants33.

The Castle sees several phases of construction over the course of the centuries. Between 1284 and 1380, a medieval castle is built around the

32. J Javaux, J-L. “Le Château de Spontin” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-laNeuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 55 33. Javaux, J-L. “Le Château de Spontin” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-laNeuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 57-58

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keep, with an enclosure wall and four rounded corner towers. Around 1571 the keep is renovated to adapt it to the standards of the time: the windows are changed and enlarged, new levels are added and new L-shaped habitation wings are built. From the 16th century onward, buildings composing today’s U-shaped farm in front of the Castle, the first visible part of the property when arriving in Spontin from the highway, are constructed. The farm is renovated following fires in 1813 and 1874. In 1958, a cinema is installed in the North wing of the farm and in 1986 a cafeteria is built in the South wing. The building is listed and protected bythe Wallonian government’s heritage agency since 195034.

The most important family to inhabit the castle was the Spontin family, the local ruling family living in the village from at least 1241 onwards35. The family owned and lived in the Castle until 1518, when it passed through marriage to the Glymes de Jodoigne family. It then passed to the BeaufortSpontin, a cousin branch of the Spontin family, in 1753. It was bought in 1842 by the Gourcy-Serainchamps family, and passed on through marriage to the Van Caloen family (1885) and the Pierpont Surmont de Volsberhe family (1937). The Baron de Pierpont, of this last family, was very important to the development of the tourist industry in Spontin36. Since 1989, the Castle belongs to a real estate company – its furniture has been sold, it has been closed to visitors and is in an advanced state of disrepair37 .

34. Javaux, J-L. “Le Château de Spontin” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-laNeuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 70-89 35. Javaux, J-L. “Le Château de Spontin” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-laNeuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 56

Image 53: Lithographie Vasse-Fourmois, 1844.

(Source: Jean Germain)

Image 54: Castle of Spontin, November 2019.

(Source: Authors)

36. Javaux, J-L. “Le Château de Spontin” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 55 37. Discussion with the employees of the Deschamps bakery.

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Industry: Water & Stone Water The waters under Spontin are of excellent quality – this is why they were chosen both to be bottled and sold by the Compagnie des Eaux Minérales de Spontin and to supply Brussels. The water is filtered naturally through the vast limestone layer of the Condroz, guaranteeing purified and very good drinking water. The whole area feeding the water table is also covered by a topmost layer of silt loam soil which acts as a filter for rainwater and prevents pollution from dripping in38.

natural or manmade. The Compagnie des Eaux’s four sources are natural and explain the foundation of the factory where it is. The CIBE created man-made water zones where they extract water and send them through a complex system of pipes towards Brussels.

Les Eaux Minérales de Spontin

The industrial exploitation of the water at Spontin relies on sources, either

The first group to exploit the natural sources of Spontin was called the “Société anonyme des eaux minèrales de Spontin” and created in 1889.

Different companies took over the site and the management of the sources throughout the years, notably due to poor management, low revenue and poor performances41. The company started becoming profitable in the 1920s – the factory was on full throttle and the publicity campaigns were everywhere42. The factory also developped – a new building was added in 1936, and new machinery lines were installed in 1953 to improve production. The company developped new products using the mineral water, including colas, lemonades, orangeades and other flavoured drinks and syrups. In the 80s and 90s, the factory was also used to bottle CocaCola, Schweppes, Ice Tea and other drinks. In 1998 and again in 2001, the Spontin water company was sold and absorbed by other water companies,

38. Germain, J. “L’exploitation des sources de Spontin par la CIBE” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 650 39. ASBL Patrimoine de Spontin, “le moulin”, visited 26/03/2020 http://www.spontinvillage.be/a-voir-moulin.php 40. ASBL Patrimoine de Spontin, “le moulin”, visited 26/03/2020 http://www.spontinvillage.be/a-voir-moulin.php

41. Genette, L. “Les Eaux minèrales de Spontin” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 590-596 42. Genette, L. “Les Eaux minèrales de Spontin” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 597

The earliest exploitation of Spontin’s water was of course through the mill, an essential part of village life. The original mill of the village belonged to the lords of the Castle of Spontin. It was located across the river from the castle and was operational until the start of the 20th century. It was burnt along with the rest of the village in 1914 and never rebuilt39. The site of the old mill is now the garage Matagne. The second mill of the village, located near the historical bridge, was built in 1868 and was quite advanced technologically for its time. It continued to operate until the 1950s. Today, the mechanism still works and the owners open it to the public for visits on special occasions40.

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Image 55: Sign for the Eau de Spontin.

(in: Germain, J. et Genette, L., 2004, p. 620)

Image 56: Other signs of the Eau de Spontin. (in: Germain, J. et Genette, L., 2004, p. 618)

43. Genette, L. “Les Eaux minèrales de Spontin” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 600-602 44. Matele, “Quel avenir pour les sources de Spontin”, visited 30/03/2020, https://www.matele.be/quel-avenir-pour-les-sources-de-spontin 45. Discussion with Patrick Evrard, 19/03/2020. See interview transcript in annex.

Image 57: Etablissement des Eaux, where the Eau de Spontin was bottled. Undated postcard.

(Source: https://www.delcampe.net/fr/collections/cartes-postales/belgique/yvoir/6-kaarten-vanspontin-651618232.html)

46. Germain, J. “Les captages au XIX siècle: Spotin au secours de Bruxelles” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed.

Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 642-643 47. Germain, J. “L’exploitation des captages par la CIBE” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 649

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the latest being Spa Monopole. Spa Monopole closed the exploitation of the Spontin sources – production of Spontin source water stopped and the brand disappeared43. The factory continued to be used to bottle different branded drinks until 2010, when Spontin S.A., the holding group, declared bankruptcy44. The factory has stood empty ever since, and though parts of the building have been bought by several investors, no project has emerged yet for a renewal of Spontin’s water industry45.

La Compagnie Intercommunale Bruxelloise des Eaux (Vivaqua since 2006) The CIBE, as it is commonly referred to in Spontin, has been active in Spontin since 1892, draining the water from the water table that used to flow into the Bocq and sending it to Brussels through a complex network of inclined pipes.

The drainage and transport system was a monumental piece of engineering, completed between 1895-189946. Since then, the Compagnie has been draining between 16.000 and 45.000 cubic meters of water from Spontin every day. Though its headquarters is located in Brussels, Vivaqua’s local office to control water quality is in Spontin, in the old administrative building of the Grande Carrière by the train station, creating local employment47.

water of high quality at a very reduced price48. However the CIBE expropriated a lot of arable land when it started building its water transportation system, and has since operated on a very aggressive land acquisition policy to ensure that the quality of the water remains high. This has meant buying plots of cultivatable land and, in many cases, turning them into fallows or reforesting them49. Local farmers, facing land pressures, especially because the creation of the highway in the 1970s also led to land expropriation and a reduction in cultivable land, have in the past been fervent opponents of the CIBE50. The situation has mellowed as the CIBE eventually allowed farmers to cultivate its fallow lands, though it has continued to reforest vast tracks of land51. The company owned 13% of Spontin’s land before the fusion of 1977, meaning when Spontin was a much larger entity52.

The relationship between the village, its inhabitants and the CIBE has not always been easy. The relationship with the village authorities has often been positive because the CIBE’s system of water drainage is also supplying the village in

Today still,Vivaqua constantly controls the quality of the water and the actions of the villagers of Spontin – for example, there are strict rues about using fertilizer in your garden if it is located above a water gallery53. Demands for permit are always shown to Vivaqua, which can emit a favourable or unfavourable opinion. There have been several instances of lawsuits or threats of lawsuits, from expropriated Spontin inhabitants seeking further compensation for their lands, and from the CIBE/Vivaqua against villagers it accuses of threatening the water quality54. The relation is somewhat softened by Vivaqua’s policy of hiring locals as quality controllers and workers, ensuring that its Spontin employees act as ambassadors of the company to their neighbours55.

48. Germain, J. “Les captages au XIX siècle: Spotin au secours de Bruxelles” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed.

Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 640 49. Germain, J. “L’exploitation des captages par la CIBE” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 650-653

50. Cornut, P. “Le conflit agricole de Spontin avec la CIBA en 1973” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 656 51. Cornut, P. “Le conflit agricole de Spontin avec la CIBA en 1973” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 658-660

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Image 58: Vivaqua sign near the Grande Carrière, December 2019.

(Source: Authors)

Image 59: Etablissement des Eaux, where the Eau de Spontin was bottled. Undated postcard.

(Source: https://images-03.delcampe-static.net/img_large/auction/000/898/065/847_001.jpg)

52. Germain, J. “L’exploitation des captages par la CIBE” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvainla-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 633 53. Germain, J. “L’exploitation des captages par la CIBE” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvainla-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 652

54. Discussion with Patrick Evrard, 19/03/2020. See interview transcript in annex.

55. Germain, J. “L’exploitation des captages par la CIBE” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 653

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Stone The Condroz region is known for its stone, and the Bocq valley is riddled with quarries. Because of the geological formation of the Condroz, a succession of sloping valleys, the two main types of stones are “grès”, a sandstone, and the “petit granit de la vallée du Bocq”, a type of compact limestone also called Belgian blue stone56. Both were exploited industrially in Spontin, though their pre-industrial usage dates back at least to 1622, where a document attests to a complaint by the priest of Spontin’s church against stoner-carvers and their families, presumably in the village to build the Castle’s farm buildings57. Generally speaking, all the buildings in the village, as well as the Castle, are built with local stone, creating the typical greyish yellowish facades of the centre of Spontin, an interesting contrast to Durnal, up the hill, where the stones are yellower, probably due to the higher exploitation of sandstone58. The stone constructions that give Spontin’s centre its distinctive character date from around the 17th century, when local stones really began to be used for housing and farm buildings. Previously, the majority of the building stock, with the exception of the church and castle, was half-timbered thatched cottages (“maison en colombages”)59. Before the 19th century, quarrying activities were seasonal and limited to local use60.

In the Condroz, most villages are characterised today by sandstone or limestone rubble (“moellons” in French), large blocks of stone originating in nearby quarries. In Spontin, the use of local materials was always encouraged and brick buildings were forbidden in the village centre until the 1960s, which explains why brick buildings are scattered away from the centre and concentrated in the new construction areas.

56. Marion, J-M. and Barchy, L. “Le Context géologique de Spontin” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 274-275 57. Germain, J. “les carrières et le travail de la pierre » in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 557

58. This difference in coloration of stone housing in the two village was observed on our first visit to Spontin, 25/11/2019, when professor Coomans kindly drove us around the valley to give us an overview of the project settings.

59. Fortemps, V. « L’openfield Condruzien et Spontin », in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L.

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Image 60: The Ferraris Map indicates a ‘carriere’ between Spontin and Dorinne, which corresponds to the Trou des Chats.

(Source: WalonMap - altered by Spontin Team)

Image 61: Schematic representation of house material types - blue for limestone; yellow for sandstone; red for brick; green for concrete. (in: Germain, J. et Genette, L., 2004, p.304. / Source: Vincent Fortemps)

(Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 298 60. Germain, J. “Les carrières et le travail de la pierre », in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvainla-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 557-558

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Industrial Exploitation of Stone There were several quarries operating in Spontin over different periods, as well as lime kilns and stone and marble sawmills. The majority of these activities took place during the 19th and 20th centuries, until the quarries slowly died out.

The valley yields two types of limestones: a | the famous “Petit granit de la vallée du Bocq”, a compact and nonporous crinoid limestone riddled with crinoids of different sizes spread unevently in the rock, and some larger coral fossils; b | the Belgian blue stone, also a crinoid limestone riddled with fossil debris which give it a shinier finish.

Both limestones are grey-blue in colour.

Grande Carriere: (“Petit granit de la vallée du Bocq”) 1855 – 1958, but probably exploited long before. Lime kilns.

La Rochette: (sandstone) 1884-1986 Du Marteau: (sandstone), unknown dates Des Nutons: (“Petit granit de la vallée du Bocq”) 1900 – 1983. Lime kilns.

Le Trou des Chats: (Belgian blue stone) from 1771 at least (Ferraris map) until 1914, then 1967 to today. It is the only quarry near Spontin still active today.

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Image 62: Location of quarries around Spontin.

(Source: adaptation over GoogleMaps)

Image 63: Today, the Carrière de la Rochette is an area protected for biodiversity. December, 2019.

(Source: Authors)

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Image 64: Stone-cutters of the Grande Carrière. (in: Germain, J. et Genette, L., 2004, p.565)

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Image 65: 1910 postcard of the Grande Carrière.

(Source: Delcampe.net)

Image 66: Ruins of kilns near the quarry. December, 2019.

(Source: Authors)

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The Railway The arrival of rail in Spontin is directly connected to the stone industry of the region and the need to transport heavy materials out of the valley. The line 128, linking Yvoir to Ciney, opened between Ciney and Spontin in 1898.

It finally went beyond Spontin in 1902, after four years spent digging the tunnel61. From the start of operations, though the line was open to travellers and responsible in part for tourism growth in Spontin, the majority of trains were freight trains carrying stones quarried in Spontin and water from the Etablissement des Eaux located right by the train tracks and with its own train stop (though no real station), Spontin-Sources62. Several quarries requested and were granted rail extensions that allowed them to charge wagons full of stones with a crane63. The peak of the line usage was in the interwar period, when industrial activity in Spontin was at its most active. The line remained quite busy until the 1960s. In 1960, the line closed to travellers and only served as a merchandise line. Travellers used replacement bus lines. In 1983, the line officially closed between Ciney and Spontin64. It saw no traffic until 1992, when the Patrimoine Ferrovière Touristique, an organisation highlighting train heritage, operated it for a few summer days as a tourism initiative. The success of this project has led to the “Chemin de Fer du Bocq”, a tourist line that now operates a few trains a week during the summer season65. In the meanwhile, the train station

itself has been bought by the commune and is managed by the ASBL “le Patrimoine de Spontin” as a function and events room since 199366.

61. Wilmet, J-L. “La ligne 128 à Spontin, entre passé et avenir”, in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 665 62. Wilmet, J-L. “La ligne 128 à Spontin, entre passé et avenir”, in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004),672, 675

63. Wilmet, J-L. “La ligne 128 à Spontin, entre passé et avenir”, in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 672 64. Wilmet, J-L. “La ligne 128 à Spontin, entre passé et avenir”, in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004),679

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Image 67: The current ligne 128 runs as a tourism train through the summer between Ciney and Everhailles-Bauche, but the historical line went all the way to Yvoir.

(Source: https://www.cfbocq.be/index.php/fr/horaires/52-2018-01-03-09-57-36?date=2019-07-07-10-00)

Image 68: Spontin train station, 1934 postcard.

(Source: geneanet.org)

Image 69: Spontin train station nowadays.

(Source: Authors)

65. Wilmet, J-L. “La ligne 128 à Spontin, entre passé et avenir”, in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004),682 66. Wilmet, J-L. “La ligne 128 à Spontin, entre passé et avenir”, in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004),680

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23rd August 1914: A Day of Horrors On the 23rd of August 1914, German soldiers passing through and occupying Spontin burn it to the ground.

Victims: 45, including 10 children who burned or asphyxiated in the fires of their homes. At the time the total of inhabitants in Spontin was 663. The number of victims only includes those who perished on the 23rd of August 1914, but a group of male villagers were made prisoners by the German troops, beaten and forced to walk considerable distances. Some of them perished as a result of their wounds.

Houses: 133 burned houses67. This represents 83% of the housing stock, with another 4 houses where the fire started but was quickly put out, and 14 houses that avoided the fire completely and were not damaged.

According to postcards and the road reorganisation plan of 1923, many of the houses were rebuilt relatively quickly. By 1916, only 25 houses still had to be rebuilt68. The church however was completely destroyed, the troops having used petrol to start fires and attacking the building with axes69. The building needed to be entirely rebuilt. This was done by 192270.

The Monument aux Morts stands in the memory of all the victims of this day of horrors on the square by the castle, before the bridge.

Image 70: Spontin’s Monument aux Morts, remembering the 45 victims of 1914 as well as soldiers fallen during the 1914-18 war.

(Source: Kaanan Thakkar)

67. Wouez, A. Spontin, Durnal & Dorinne, (Brussels: Editions Techniques et Scientifiques, 1958), 191 68. Germain, J. & Schraverus, B. Spontin de sang et de feu (Editions Martagon 2014), 81 69. Germain, J. & Schraverus, B. Spontin de sang et de feu (Editions Martagon 2014), 39-39 70. Parfonry, A & Germain, J. “L’église au milieu du village” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette,

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L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 494

Image 71: The majority of houses have been reconstructed, while the church is still a ruin.Undated postcard. (in: https://www.geneanet.org/cartes-postales/view/6891688#0)

Image 72: Houses destroyed in the village after the 23rd August 1914. (in: Spontin de sang et de feu. Editions Martagon, 2014. P. 81)

Image 73:Destroyed church in the background; some houses have been rebuilt.

(Source: https://www.geneanet.org/cartes-postales/view/6891692#0)

Image 74: The ruins of the Church of St Georges, Spontin.

(Source: http://meuse-histoire-balade.e-monsite.com/pages/spontinen-remontant-le-bocq.html)

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Tourism Comes to Spontin There are two periods of tourism growth in Spontin – the initial arrival of tourists at the end of the 19th century, and a growing tourism industry which reaches its peak in the 1950-60s71. From the end of the 19th century onwards, a number of restaurants and hotels develop in Spontin, including the Hotel du Cheval Blanc, located across from the Ferme de la Bouverie. It is no longer a hotel today, though it still operates as a restaurant72. A notable restaurant, initiated in 1957 by the Baron de Pierpont in the Castle farm, was Le Bailli, a reputed restaurant with famous chefs in the kitchen. The restaurant closed in 1989 when the castle was sold73.

The camping Quesval The camping arrived in Spontin as an initiative of the Ministry of Public Health to boost tourism in the Ardenne et Meuse region, as part of a lot of 5 camping sites74. It opened in 1963 and was managed by the ASBL “le Patrimoine de Spontin”. In 1963, the camping saw 4,829 campers, 50% coming from Belgium and the rest from the Netherlands, France, the UK and Germany and a few others. By 1967, the camping recorded 14,499 stays. The number decreased to 7,013 stays in 1974. By the 90s, 1/8th of revenues was due to transitory camping.

The remaining 7/8th came from year-long camping. The Quesval camping, though originally a touristic enterprise, now mostly serves a local population living there year-round75.

71. Germain, J. Genette, L. “Hotels, restaurants et cafés” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 703, 707 72. Germain, J. Genette, L. “Hotels, restaurants et cafés” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 703-705

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The swimming pool A communal initiative, the open-air swimming pool, located opposite castle across the Bocq, was built in 1957, with an associated playground which still exists, modernised, today. The first in the region, it drew visitors from nearby villages as well as from the camping and was very successful during summer. The entrance cost 10 francs. Like the camping, the pool was managed by the ASBL “le Patrimoine de Spontin”76. Because of the high price of maintenance and the commune’s inability to meet the high cost of getting the pool up to modern health norms and regulations, it closed definitively after the summer of 199077.

The baron de Pierpont Mayor for nearly 40 years (1932-70), he took initiatives for the development of the village and its tourism attractions, which already existed before his interventions but had been severely impacted by the fire of 191478. His wife, baroness Geneviève van Caloen, was the owner of the Castle of Spontin79. Following her death in 1935, he became owner of the castle and from 1948 onwards he opened it to the public for visits and events. The baron de Pieropont was an instigator for many of the village’s projects, including the creation of the camping, the swimming pool, the cinema in the castle wing and the playground. In many cases, he gave, sold or exchanged parcels of land belonging to the Castle to facilitate these projects80.

73. Germain, J. Genette, L. “Hotels, restaurants et cafés” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 707-708 74. Huby, R. Germain, J. “Le camping Le Quesval” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004) 727

Image 75:Undated postcard of the camping.

(Source: Thomas Coomans)

Image 76: Hotel du Bocq. Undated postcard.

(Source: https://www.delcampe.net/fr/collections/cartes-postales/belgique/yvoir/spontin-panorama-edmosa-891227995.html)

75. Huby, R. Germain, J. “Le camping Le Quesval” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-laNeuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004) 730-732 76. Huby, R. Germain, J. “Le camping Le Quesval” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-laNeuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004) 735-739

77.Huby, R. Germain, J. “Le camping Le Quesval” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004) 742 78.Germain, J. “Le baron de Pierpont et quelques personnalités Spontinoises” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed.

Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004) 397

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Image 77:Undated postcard of the camping.In the background, the castle.

(Source: Thomas Coomans)

79. Germain, J. “Le baron de Pierpont et quelques personnalités Spontinoises” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed.

Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004) 398 80. Germain, J. “Le baron de Pierpont et quelques personnalités Spontinoises” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed.

Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004) 398-399

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Image 78:Swimming pool. In the background, Hotel du Bocq.

(Source: https://www.delcampe.net/fr/collections/cartes-postales/belgique/yvoir/spontin-le-bassin-denatation-895752613.html)

Image 79:Swimming pool.

(in: Germain, J. et Genette, L., 2004, p. 738)

Image 80:Aerial view of the swimming pool, between the castle and the playground. (in: Germain, J. et Genette, L., 2004, p. 735)

Image 81:Swimming pool.

(in: Germain, J. et Genette, L., 2004, p. 738)

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The Highway One last major change in the history of Spontin occured with the arrival of the highway, which significantly improved the accessibility of the Bocq valley and of Spontin in particular, which is located directly at the highway exit. Created in the 1970s, the highway E411/ A4 connects the Luxembourg region to Brussels, passing by Namur. Spontin is but one stop on this road, but its connection to the highway has made it a popular destination for young families working in bigger cities looking to settle somewhere green71.

71. Fortemps, V. “Regards croissés sur la Haie Collaux” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 391-394

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Image 82:Aerial view of Spontin and the highway.

(Source: Google Earth)

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chapter two

Image 83

Documentation & Analysis

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Urban

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Macro Scale Our choice of macro, meso and micro scale involved a lot of discussion.

We always knew that we wanted to consider the village as a whole, so our macro was not too difficult to define, but our meso and micro were more complicated to determine. We tried to think in terms of scales that made sense, both according to the historical evolution of the building and the village, and according to the urban fabric of the village.

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Our macro scale was the easiest scale to define. It includes the whole village, limited by the highway to the East and Dorinne to the West. This scale includes the Centre GĂŠograpique de Wallonie and the Ferme de Salazinne, which are a bit further than the boundaries of the village itself but that we consider important to the economic and cultural assets of the village. The macro scale also allows us to take into consideration in our analysis the camping, on the Easternmost side of the village, and the two large quarries, to the North and South, as well as the modern extension of Spontin to the West.

Image 84: Macro Scale.

(Source: Authors).

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Meso Scale Our meso scale evolved over time and was the subject of a lot of discussion.

In our initial conception of the scales, the meso looked more like our current micro – it incorporated the church, the crossroads and the mill.

But discussions with Professor Lievevrouw highlighted that the Castle of Spontin and the train station were also part of our story, and the connection to these spaces was important to understand the urban fabric, connection and traffic in the centre of the village in front of the house. The resulting meso scale includes the entire historical centre of Spontin, with essential elements such as the church, the Castle, the train station and the mill.

The process to define our meso scale involved identifying the important elements of the village to our analysis. We broke down the village into sections, including the two East and West modern extensions, the historical centre, and the Castle and train station.

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Image 85: Meso Scale.

(Source: Authors).

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Image 86: Meso Scale.

(Source: Authors).

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Image 87: Meso Scale.

(Source: Authors)

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Micro Scale Our initial micro scale included only our building and parcel, putting the neighbour’s building, the church and the crossroads as part of our meso scale. However discussions with different professors and feedback from our intermediate presentations highlighted the importance of taking the whole U-shaped farm complex as part of the micro-scale, to keep the historical significance of the farm as a whole. It is also difficult to separate the house from the church, opposite the street and an essential part of the history and development of our building. The direct connection between the farm and the church, with the street leading to the church in the continuation of our farm road, also highlights this importance. We took these comments into consideration and extended our meso-scale, but our focus has always been on the front of the house, where the current village centre is located. We had long discussions amongst ourselves about which direction we wanted to focus on; towards the historical core of the village, looking South towards the church and the courtyard of the house, or towards the current centre of the village, North of the house with the crossroad and the shops. We were really interested in the current centre, as a lot of the issues we identified in our urban chapter were located at the crossroad and involved the traffic and pedestrian access in front of the house. The North side of the house is also very important to the understanding of the cross window, which offers a perspective down to the river and the mill. Our conclusion was to include both the historical and current centres of the village in our micro, resulting in a very large micro-scale but allowing us to consider the heritage value of the

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farm complex as a whole, and offer proposals to improve the current village centre.

Image 88: Micro Scale.

(Source: Authors)

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Image 89:Scales.

(Source: Authors).

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Image 90: View of the extension of the micro scale - the building at the end of Rue des ReviĂŠres is the mill, marking the borders of the micro scale.

(Source: Authors).

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Maps & Analysis Strengths Spontin is notable for its pleasing and homogeneous townscape. Arriving in the village, one of the first things visitors notice is the coherence of the built fabric, with large stone houses built from the same local stones, creating a strong continuity throughout the village and giving it its charming atmosphere.

Spontin’s urban quality is strengthened by its important cultural and natural heritage, for the most part well-maintained and highlighted through an awareness raising strategy with information panels throughout the village.

The fact that such a small village has a significant collection of heritage and natural sites of value recognised by legal protection is impressive.

The village is well integrated within its landscape, following the hills and the dips of the topography and integrating the local natural resources into the village. The Bocq river flows down the centre of the village and the local stone acts as a visible reminder of Spontin’s anchoring in its environment on every façade. In this sense, it can be useful to think about Spontin as a historic urban landscape with the built fabric of the village surrounding the river, and the stone quarries and the fields and farms around it.

Spontin’s strength also relies on the presence of basic infrastructure. There is enough in the village to live comfortably without needing to visit larger cities every day. The villagers are always proud to remind us that there is a bakery, several bars and restaurants, a pharmacy, a GP and a supermarket.

This remains basic but is enough to cover daily needs of the approximately 800 inhabitants, and is a contrast to the nearby villages which are mostly without such infrastructure.

Another key feature of Spontin is its nature – it is surrounded by forests and fields, and the hills of the Bocq valley create a spectacular backdrop.

During all our visits, we were very impressed by the quality of the natural environment, both around and inside the village. The walk by the river and on the small island in front of the mill is incredibly peaceful, and the small tracks burrowing into the forest near the Grande Carrière are majestic and full of mystery.

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Topography

Image 91: Topographic Map. (Source: Authors)

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Built - Unbuilt

Image 92: Built-Unbuilt (Source: Authors).

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Building Functions

Image 93: Building Functions.

(Source: Authors).

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Pressure points The presence of traffic is striking in Spontin, and the busy main road, the ChausĂŠe de Dinant, jars with the peacefulness and tranquillity of the surrounding streets. The village is cut in two by a National road that connects the valley to the highway A4. The traffic is heavy, fast, and in some cases where there is no visibility at crossings, dangerous. This is compounded by the heavy flow of transport trucks which take resources in and out of the valley passing through the centre of the village. This heavy traffic is problematic in several ways; it cuts the village in two, it creates noise and environmental pollution (which is compounded by the presence of numerous speeding motorcyclists) and it also turns the centre of the village in a busy thoroughfare, preventing any kind of pleasant placemaking or community activity in this area.

The village is also distinctly car-oriented, and not pedestrian friendly. The sidewalks, when they exist, are very narrow, like in front of our farmhouse.

There are also entire streets deprived of sidewalks, leaving pedestrians huddling against walls when a car comes by. This situation is particularly dangerous on the part of the ChausĂŠe de Dinant which connects the castle to the village centre, and in front of our farmhouse and garden, where the sidewalk is so narrow it is very unpractical. The heavy traffic of the ChaussĂŠe de Dinant makes this situation dangerous.

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To a lesser extent, the urban situation of Spontin is also divided in two parts, between the historical centre and its stone houses, and the newer extensions on the East and West edges of the village. This is the result of the planning policies, which forbade new construction materials in the village centre, meaning that even new houses had to use local stone and integrate more or less seamlessly into the built fabric of the village. Nevertheless, the supermarket acts as nexus point, positioned at the joint between the new and the old and generating traffic from both, creating a meeting point.

Mobility

Image 94: Mobility.

(Source: Authors)

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Natural Resources

Image 95: Natural Resources.

(Source: Authors)

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Urban Infrastructure

Image 96: Urban Infrastructure (Source: Authors).

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Architectural

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Image 97: View of the West faรงade. March 2020.

(Source: Authors)

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Image 98: North faรงade from the Chaussee de Dinant. March 2020.

(Source: Authors)

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Survey Total station On our first day of surveying, we started by splitting up in two teams and setting up the total stations. We lost a lot of time setting up but managed to start recording points on the North façade and inside the house. Setting up the total stations inside the house sometimes took significant amounts of time because the wooden floor created small oscillations, disturbing our set up every time we walked around it. We started with three set up points, one in the parking in front of the house, one on the ground floor in the corridor in front of the door to the North façade and one on the first floor in bedroom 2 (room 15). From these three reference set up points, we then moved the total stations around the house and took points for the front façade and the first and ground floors. By the end of the second day, we had total station points for the ground floor corridor, living room, bathroom and laundry rooms. On the first floor we had points in bedroom 2, the corridor, and the annex. Outside, we had total station set ups all around the house, connecting to the set ups inside the corridor, and points on all the façades.

We used two different techniques to take points inside – on the ground floor, as recommended by Maarten, we took a variety of points around the room at different heights. On the first floor, as recommended by Hendrik, we locked the total station at 1.2 m (height where we cut our horizontal

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sections for the plan) and took points all around the room, essentially drawing a line of points at 1.2m. In hindsight, and after importing our point cloud data into AutoCAD, we realised that the method Hendrik gave us made much more sense for our purpose because we had an exact set of points, giving us an accurate outline of our rooms. We just had to connect the points to create our plan.

We realised later that the points acquired through Maarten’s technique, taken at different heights, did not allow us to create an accurate horizontal section at 1.2m because the walls of our house are not straight but taper inwards towards the ceiling. So the points we took higher than 1.2m were not in the right location to draw the 1.2 horizontal section, though they were useful reference points to connect and anchor the laser scan pointclouds.

For the façades, we used the total station to take points at the corners of windows, doors and stones and recorded the name of the points on our sketches of the façades. This allowed us to draw our elevations, but also acted as control points for our photogrammetry. We also used the total station to take points in the street next to and in front of the house, allowing us to create an accurate representation of the street levels and the slope of our house in our drawings.

Laser scanner We started laser scanning the basement on the first day of survey. We then realised that these scans were too dark, so we took them again on our second day of our survey, and connected them through the staircases to the attics and the stable. We made sure that we had total station targets in our scans, allowing us to scale and anchor the laser scans to the total station points. Combining our laser scanner pointcloud and the points from the total station allowed us to draw everything accurately.

measurements of all the rooms that we did not take with total station or laser scanner. These included the kitchen and the dining room on the ground floor, and bedrooms 1, 3, 4 and 5, on the first floor as well as bedroom 6 on the second floor. We also took all the heights for the two vertical sections and measurements for all the details including window and door frames, fireplaces and ledges. We also used hand measurements to place the rain pipes on our plans.

Photogrammetry We came back to Spontin on a sunny day to conduct the photogrammetry pictures. We took hundreds of photos per faรงade, then selected the ones we wanted to use and put them through the Photoscan software, following the workflow to get orthomosaics of our faรงades. We imported these in AutoCAD to draw our elevations.

Hand measurements We returned to Spontin after our two days of survey to take hand

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Basement Floor Plan

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Ground Floor Plan

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First Floor Plan

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Second Floor Plan

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Mezzanine Floor Plan

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Section AA’

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Section BB’

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North Facade

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West Facade

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South Facade

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East Facade

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Photogrammetry North Facade

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West Facade

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South Facade

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East Facade

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3D Model

Image 99:Volume of the house (South-West perspective) (Source: Authors)

Image 100: Volume of the house (North-East perspective).

(Source: Authors).

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Building Investigations For the purpose of this chapter, we will be refering to: The farmhouse: the building owned by the Coomans family, that corresponds to the “corps-de-logis� of the Ferme de la Bouverie.

e

ous h m r a

F

The Ferme de la Bouverie/farm: the whole U-shaped farm complex, including the farmhouse, the barn and the stable as well as land associated with the property.

Barn

Stable Image 101:The buildings composing the farm.The farmhouse is owned by the Coomans family, and the barn and the stable belong to the neighbour.

(Source: Authors)

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Architectural Research We have very little information directly related to the farm, there are very few documents available and what exists, especially related to the more ancient history of the farm, is located in the family archive of the BeaufortSpontin in Pilsen, Czechoslovakia1. This section is therefore relatively short – we try to reconstruct the history of our farmhouse through what written and visual sources we have. Photographic witnesses become more frequent in the 20th century, helping us to reconstruct recent history. For clarity, we have divided this section in two, first focusing on the changes to the plot, the surroundings and the topography and then on the evolution of the house itself, but of course these two are intimately connected.

Documents

of the barn. If it refers to the stable in the farmhouse building, it would suggest that the there already was a stable in the place of the 1823 stable, built in 1676.

• A 15 January 1754 document stating that the Cense des Pierre and the Blanche Cense together are worth 150 to 160 “bonniers de terre”. Both belonged to the Lords of Spontin4. Bonniers are a unit of measure which stand for 14,000m². With 150-160 bonniers, these two farms share between 210-224 hectares of land. Farms of more than 50ha were considered large farms, so both these farms were significant5.

• The Ferraris map (1777) – the stable doesn’t seem to be there, but this document is not necessarily reliable or to scale.

• We have an undated document that states that the Cense des Pierres (old name of the Ferme de la Bouverie) belonged to the Castle, along with 6 other farms2.

• The earliest Belgian cadastre (1830) - the whole farm complex is there.

• A 1676 document in the archives of Namur indicates the construction of stable with stone3. As mentioned in the typology section, we have at least three stables in the farm. Our inability to view said document does not help us identify which of the buildings it is referring to, it could be either the stable in the South wing of the complex, or the small stable in the last bay

• A 1923 re-alignement plan for the Chausée de Dinant.

1. Discussion with Patrick Evrard, 19/03/2020. See interview transcript in annex.

2. Wouez, A. Spontin, Durnal & Dorinne, (Brussels: Editions Techniques et Scientifiques, 1958), 64 3. We learned of the existence of this document when interviewing Jean Germain (see interview transcript, Annex).

Unfortunately because of Covid-19 we were not able to access it.

4. Wouez, A. Spontin, Durnal & Dorinne, (Brussels: Editions Techniques et Scientifiques, 1958) 49 5. Architecture Rurale de Wallonie Condroz, ed. Mardaga, P. (Liège: Mardaga, 1989), 75

• 1872 sales plan.

• A variety of dated and undated postcards and photos.

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Image 102: Ferraris map - The place marked is the parcel..

(Source: WalonMap).

132

Image 103: The first Belgian Cadastre - The place marked is the parcel..

(Source: WalonMap).

Image 104: 1872 sales plan.

(Source: Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, 2004).

Image 105: 1923 re-alignment plan.

(Source: Thomas Coomans).

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Ferme de la Bouverie A brief construction history c. 1104 ?

???

The farm is one of the oldest and most important of the village. The site was likely occupied from an early period.

The earliest building was probably made of perishable materials. It was likely a halftimbered, thatched building.

134

???

An early stone construction?

(See our hypotheses in the Typology section)

17th C

First datable evidence of a construction (see North façade building archaeology).

The farmhouse building existed, it is possible that there was a low building where the barn is located today. There may have been several other buildings of perishable materials.

17th C - 1823

1823

Extensions:

Extensions:

• stable • barn

The farmhouse is renovated. The roof is raised, new openings are created and the South façade is completely redone in a classical style.

See the Typology section for other possible changes dated 1823.

A 1676 document attests to a stone construction on the property. The Ferraris map of 1777 seems to indicate the stable was not yet built then (the accuracy is not very high so this information is not very reliable).

By 1830, the farm as the U-shaped complex that we know today was completed (see 1830 Belgian cadaster).

1914

1955

2018

The house is burnt with the rest of the village - we suppose that the roof, the floors and all wooden elements are destroyed.

Reconstruction is completed by 1924.

The dirt road cutting through the parcel is demolished to create a square and parking in front of the North façade, called Place de Vitteaux.

The farm is sold to two separate owners and divided into two.

Image 106:The house, presumably before 1914. We can see a small annex at the front of the house, a stone wall and possibly the pumping mechanism of a well.

(Source: Vincent Fortemps)

135

On the next page, similar views of the farmhouse, before (right) and after (left) 1914, as can be seen from the shape of the church tower.

The building in front of the house is different in both photos. We know that the new building, shaped like a small castle, complete with tower and turrets, dates from approximately 19206.As most houses look reconstructed we can assume the photo was taken after 1922.

6. Germain, J. Genette, L. “Hotels, restaurants et cafés” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004), 703, 707

136

Image 107: Undated postcard.

(Source: delcampe.net).

Image 108: Undated postcard.

(Source: delcampe.net).

137

On the next page, the two pictures, from before and after 1914, show the side of the house. It seems that the small plot of land at the front of the house followed the slope of the street. It is not incredibly clear in these photos, but in the second one we can guess the tracing of “chemin n°46” (yellow), which used to cut the parcel in two.

138

Image 109: Undated postcard (Source: Thomas Coomans)

Image 110: Undated postcard (Source: Thomas Coomans)

139

In these postcards from after 1955, we can clearly see the new parking “place de Vitteaux” (green), which led to the destruction of the “chemin n°46”.

We also see a small building (pink) on the Rue du Bouchat in front of the courtyard, which has dissapeared today.

Image 111: Undated postcard (Source: Thomas Coomans)

140

Image 112: Undated postcard (Source: Thomas Coomans)

Image 113: Undated postcard (Source: Thomas Coomans)

141

From the plans and the photos, we pieced together the evolution of the parcel throughout the years.

Chemin n°46 dividing the parcel in two

Images 114-117: Parcel evolution (Source: Authors)

142

One single parcel, reduced at the North side by the parking lot (c. 1955)

Parcels are divided to be sold (map according to the sales plan)

Coomans family purchases the North parcel

143

Children playing in front of the farmhouse, c. 1940. The wall separating the garden from the street did not exist. We can also see a different kind of wooden window panes, painted white. The stone building at the right, across the courtyard, has dissapeared today.

Image 118: Photo circa 1940.

(Source: roue-libre.be)

144

The building that juts out of the street is the same as the one in the right of the previous photograph, marked in pink. It is no longer there today.

Image 119: Photo circa 1940.

(Source: Vincent Fortemps)

145

The building in front of the farm functioning as a cafĂŠ, across the rue du Bouchat, has also dissapeared today.

Image 120: Undated postcard.

(Source: delcampe.net)

146

Image 121: Undated postcard.

(Source: delcampe.net)

147

The difference in level between the two parcels of the farm today was not present.

Image 122: Undated re-colorised photo..

(Source: Vincent Fortemps)

148

Today there is a level difference between the Coomans’ property and the neighbour’s, separating the courtyard in two.

Image 123: Photo of the courtyard.

(Source: Thomas Coomans)

149

The courtyard of the farmhouse used to follow the slope of the hill. The opening to the stable was closed off. These photos show one of the doors to the barn before the neighbour made changes to his building.

The neighbour’s barn and stable went through recent changes. The stable door was reopened and the doors of the barn were replaced by windows.

There is now a wall separating the farm from the street Rue de la Bouverie.

Image 124: Undated re-colorised photo.

(Source: Vincent Fortemps)

150

Image 125: Former door to the stable.

(Source: Vincent Fortemps)

Image 126: Part of the courtyard. Recent photo.

(Source: Thomas Coomans)

151

Image 127: Undated photo.

(Source: Thomas Coomans)

152

Building Archaeology North façade Studying the North façade, we can determine at least one, potentially two early phases, thanks to the different stone carvings and the remains of previous buildings on the façade.

The stone cutting “en rustique” is typical of the 17th century . We can find this type of stone cutting around the cross window and the remains of an old door and potentially an old window. There are also stones cut “en rustique” all around the building. We believe these are remnants of the old openings of the house, which were redesigned in 1823. During the redesign, the stones were recycled around the building. Their presence in the annex allowed us to determine that it was probably built as part of the 1823 extension.

7

are the same on both the ground and the first floor, and in the extended East end of the North façade. These stone door and window frames are homogeneous all around the building, notably the South façade, which we assume was modernised to a neo-classical style at this time.

We have two different roofing periods, one of slates that is coloured in green and a more recent one in asbestos-cement tiles that we coloured in red. As we know that all of the wood of the structure probably burnt to the ground in 1914, we assume that the first phase dates from 1914 to an undefined date, when the slates above the housing area of the farmhouse were replaced with asbestos-cement tiles.

East façade

The presence of rougher stone cuttings on the corner of an older building makes us wonder if there are one or two early phases of construction. We can approximately date the cross window to the 17th century, we assume that the corner indicates either the 17th century building or an earlier one.

The date 1823 gives us the exact time of the creation of this façade, which is connected to the extension of the building to the East and the re-arranging of the openings to a symmetrical, neo-classical style with new frames.

The 1823 phase of extension is visible through the extension of the East end of the North façade and the extra level, above the 17th century wall. The 19th century is also when they added the stone door and window frames. These

South façade This façade is homogeneous, as opposed to the North façade, which

7. Architecture Rurale de Wallonie Condroz, ed. Mardaga, P. (Liège: Mardaga, 1989), 110

153

shows the scars of the building’s evolution. We believe this whole façade was re-imagined in 1823 as a modernised, neo-classical building. Such modernisations and extensions were a common trend in the 19th century8.

The stone window and door frames are the same as the ones of the North façade, allowing us to determine that they date from the same phase of construction. The vast amount of recycled “en rustique” stones all over the building probably originate from this façade’s original openings as well as the North façade’s.

West façade We see a distinctive lower roof line on this façade, which distinguishes the older building from the 1823 extension phase. Our photos also indicate that the window into the living room, with a concrete plate, arrived during the 1960s.

Because of the homogeneity of the South and East façades, we decided to concentrate our building archaeology efforts on the North and West façades, which had more to reveal.

Images 128-129: Comparison of the volumes of the 17th C. building and the 1823 building, according to our building archaeology of the North and East façades.

(Source: Authors)

8. Architecture Rurale de Wallonie Condroz, ed. Mardaga, P. (Liège: Mardaga, 1989), 114

154

The stone carvings of the North faรงade

155

Building archaeology on the North faรงade

156

Building archaeology on the West faรงade

157

Early Hypotheses It is difficult, in view of the important changes that have transformed the farmhouse over time, to adequately propose a building typology for our farmhouse and the complex it belongs to. Nevertheless, we will attempt to describe its possible typology below.

It is important to note that the extension of 1823 and the modern additions of the neighbour have modified the buildings to an important extent. It is possible that the fire of 1914, which we believe burned the vast majority of the wood of the complex, also significantly changed the typology of the farm, especially its internal layout. We are uncertain about what existed on the site prior to the 17th century, though we present possible hypotheses.

hypothesis 1: an early tower Typologically, some of the farms of the region are remains of older tower houses, inhabited by local families with some power. These buildings would have been the first in stone on their sites, surrounded by buildings in perishable materials. As the farms expanded, the tower would have slowly become absorbed by the other farm buildings, progressively built in stone9. We put forward this hypothesis because the living room walls are all of a similar thickness and start from the basement all the way up to the second floor.

Image 130: Hypothetical volume of the early tower.

(Source: Authors)

9. Architecture Rurale de Wallonie Condroz, ed. Mardaga, P. (Liège: Mardaga, 1989), 95

158

Basement

Ground Floor

First Floor

Second Floor

159

hypothesis 2: a smaller farmhouse We put this hypothesis forward because the width of the East and West walls of this hypothesis are both much thicker than the other walls, between 0.90-1m.

Image 132: Hypothetical volume of the smaller farmhouse.

(Source: Authors)

This hypothesis could corresponds to the typology of early farms, which were usually bi-cellular, with one room for the kitchen and one as a sleeping and living space10. The floor above would probably have been the attic, and the roof line would have been lower than in the building today, possibly corresponding to the roofline of the 17th century. The orientation of the house would also have been different, with the West and East façades as the main façades of the house. This could explain the unusual openings on the wall of one of the first floor bedrooms, which could be the remain of an older window or opening belonging to this early phase of the house.

Image 131: This opening on the first floor makes us wonder if it is a leftover from an older building.

(Source: Authors)

10. Architecture Rurale de Wallonie Condroz, ed. Mardaga, P. (Liège: Mardaga, 1989), 77-78

160

Basement

Ground Floor

First Floor

161

hypothesis 3: a combination of both Our early building could also have been a combination of our two previous hypotheses. This form would match the existing basement.

Image 133: Volume hypothesis on former building.

(Source: Authors)

162

Basement

Ground Floor

First Floor

163

Typology a note on the ‘cense wallone’ La Bouverie farmhouse has had a different name – early documents call it “la Cense des Pierres”.

The cense is a typical farmhouse typology in the South of Belgium. It usually refers to a self-contained, closed courtyard farm. The closing of the courtyard takes several generations, so unlesss it is a farm wholly built in the 18th and 19th centuries in a single wave of planning, the buildings can reveal a complex chronology. However, and this complicates the analysis of our farm, in the Condroz, large U-shaped exploitations largely open on the street are also called censes12. This is the case for our farm.

Images 134 and 135: Left: Closed plan farm, where the courtyard is enclosed by the surrounding buildings Right: Open plan farm, where the courtyard is accessible from the street and surroundings.

There are also semi-closed farms, where the courtyard is closed off from the street by fences ot walls.

Source: Architecture Rurale de Wallonie Condroz, ed. Mardaga, P. (Liège: Mardaga, 1989), 21

12. Butil, P., De Jonghe, S., Genicot, L-F. Le Patrimoine rural de Wallonie: la maison paysanne (Bruxelles : Crédit communal; 1996) 38-40

164

the U-shaped farm complex The U-shaped complex of the Bouverie Farm is big, indicating a well-off farming exploitation. This is supported by its original name, “Cense des Pierres”: cense was a term used for big agricultural exploitation13. The complex is a courtyard farm, meaning it is organised in multiple buildings around a courtyard, as opposed to smaller farms which were contained within a single building. This spread over several buildings also suggests the wealth of the farm14. Our farm is an open plan farm, meaning that there are gaps between the buildings and that it is open to public space, as opposed to closed plan farms, where the courtyard was fully enclosed by buildings, fences and walls15. The farm complex in the past was probably even more open than it is today, as the East courtyard wall of stone facing the church is a modern addition – historical postcards from the 1940s reveal that it used to be a flimsy fence. We can imagine that in previous periods, there may have been a similar type of perishable separation, or no separation at all between the courtyard and the street.

farm complex in two different parcels with different ownership has led to the division of the courtyard in two – the South side of the courtyard has been levelled and there is a wide step separating it from the North side.

The access between the two is possible through small stone steps in front of the barn building. In the past, this courtyard would have been in one plane, sloping gently towards the North, following the slope of the Rue du Bouchat. This is visible in historical postcards.

The wealth of the farm is also expressed in the size of the central courtyard, which acted as a passageway for men, animals and agricultural goods, and where could be stored a sizable pile of manure, combustible reserves, farming equipment, ploughs and carts16. Today, the separation of the

13. Architecture Rurale de Wallonie Condroz, ed. Mardaga, P. (Liège: Mardaga, 1989), 75 14. Butil, P., De Jonghe, S., Genicot, L-F. Le Patrimoine rural de Wallonie: la maison paysanne (Bruxelles : Crédit communal; 1996) 29-30 15. Butil, P., De Jonghe, S., Genicot, L-F. Le Patrimoine rural de Wallonie: la maison paysanne (Bruxelles : Crédit

communal; 1996), 29 16. Butil, P., De Jonghe, S., Genicot, L-F. Le Patrimoine rural de Wallonie: la maison paysanne (Bruxelles : Crédit communal; 1996), 50

165

The barn is “en double large�, meaning that there are two entrances to the barn volume, on the long side of the building.

Image 136: Undated photo.

(Source: Thomas Coomans)

166

Different types of barns. The typology depends on the location and number of entrances.

Image 137: Barn typology in the Condroz region.

(Source: Architecture Rurale de Wallonie Condroz, 1989, 21)

The steps between the two different levels of the courtyard.

Image 138: Steps connecting two levels in the courtyard. Undated photo.

(Source: Vincent Fortemps)

167

The wealth of the exploitation is also expressed in the multiple buildings, each with its own function. Our farmhouse building (the “corps de logis”, or housing building) contains housing, and stable and a storage loft, though it is uncertain whether there were already stable and a hayloft before the extension of 1823.

Farms usually started with a building housing both men and animals, and then extended through other buildings as the size of the exploitation grew17.

The three functions of the farm buildings; housing, stable and barn, are essential to understand agricultural exploitations in the region and can also indicate the size of the exploitation. Whether they are grouped in a same building or separated in different buildings, every land-owning farm must have at least one unit for people and one unit for animals. The animals are an essential part of agriculture because their waste creates manure, which is vital to ensure the fertility of the cultivated soil. The presence of a barn is more often proof of a bigger, or wealthier, exploitation, where enough means can be put aside to create a safe storage place for the harvest and the threshing of the grain. Smaller farms often had makeshift shelters instead of proper barns18.

Our original farmhouse building could therefore have combined the functions

17. Architecture Rurale de Wallonie Condroz, ed. Mardaga, P. (Liège: Mardaga, 1989), 76-80 18. Butil, P., De Jonghe, S., Genicot, L-F. Le Patrimoine rural de Wallonie: la maison paysanne (Bruxelles : Crédit communal; 1996), 31 19. Butil, P., De Jonghe, S., Genicot, L-F. Le Patrimoine rural de Wallonie: la maison paysanne (Bruxelles : Crédit

168

of housing and stable from an early period, as was common even in courtyard farms with different buildings19. The only indication of the 17th century building is the cross-window and the corners of an old wall in the North façade, which are today located in the stable of 1823. The two other buildings of the farm complex are a stable building and a large barn, typologically called a “grange en double large”. This means that its two openings, serving two different volumes under one roof, were on its length, and not its width20. The barn is recognisable by its large openings to let carriages through, and its open space with specific pavement for the threshing of the harvest. It served to store and thresh the harvest, and in winter it also stored the farming equipment21.

Professor Coomans has been inside the building and reported on its distinctive pavement. The stable building had mixed circulation – it could be entered from the courtyard through a rectangular door, or through a very wide double arch door from the street. This entrance looks wide enough to let carts through. Today, the stable building and the barn belong to the neighbour and have been modified through modern interventions. These two buildings were probably constructed after the farmhouse building, usually the first to be “solidified” in stone. All the farm buildings were probably first built in perishable materials and over time reconstructed or extended in stone.

communal; 1996), 37 20. Butil, P., De Jonghe, S., Genicot, L-F. Le Patrimoine rural de Wallonie: la maison paysanne (Bruxelles : Crédit communal; 1996), 84

which buildings came first?

The barn building also seems to contain a stable in the last bay. The difference in stone type on the outside façade indicates that it may have been built before the rest of the barn. There is also a visible difference in stone type between the two large doors of the barn, which could indicate a lower building. It could have been one of the early dependencies of the farm, and one of the first buildings to have evolved from perishable material to stone after the farmhouse itself. The stable in the West building currently seems to suffer from stability problems, as indicated by the metallic supports at the back – could this be due to the barn being built on top of the stable?

It is also surprising that the farm complex, in the state it is now, seems to have three different stables. There was one in the farmhouse building itself, extended or possibly created in 1823, one in the last bay of the barn, in the West building, and the largest stable, the South wing of the complex.

Image 139: In orange the volume of the farmhouse studied, containing a house and a stable. The lower opposite building is also a stable, and the higher one perpendicular to the others is a barn.

(Source: Authors)

21. Butil, P., De Jonghe, S., Genicot, L-F. Le Patrimoine rural de Wallonie: la maison paysanne (Bruxelles : CrĂŠdit communal; 1996), 72

169

Inside the last bay of the neighbour. Painted vaulted ceiling and beautiful pavement. This bay seems to suffer from stability problems (see the bracing metal beams at the back).

The stone colour differentiation is obvious on the faรงades.

Image 140: Undated photo - the stable of the neighbour.

(Source: Thomas Coomans)

170

Image 141: Undated photo - Visible colour difference in the last bay.

(Source:Thomas Coomans)

Image 142: Different stone coloration in the last bay of the house.

(Source: Thomas Coomans)

171

Based on these observations, we have created a hypothesis for the potential way the farm could have evolved. This is very schematic - while we have a good idea of how the buildings evolved independantly, we have no notion of how they evolved in relation to each other.

Image 143: Early phase - a small pre-1823 farmhouse with a low building in the location of the current barn.

(Source: Authors)

172

Image 144: Intermediary phase (potentially 1823?): our farmhouse is extended Eastward in 1823, the annex is built. At an undetermined period in time, the barn becomes wider and higher.

The stable is eventually constructed.

Image 145: Present state: a shelter and the water tower are added to the parcel.

(Source: Authors)

(Source: Authors)

173

the ‘corps de logis’ / habitation wing of the farm The typological analysis of our building is complexified by the 1823 intervention, which we believe significantly modified both the appearance and the internal layout of the building. The 19th century saw a lot of changes to farms across the region – it was a period of extension, with ancient dependencies moving from perishable materials to stone and expending in size. However in the Condroz region, being so rich in stone, buildings were solidified from perishable material to stone much earlier, usually around the 17th century. Furthermore, our farm was owned by the lords of Spontin, by far the wealthiest family in the village, who had also already built the Castle in stone. It is possible that our farm was one of the first buildings to be consolidated in stone in the village. The 19th century was also a century of reconstruction and modernisation, leading to the separation between building functions and modernisation of housing22.

Two hypotheses of the house before 1823. The first one follows the corner of the 17th building from the North façade. The second one combines the corner of the 17th century and the external wall of the tower hypothesis.

Ground Floor

22. Architecture Rurale de Wallonie Condroz, ed. Mardaga, P. (Liège: Mardaga, 1989), 97-99.

174

1823 house, for comparison.

Ground Floor

Ground Floor

175

In our case, the 1823 intervention extended the building towards the East into a large stable and storage loft. We can see this extension on the North façade.

Instead of separating the functions of the farmhouse, it extended the existing building into wide stable. It is unclear if the room was already a stable before 1823 and was just extended, or if it had a different function. It would have been a narrow space before the extension, and the presence of a decorated crosswindow could indicate that it was meant to be used by people rather than animals. The name of the farm complex, which was called “Cense de pierres” in older sources and has today become “ferme de la Bouverie”, could also provide a clue. We hypothesise that the name change could have reflected the farm’s important investment in livestock. This hypothesis could also help to explain the high number of stables, though of course a large exploitation would also need cart and labour horses for work on the farm so it had need of many stables.

Hypothesis 1 for the Stable - 17th Century

Could the current stable have been a stable before 1823?

It would have been smaller, but it could still have housed up to 14 animals, as opposed to 20 today (based on the number of cow rings visible).

Ground Floor

176

Hypothesis 2 for the Stable - 17th Century

Ground Floor

Current situation of the Stable

Ground Floor

177

1823 also leads to important changes to the appearance of the farm, as it was decided to change all the openings and renovate the entire South faรงade, which is today very homogeneous and proportional in a neo-classical style. We are uncertain if this renovation corresponds to the switch between the North and the South faรงades as the main entrance of the house. There are remains of an old door on the North faรงade, located in the room with the staircase to the basement (see building archaeology). Assuming that the basement is the oldest part of the house because below everything else, we suppose that this connection between the outside and the basement would have been a principal mode of entry into an early version of the house. It is unclear if the shift between North and South faรงades as the main faรงade occurred in 1823, or if it was already the case previously.

178

Image 146: Remains of a former door on the North faรงade. Could this have been the original front foor of the house?

(Source: Authors)

179

The new entry raises questions for the corridor, which today creates a neo-classical, symmetrical plan with two rooms on each side. It is unlikely that the early building had such a corridor, which we assume was created in 1823 as it matches the symmetry of the windows and is connected on either façade by doors with stone frames that match the stone carvings of the rest of the 1823 openings (see building archaeology). The creation of corridors was a common aspect of expansions and modernisations.

They were often built to create an access to the house and different rooms without having to pass through the kitchen – a sort of status symbol. While it allowed guests to enter in a nicer space than the kitchen, the corridor often also complicated circulation within the house23. It is possible that creation of the corridor swallowed space that used to belong to the living spaces of the house24. The corridor most likely swallowed part of the kitchen and the living room, considering the thinness of the wall separating them from the corridor. We can assume both these rooms might therefore have been larger prior to 1823.

on the West façade (see building archaeology). Because the farm was a wealthy one however, it is not unlikely that it had two floors. We assume the staircase was located elsewhere in the house because its current position creates an unusual circulation, where one needs to cross the corridor from the kitchen and the living room to access the first and second floor, then cross the corridor again to access the bedrooms above. The creation of the corridor therefore likely reorganised both the horizontal and the vertical circulation of the house.

Staircases often could be found in the kitchen, main circulation area of the house. Often you could find it at the corners of two walls, which acted as support, or it was located on top or next to the stairs to the basement25. In farms with a seigneurial past, stairs could often be found in towers26. If our hypothesis 1 is correct (an early tower), we could also imagine the staircase there.

The reorganisation of the internal layout of the ground floor also raises questions for the position of the staircase. We are uncertain if there existed a first floor prior to 1823, which saw the raising of the roof, as is visible

All house circulation focused on the kitchen before the introduction of a corridor. Usually, before expansions, the kitchen was a compulsory point of passage to reach other rooms of the house, which were not always connected amongst themselves27. The kitchen was the main living room

23. Butil, P., De Jonghe, S., Genicot, L-F. Le Patrimoine rural de Wallonie: la maison paysanne (Bruxelles : Crédit communal; 1996), 318-319, 314-315 24. Butil, P., De Jonghe, S., Genicot, L-F. Le Patrimoine rural de Wallonie: la maison paysanne (Bruxelles : Crédit communal; 1996), 104-105

25. Architecture Rurale de Wallonie Condroz, ed. Mardaga, P. (Liège: Mardaga, 1989), 178 26. Architecture Rurale de Wallonie Condroz, ed. Mardaga, P. (Liège: Mardaga, 1989), 176 27. Butil, P., De Jonghe, S., Genicot, L-F. Le Patrimoine rural de Wallonie: la maison paysanne (Bruxelles : Crédit communal; 1996), 118

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of the house, notably because of its chimney, which could sometimes take over the whole kitchen28. We assume the remains of fireplace in our kitchen, made of carved stone and a wood shelf which we suppose dates from after 1914, is in the spot of the earliest fireplace in the house, notably because of the presence of the structural chimney. We originally thought that the fireplace is a faux-manteau type, meaning it is connected to the wall and ceiling for support and does not have legs29. However investigations by Professor Coomans in the depth of the wall revealed that the chimney could have been freestanding.

Image 147: Example of old chimney (Source: Thomas Coomans)

Image 148: Remains of the fireplae in the kitchen.

(Source: Thomas Coomans)

28. Butil, P., De Jonghe, S., Genicot, L-F. Le Patrimoine rural de Wallonie: la maison paysanne (Bruxelles : CrĂŠdit communal; 1996), 137 29. Butil, P., De Jonghe, S., Genicot, L-F. Le Patrimoine rural de Wallonie: la maison paysanne (Bruxelles : CrĂŠdit communal; 1996), 257

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Hypotheses of the house’s internal layout without the corridor. The kitchen and living room are bigger. We are uncertain about the room with the stairs to the basement. Was it small or was it part of the room that today constitutes the stable?

Ground Floor

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Ground Floor

Hypotheses of where the staircases to an earlier building could have been located. The building before 1823 was lower, as proven through the roofline. The first floor would have probably been the attic space.

Ground Floor - tower staircase

Ground Floor - staircase above stairs to basement

Ground Floor - staircase in kitchen

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the stable Vaulted ceilings in brick were common in the Condroz, limited usually to dependencies. They started being used from the 17th century in castles and wealthier housing, and became more commonly used by the 19th century30. The use of brick originally stemmed from a desire to save wood by constructing in another material, but the small brick vaults also had another advantage: they could carry very heavy loads. This is why they are often found in stables and barns, where they could hold the heavy harvest. Typically, the top of the vaulted bricks would be covered by clay or terracotta squares31. In our case, the vaults support the attic of the stable, a storage space called “fenil” which typically served to stock a specific part of the harvest, the one reserved to feed the animals which resided in the stable below. The metal of the vaults indicates they date from the 20th century, possibly from after the First World War. The floor of the attic is concrete slabs.

Sidewalks and pavement: these were not always present, as some farms chose to deal with the mud and dust of the courtyard, but many farms had a pavement. It could cover the whole courtyard or only the doorstops32. In our case, the pavement goes in front and all along of the farmhouse. The change in levels between the farmhouse and the neighbour’s property, as

30. Architecture Rurale de Wallonie Condroz, ed. Mardaga, P. (Liège: Mardaga, 1989), 156-157 31. Butil, P., De Jonghe, S., Genicot, L-F. Le Patrimoine rural de Wallonie: la maison paysanne (Bruxelles : Crédit communal; 1996), 265

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well as the gravel used by the neighbour for his entrance, has removed any trace of previous pavement. However an old picture from before the farm complex was separated into two properties seems to indicate that there was no pavement there.

Image 149: The pavement does not seem to go all around the farm.

(Source: Vincent Fortemps)

32. Butil, P., De Jonghe, S., Genicot, L-F. Le Patrimoine rural de Wallonie: la maison paysanne (Bruxelles : Crédit communal; 1996), 281.

Image 150: The vaulted ceiling of the farmhouse stable is painted white.

(Source: Authors)

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Building History Based on our survey, building archaeology and typological study, we have determined the different phases of building history that have led to the farmhouse we see today. These are the only ones we have hard evidence for, which is why our early hypotheses remain hypoteses.

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17th century building

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1823 building

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phase 3 (between 1823 and phase 2)

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After the First World War

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phase 1 (between 1823 and X)

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phase 2 (between X and nowadays)

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nowadays / latest interventions

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Building History Synthesis Plans

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Image 151: East faรงade.

(Source: Authors)

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Technical

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Materials The farmhouse and most buildings in Spontin are built from local stone, namely limestones and sandstones. In order to present them, a brief material atlas must first be introduced as well as an explanation of the quarries surrounding Spontin, which have infuenced the materials of the village.

The farmhouse stone materials are divided into several types of limestones and sandstones with different characteristics. Generally speaking, the Bouverie farmhouse is composed of masonry in both brick and stone, both within the walls and on the surface of the façades. Other materials such as wood, concrete and cast iron are found in structural elements like floors and roofs. Tiles, stones, wallpapers and plastering are used as finishings and interior decorations.

Some of the materials presented in this section are divided by types rather than by their scientific name. This happens for two main reasons: 1) a more complete material analysis done in the building would require deeper studies and analysis by experts that we could not develop at the time of inspection and within our time constraints; and 2) most of the times, the materials present physical damage, which may interfere with how they look, changing their aspect (such as texture and color). Our strategy of distinguishing the stones by types is simple, but it allows us to present the building materials as they currently are in the farmhouse, with less risk of mistakes.

The analysis of the farmhouse’s materials was very useful in helping us identify building phases and allowed us, in combination with building archaeology and typological and historical studies, to develop a thorough hypothetical building chronology.

Image 152: Quarries Map. (Source: Authors)

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Stones fine grained limestone

coarse grained limestone

sandstone with iron

Mostly located on the corners of the main block of the farmhouse and framing the window openings, this type of limestone is smoother to the touch. It has a lighter grey color than other stones, being easily distinguishable on façades. These stones blocks were found as cut blocks and with different types of carvings.

Harder and rougher than the fine grained type, the coarse grained limestone is also a little bit darker (possibly because the pores and grains are bigger and therefore more prone to retain dirt and pollution ashes).

Crinoids were also found in this type. Diverse types of finishings were found: fine carving as seen on picture above, cut on picture above, but also en rustique.

Soft and sandy surface, characteristic of sandstone. This type of stone are scattered through the building, appearing mostly on the lower part of the North and West façades, the older façades which were less impacted by the 1823 transformation of the house. They also differ in color from the limestones - their brown shades help to identify them.The specific brown color may be linked to an iron compound in the geological formation of the rock.

Images 153-154: Fine grained limestone (East façade and South façade, respectively).

Images 155-156: Coarse grained limestone (South façade and North façade, respectively).

Images 157-158: Sandstone with iron (South façade and East façade, respectively)

(Source: Authors)

(Source: Authors)

(Source: Authors)

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fine grained sandstone

fine grained sandstone with ‘steinkerns’

black marble

It possesses a soft and sandy surface, typical of sandstone. Its colour is a different shade compared to other types of sandstone on the building. This rosier colour helps to identify it. It is considered fine grained because the stones have a smooth surface.

As in other types of sandstone, it has a soft and sandy texture and is also fine grained.

Its peculiarity relies on having steinkerns*.

Black marble is a supposition for the flooring of specific area inside the storage room on the ground floor. It differs from other floor finishings in color, size and shape of stones and veins. The supposition of black marble is in fact due to its fine veins and homogeneous surface, but only a specific geological analysis can confirm it. The area in which it is inserted is believed to be one of the oldest in the house.

Image 159: Fine grained sandstone (South façade)

Image 160: Fine grained sandstone with steinkerns (East façade)

Images 161-162: Black marble - storage room flooring on the ground floor.

(Source: Authors)

(Source: Authors)

* According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a ‘steinkern’ is “a fossil consisting of a stony mass that entered a hollow natural object (such as a bivalve shell) in the form of mud or sediment, was consolidated, and remained as a cast after dissolution of the mold.” (in: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steinkern Accessed June 2020)

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(Source: Authors)

petit granit du bocq

slate

stone type A

Marjorly appearing on the floor finishings of the ground floor in the service rooms and circulation areas, the petit granit du bocq has a polished finish and is mostly cut in large size stone blocks. Similar to one of the limestone types on the façades, it has a high concentration of crinoids. Perhaps these are more visible because the polished surface creates a strong contrast between the crinoids and the geological mass.

Cut as rectangular tiles, slates were used in some parts of roof of the main block of the building. They are held altogether by iron hooks.

Painted stones gracefuly cut in a spiral shape were used to define the corners of the former fireplace in the kitchen, on the ground floor of the farmhouse. Because of the painting, the stone’s physical characteristics could not be properly placed. We think that the most likely assumption would be limestone.

Images 163-164: Petit granite du bocq - floors of the corridor and of the entrance to the living room on the ground floor.

Images 165-166: Roof coverage on the right side of the building (looking from South façade).

Image 167: Stone ornament marking the fireplace in the kitchen, on the ground floor.

(Source: Authors)

(Source: Authors)

(Source: Authors)

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Tiles historic ceramic tiles - 1

historic ceramic tiles - 2

ceramic tiles - 3

Used for the flooring of the dining room on the ground floor. They are located in the center of the floor, framed by type 2. Its pattern combines geometric shapes and organic forms.

Used for the flooring of the dining room on the ground floor. The flower pattern and colours match type 1.

Recent ceramic tile, located in the laundry area, toilet and bathroom on the ground floor.

Image 168: Ornamented tiles on the floor of the dining room - ground floor.

Image 169: Ornamented tiles on the borders of the floor surface of the dining room - ground floor.

Image 170: Ceramic tiles in the annex area.

(Source: Authors)

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(Source: Authors)

(Source: Authors)

Bricks type 1

type 2

type 3

The very top of the West façade was built on brick masonry. Since the lower part is in stone masonry, it was possible to distinguish visually two different building phases, indicating the extension of the second floor. The bricks are of different colours - possibly due to degradation and pathologies. However, because it was impossible for us to reach that height, it was not possible to attest other than superficially and from a distance the extent of the damage.

Another type of brick was detected, but this time framing a door opening between the stable and the storage space on the ground floor. Its homogeneity in color and texture and lack of extensive damage correspond to a recent intervention in the building. This intervention was precisely dated by the writing on the frame: December 1999.

Located in the stable composing the floor and forming the ceiling arches, and also and in part of the floor of the annex, these bricks relate to a historical phase in the in-between of the the other two. In pathology, although they don’t have strong color differentiation (as in type 1), they don’t have as homogeneous a surface as type 2. The main damage found on the floor is salt crystalization.

The bricks on the ceiling could not be fully accessed in terms of pathology because of plastering.

Image 171: Bricks on top of West façade.

Images 172-173: Bricks framing the door opening between the stable and the storage room, on ground floor.

Images 174-175: Bricks on floor and ceiling of the stable, respectively.

(Source: Authors)

(Source: Authors)

(Source: Authors)

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type 4

The cellars have bricks in different locations, but only around the openings. The window openings are made of bricks, as is the passageway to the third cellar, as shown in the picture above. There may be more brick masonry in the cellars, but the plaster covering it prevents deeper visual analysis.

Images 176-177: Bricks on window and door openings (respectively), on the cellars.

(Source: Authors)

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Wood staircases - type 1

log beams - type 2

roof structure - type 3

The farmhouse has one large staircase in the core of the building and a minor ladder in the stable connecting the ground floor and the first floor.

The burnt wood beam in the attick of the stable could be a remain of wood burned during the First World War.

The trusses and other structural logs in the roof are in light-color wood (See section on the roof).

Images 178-179: Ladder in the stable and staircase in the house, between ground and first floor, respectively.

Image 180: Burnt log beam in the first floor of the stable.

Image 181: Roof structure in the stable area.

(Source: Authors)

(Source: Authors)

(Source: Authors)

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doors - type 4

flooring - type 5

The first picture is an image of the only door remaining in the cellars. The rest of the doors inside the building are all the same, they are all framed by wooden frames of the same wood on the walls.

The only room in the farmhouse with timber flooring is the living room in the ground floor. It is polished and varnished.

Images 182-183: Door in the cellars and door in the first floor of the house, respectively.

Image 184: Wooden floorning in the living room on the ground floor.

(Source: Authors)

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(Source: Authors)

Cementitious Materials concrete

cement

asbestos cement

Concrete in the building appears in the form of building blocks, structural slabs and window/door beams. Those indicate the most recent renovations done in the house and the most architecturally disturbing ones, since they don’t match the material character of the building and appear agressive in this historic architecture.

Found in different places of the building, used for pointing mortar and coating for flooring slabs on the first floor of the stable, cement reveals recent interventions.

Part of the roof is covered by asbestos cement tiles, distinguishable from the slate tiles for two reasons. First, for its shape - the asbestos cement tiles are square, placed diagonally, while the slates are rectangular placed horizontaly.

Second, because the asbestos cement is more prone to biological attacks, since its porosity and water absorption are different than natural stones, leaving room for biological growth.

Biological attacks are currently an issue for the asbestos cement part of the roofing.

Images 185-186: Concrete building blocks in the toilet in the annex and concrete beam on the opening on the stable.

Images 187-188: Cement slab in the first floor of the stable and cement mortar in a vault inside the annex area.

Images 189-190: Asbestos cement tiles on the roof covering on the left side of the building (as seen from South façade)

(Source: Authors)

(Source: Authors)

(Source: Authors)

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Metals cast iron (minor elements)

structural beams

Cast iron is a frequent material in the farmhouse, appearing in different forms and functions such as fencing, cattle rings in the stable, tension holders in the roof, window grill shutters, numbers on the East façade, and others.

Structural beams appear in parts of the building identified as 19th Century: the stable and the oil tank. The first floor of the stable is supported by an infilled I-beam.

Although it’s painted, its texture presumes rusting underneath.

Images 191-192: Iron hand rail on the first floor of the stable and iron ring on the ground floor of the stable.

Image 193: Structural beam in the stable and minor beams between the vaults in the ceiling.

(Source: Authors)

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(Source: Authors)

Image 194: Attic above the stable.

(Source: Authors)

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Materials on Facades East Faรงade The East faรงade is a patchwork of stone materials, for the most part different types of limestones and sandstones are easily distinguishable visually because of their color and textures. Some stones have specific carvings, indicating that they were reused on this faรงade from a previous location.

These are for the most part framing the top openings.

The concentration of sandstone at the bottom of the masonry makes us wonder about the possible existence of a previous wall or structure at the bottom of this faรงade.

The East faรงade is very interesting to understand the construction techniques of the time: the craftspeople were clearly very carefully building the masonry layer by layer to create rows as straight as possible. Smaller square stone infills are also visible on a diagonal axis, presumably indicating the placement of the scaffolding at the time of construction.

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North Façade The North façade is a very complex patchwork of masony. We did not study it stone by stone because of this complexity, however we did identify useful patches to help us read the different phases of construction. This analysis is avilable in the building archaeology section and essential to our understanding of the building’s history.

The marking of a former corner of the building, followed by concentration of a particular type of stone (shown in red in the drawing, above the central door) and also by marks of former openings (such as the cross-window and older door), attest our hypotheses.

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Materials on Plans The study of mapping different materials on the survey plans derived from thoughtful observation and interpretation of the built aspect of the farmhouse. Nevertheless, it’s important to emphasize that the interior walls are, currently, covered by wallpapers, forbidding guarantees on the materials on inner masonry. In order to fully complete the following material plans, a total removal of plastering, wallpapers and other interior finishings is needed.

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218

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Pathologies North Facade

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algae + plants

plants

lichens

lacunas

mosses

Image 195: Algae and higher plants on West faรงade.

Image 195: Higher plants on North faรงade.

Image 196: Lichens on West faรงade.

Image 197: Lacunas on North faรงade.

Image 198: Mosses on the roof.

(Source: Authors)

(Source: Authors)

(Source: Authors)

(Source: Authors)

(Source: Authors)

MDCS atlas recognition for dominating damages: lacuna

* Analysis obtained through the MDCS Monumenten Kennis platform by TU Delft.

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West Facade

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mosses

scaling

lichens

cracks

vegetation

Image 199: Mosses on the roof of the annex.

Image 200: Scaling on North faรงade.

Image 201: Lichens on West faรงade.

Image 202: Cracks on West faรงade.

Image 203: Vegentation on West faรงade.

(Source: Authors)

(Source: Authors)

(Source: Authors)

(Source: Authors)

(Source: Authors)

MDCS atlas recognition for dominating damages: vegetation

* Analysis obtained through the MDCS Monumenten Kennis platform by TU Delft.

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South Facade

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crack + algae

lichens

vegetation

mosses

rust

Image 204: Crack and algae on South faรงade.

Image 205: Lichens on the roof, above asbestos cement tiles.

Image 206: Vegetation on South faรงade

Image 207: Mosses in the gutters.

Image 208: Rust on East faรงade.

(Source: Authors)

(Source: Authors)

(Source: Authors)

(Source: Authors)

(Source: Authors)

MDCS atlas recognition for dominating damages: algae

* Analysis obtained through the MDCS Monumenten Kennis platform by TU Delft.

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East Facade

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lacunas

cracks

black algae + mosses

Image 209: Lacunas on East faรงade.

Image 210: Crack on East faรงade.

Image 211: algae and mosses on East faรงade.

(Source: Authors)

(Source: Authors)

(Source: Authors)

MDCS atlas recognition for dominating damages: cracks

* Analysis obtained through the MDCS Monumenten Kennis platform by TU Delft.

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Structures Floorings & Ceilings Three ceilings are particularly interesting in the farmhouse: the slab in the stable, separating the ground floor and the first floor; a minor version of the same structure in the oil tank area, on the ground floor of the annex and the ceiling of the cellars. All of them are vaulted, but in different ways.

In the stable, a series of horizontal vaults in brick masonry are held together by minor metalic beams. In the middle of the stable, an I-beam holds the north-west corner of the ceiling, supporting the vaults where the width of the room increases. This beam rests on North faรงade, right above a former cross window. To hold the beam, three of the four openings of the cross window were closed, leaving only one opening to permit daylight and ventilation in the stable. This cross window, dating from the 17th century, was closed off with stone masonry in order to provide vertical support for the beam. Structurally, the vaulted ceiling, placed where it is, and the cross window could never co-exist the way they were built. However, both of them attest to a different historical phase, consisting important features in terms of values and to read the evolution of the building.

Similar to the stable, the oil tank on the ground floor also has a single brick vault resting on a wood beam. This feature helped us to identify construction periods in the annex.

Image 212: Schematic section of the cross window in the stable. The brown rectangle marks the lower openings of the window.

(Source: Archana Vinod)

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A different type of vaulted ceiling is visible in the cellars, built in a single vault per room, covering the whole span and resting on the walls. The materials of this vaulted ceiling could not be identified for all the cellars because the masonry is plastered. However damage processes have loosened the plaster and revealed stone masonry in some parts of the cellar ceiling.

Image 213: Ceiling of the oil tank room, on the ground floor of the annex.

(Source: Authors)

Image 214: Ceiling of the stable.

(Source: Authors)

Image 215: Ceiling of the cellars.

(Source: Authors)

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structural solutions Vaulted ceiling We are assuming that the metal beams holding the small vaults of the stable ceiling are I-beams, because we can see their flat faces from the top and bottom. Traces of rust have penetrated the plaster layer of the ceiling of the stable, indicating potential degradation. The ceiling is also not very strong; it vibrates when people move on the first floor.

To strengthen the ceiling for regular usage of the first floor, we want to strengthen the vaulted ceiling without removing the I-beams and with a minimal visual impact and minimal disturbance to the masonry. After proper inspection of the vaulted structure, in order to add strength and without replacing the I-beams, we would recommend C-channels under the I-beams, fixed in metal plates anchored with anchor fastener bolts drilled inside the masonry of the East and West walls of the stable. These would barely be visible from the ground floor because the C-channels are right under the I-beams and offset by a few mm on either side. They can be camouflaged well with whatever cosmetic intervention we might wish to do on the vaulted ceiling. The C-channels would ensure the strength and the stability of the first floor.

Wherever we plan to open the vaulted ceiling, it would be recommended to pre-fabricate perpendicular C-channel members wherever needed to

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ensure the continued stability of the remaining vaulted ceiling.

Re-opening the cross window: The cross window is an important element of the 17th century building, one of the few remaining clues to what the building looked like in the past. It would be an essential intervention to re-open it to create a more readable history of the evolution of the building and create a layering of readable history on the North faรงade and in the stable.

To re-open the cross window, the I-beam that currently supports the northwest corner of our vaulted ceiling would be removed. When it was inserted, three of the four openings of the cross window were shut with masonry to support its weight.

The I-beam could be replaced by a C-channel that we would move to the East of the cross window, which would allow to both support the vaulted ceiling and reopen the cross window. This new C-channel would anchor on the North wall and on one of the perpendicular C-channels anchored in the East and West wall of the stable.

Image 216: Sketch of the C-channels under I-beams, anchored to the masonry.

(Source: Authors)

Image 217: Sketch of the C-channels under I-beams, anchored to the masonry.

(Source: Authors)

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Roofs The farmhouse here studied is composed by two sets of roof: one covering the lower annex on West façade, and a larger roof covering the main block of the house. The roofs are not original, mostly because of the consequences of World War 1 fire in the house, burning all wood pieces.

However, two different phases can be placed in the roof, distinguishable by the roofing tiles - one covering the whole annex and part of the main block of the bigger roof on the house, in asbestos cement, and another covering the house right above the stable, in slate tiles.

Both roofs are supported by wood structures. The main roof counts with several trusses along its attics. These trusses have their support enhanced by metal cables working in tension, shown by the first following scheme.

The roof ridge is at more than 12 metres high from the base of the roofing slope, leaving enough space for very comfortable attics, maybe in even more than one floor, both in the house area as well as above the stable.

In the annex, roofing slopes occur in three different directions. The main roof there, composed by symmetrically opposite slopes, has its ridge at 2.83 metres high, enabling housing functions there too - perhaps toilets or a bedroom. The third slope is connected in the South side of the house, perpendicular to the main slopes described. Their connection is made by a valley above the roofing tiles supported by a valley rafter on the structure below the tiles, as shown in the picture. The structural support of this

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junction needs to be improved, since it’s consisted of a post connected to a diagonal pillar which links to the valley rafter. A single post supporting the valley rafter (ideally in the middle point of the rafter) is a better structural solution. However, a deeper study and analysis on structural support and capacity of the roof is necessary.

Image 218: Scheme of the roofs.

(Source: Authors)

Image 219: Scheme of a truss in the main roof.

(Source: Authors)

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The current attic spaces above the house and the stable are currently not insulated, and the roof is missing tiles and slates on both sides. These holes in the roof let the rain in, and the rooms are very cold in winter.

To make the attics spaces liveable, it is recommended to fix the roof on the East side with slates, and on the West side to replace the asbestos cement tiles with slates. This will prevent biological attacks in the long run and look more aesthetic. For insulation, glass wool should be installed between the trusses and cover with plywood.

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Image 220: Roof of the main building, above the stable (Source: Authors)

Image 221: Roof of the annex.

(Source: Authors)

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Cellars MDCS* identification for other damages in cellars:

Image 222: Damage contours in the cellars.

(Source: Authors)

* Analysis obtained through the MDCS Monumenten Kennis platform by TU Delft.

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Image 223: Salt in the wall.

(Source: Authors)

Image 224: Salt in the wall of the cellars.

(Source: Authors)

* Analysis obtained through the MDCS Monumenten Kennis platform by TU Delft.

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The basement has a very high level of humidity. We believe this is caused by external water sources and rising damp. The cellar walls are also covered in salt crystals.

Ideally, we would do a damp-proof course externally around the cellars to prevent any water ingress from the floor and walls. However this is a costly and complicated intervention.

A more feasible solution to make these spaces more liveable would involve: • Cleaning and using jet pressure to remove the salts and the biological attacks on the walls; • Clearing vegetation from the windows and unblocking the West side cellar window for better ventilation; • Creating a small drain between the window and the garden planters on the South side of the house, to prevent water and vegetation entering the basement through the window; • Adding a double glass/grill system in the windows and recommending that the grill be left open when the basement is not in use to allow ventilation, and closed when the space is used and the heating is turned on; • Putting in heating for the room to be usable in winter; • Opening the stairs to the basement in the storage room (currently closed by a wood trap door). With this opening and the windows, we can create a good ventilation for the basement.

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Potential treatment for rising damp: We are unsure of how to prevent rising damp in the basement without costly interventions. Suggestions could involve • Cleaning and using jet pressure to remove the salts and the biological attacks on the wall; • Injecting a DPC course into the walls and floors; • Brush coating the walls to prevent further water ingress.

However we are not sure this solution is sustainable in the long run because the walls of the basement are retaining walls and exposed to humid soil on all sides, so it is possible that this intervention only causes further damage inside the masonry as salts crystallise there.

Image 225: Cellar window.

(Source: Authors)

Image 226: Cellar.

(Source: Authors)

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Water Water is one of the main issues of the farmhouse. However, this section focuses on surface water and drainage systems, since they are a specific condition to be solved.

Surface water drainage takes place at the level of the roofs of the house and of the annex, with a system of gutters and pipes, as well as rain collection drainage in underground tanks. Since it is a complex process, the schemes are represented alongside photos of the current condition of these systems. Two different schemes are presented in order to show the photos well and explain the situation: one looking from South façade and another looking from West façade. In the schemes, each letter corresponds to a different element: G stands for gutter, P is for pipe and D relates to rainwater drainage. Although the system could work properly because it is thorough, interruptions and breaks prevent proper water circulation, making the system as a whole in its current condition- inefficient.

G1, for example,is not connected to any pipelines and does not function as water drainage. We could not assess it visually from above so there’s uncertainty of its state of conservation. But when compared to other gutters of the same roof there is a high probability that it is also filled with mosses.

G2 and G3 are the main gutters for the house block, but they are filled with

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mosses interrupting the water flow. This condition enables water leakage of G2 on South façade. G2 was supposedly connected to P1 and P2, but the connection with pipe number 1 is broken, making the whole system of G2+P1+D2 inefficient. On the other hand, the connections between G2 and P2 work and would enable water flow if mosses were not in the way.

P2 delivers rainwater directly to the roof of the annex, which is not the best solution as it can overload the roof structure, making room for water leakages inside the attic of the annex. The water coming from this process joins the water delievered by G5, overloading G6, since no pipes connect G5 to proper drainage. In G6, P3 delivers the rainwater into D5 collection box, fully functioning and probably connected to a bigger rainwater box and underground gutter system running through the garden.

On the other side of the main roof, G3 is connected on both sides of North façade to pipes P5 and P6. However, just like G2, it is filled by mosses, blocking the flow of water into the pipes and stagnating water in the gutter. The destination of water from P5 is also problematic: D3 is not a drainage collection box and the water coming from P5 delivers rainwater in the garden at the foot of North façade, contributing to high moisture content and dampness in the cellars.

Moving to the North side of the annex, another issue is visible: a brick wall in the shape of a buttress connects the West façade of the main block and

View from South Faรงade

Image 227: Rainwater drainage scheme for identification of elements, South faรงade.

(Source: Authors)

Image 228: Rainwater drainage scheme, South faรงade.

(Source: Authors)

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the attic of the annex. G4 only starts collecting rain water at the end of this buttress, while no collection systems were identified behind it. Water coming on the roof of the annex close to this brick buttress (in a yellow triangle, next to G4 in the schemes) gets eventually absorbed by the brick masonry of the buttress, evolving into a pathological condition on this wall.

By the end of the buttress, G4 orients the water flow into P4, which enters the ground of the garden (marked as D4), making it impossible for us to follow the path of the water. Considering the existence of a big collection box and gutter system in the garden, odds are that this pipe is connected to a bigger drainage network underground.

Considering the drainage systems (D-number), those coloured in green have proper connections with an underground drainage system or a rainwater collection box. The yellow one (D4) marks a pipe entering the ground of the garden, and as mentioned previously, possibly connecting to a larger drainage network. D3, marked in red, stands for the single pipe with no connection on the ground, orienting rainwater in the soil.

To solve these issues, gutters have to be cleaned, maintained with a oncea-year cleaning, and reconnected to their designated pipes. On the East side of the roof, G1 must have a pipe connection to P1 and P6, which may have to be recalculated by an expert for proper water collection.

* Deeper structural analysis is needed, in this case.

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On West façade, if the mentioned buttress doesn’t have any structural purpose*, it should be removed, and gutter G4 replaced by another gutter throughout the extension of the roof of the annex on North façade. Ideally, G5 would have its own pipe and drainage box, in order to improve the capacity of G6, P3 and D5.

P2 must have a better drainage connection in order to reduce the risk of problems on the roof of the annex - perhaps another pipe properly leading the water to P3. In this case, P3 must have its size changed - a bigger section is needed for this pipe since it would receive water coming from a big roof (through P2) plus the West side of the roof the annex (through G6).

Four drainage boxes are needed on the West side of the house, rather than the three existing ones. All of them must be connected to bigger collection boxes. An option for that is the underground box in the garden. On the East side of the farmhouse, D1 and D2 should be proper drainage collection boxes instead of leading the pipes to the public drainage underground.

Having a small drainage box to develop this connection eases the pressure on the system and makes for future maintenance easier.

View from West Faรงade

Image 229: Rainwater drainage scheme for identification of elements, West faรงade.

(Source: Authors)

Image 230: Rainwater drainage scheme, West faรงade.

(Source: Authors)

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Sanitation Though they are not visible on the wall surface, we expect a high concentration of nitrates in the walls and ground of the stables because it was used for decades, possibly centuries, and was contaminated by animal waste.

Salts are difficult to remove completely from buildings, therefore we recommend the following course of action to try and remove as many as possible: The first step would be to stop water ingress in the stable and prevent further fluctuations in wall dampness and humidity levels which can lead to salt crystallisation/solution cycles and create more damage to the masonry. Part of this programme involves repairing the broken windows, repairing the holes in the roof and putting in proper insulation in the roof.

If necessary, and following a test of samples taken at different heights to check for the presence of rising damp, a damp-proof course could be installed.

The next step is long, and involves waiting for two years for the masonry to dry completely and the salt to crystallise on the wall. The plaster on the wall should not be removed! It can create a sacrificial layer and be removed with all the salts after the masonry has dried. If necessary, the first few centimetres of the repointing mortar could also be removed and remade

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with lime mortar, to remove any salts that have dried there.

Once the plaster layer and the surface salts have been removed after drying, another analysis of salt levels to determine how much is left should be conducted. If the level of salts is negligible and the humidity conditions are stable, the few remaining salts should not be a cause for concern.

However if there is still an important quantity of salts, more aggressive methods can be tried to remove them, such as poultices to draw the salts out, or even more aggressive, and still experimental, electro-chemical desalination. These last solutions are more aggressive and more expensive, and if time permits, should only be undertaken after trying to let the salts dry out through better climate control and removing the plaster/mortar they have crystallised in.

The plaster work of stable is recent, so removing it would not damage the value. It would also permit an interesting opportunity for built fabric analysis inside the stable, and may help to determine where old openings and the old East wall were located. We know old stable were often painted white with limewash: once investigations are finished, it could be interesting to give the walls a similar coating to restore the feeling of an authentic stable in this high-value area of the building.

Image 231: Salt crystals in the floors and wall bottoms in the stable.

(Source: Authors)

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The brick flooring is also incrusted with salts. As mentioned in our value assessment, the material itself is not of value, but its shape with a drainage trough in the centre creates the atmosphere of the space and reminds us of the farming function of the building. To sanitise the floor, it would be recommended to remove the bricks and replace them with a different material, a type of natural stone similar to the ones we have in the older stable in the last bay of the neighbour’s building. These would be cut as pavement, so flat instead of rounded, to show that it is a modern intervention. The new flooring would follow the same shape as the current floor design, with a different laying pattern to indicate the placement of the water drainage system on the floor. This intervention would sanitise the stable but retain the visual shape and layout of the current stable, retaining the atmosphere of the room.

To ensure proper drying of the stable, it is essential to close the small openings on the East façade preferably with glass windows in frames on the inside of the opening, towards the East end of the masonry. Windows that are accessible by the floor levels can open, the others are not openable.

This would allow light and ventilation in the stable.

Image 232: Salt crystals in the floors and wall bottoms in rooms close to the stable, on ground floor of the house.

(Source: Authors)

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Image 233: Salt crystals in the floor of the stable.

(Source: Authors)

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chapter three

Image 234

Values & Conservation

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Values

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Nara Grids

Table 01: Nara Grid for the Farm.

(Source: Authors)

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Table 02: Nara Grid for the cross-window.

(Source: Authors)

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Value Assessment Basement The basement, as the oldest part of the house has been assessed as entirely high value.

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Ground Floor The ground floor is a complex space in terms of value. The thick masonry walls around and inside the house, as the oldest ones, are of high value. Many of the walls are testimony to older periods of the house, but for the most part of the rooms have lost any indications of their past function and do not have any decorative elements of aesthetic value. This is why the walls are given higher value than the rooms themselves.The façades are of high value, as historical testimony of the evolution of the house. The annex walls, inner and outer, we believe date of 1823 and later and are of less value historically and architecturally, so they are of medium value.

The bathroom and the toilet do not fit into the space and are therefore damaging the heritage value. The openings with concrete shelves in the laundry, bathroom and living room are also damaging the heritage value because the concrete damages the coherence of the façade.

The kitchen has a beautiful stone flooring. The room has been a kitchen for a long period of time, possibly since the 16th century according to the carving of the grand fireplace. We therefore think that the value of this room, both as a functional kitchen and because of its heritage elements like the flooring and fireplace, is medium.

The corridor also has a beautiful stone flooring. It is also typologically important, as it is proof of the extension and transformation of the house

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into a neo-classical style, probably dating from the 1823 transformations. We have given this space medium value. The storage room is also of medium value because it holds the entrance to the basement.

The stable is of medium heritage value – we recognise that the materials do not have historical value or authenticity, as they are all recent, dating from after 1914. However the shape, volume and layout of the room, with its vaulted ceiling, drainage system on the ground and water troughs for the animals, is reminiscent of the function of the building as a farmhouse.

These elements are the only reminders of the agricultural function of the farmhouse, we therefore attach medium value to this space for its functional purpose and reminder of the farming history of the building.

The laundry area, the living room and dining room have no remaining elements of their original function, nor any aesthetic or decorative elements.

With the exception of their walls, we assigned neutral value to them.

The staircase is functional, but it is a recent staircase and it creates an unusual circulation in the house, so we think it is very unlikely to have been the original staircase. We have given it neutral value. The partition wall between the staircase and the storage room (section) is not a stone wall, it is just wooden partitions to separate the two rooms. Hence, it was given a neutral value.

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First Floor On the first floor, the thick masonry walls are of high value, they have historical significance and are testimony to older phases of the house. The walls in the annex, as more recent and architecturally less impressive, are of medium value. The small partitions of the bedrooms are all recent, as is the inner layout besides the thick masonry wall, because we know that the wooden floor of the house burned down in 1914. This is why the inside of the space is given neutral value. The stable´s first floor flooring is in concrete, which damages the historical value of the space, but the volume and space of that room increase its value. Therefore, it was given a neutral value.

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Second Floor + Mezzanine Similarly on the second floor, the masonry walls are of high value, but the spaces themselves are of neutral value because they do not have any particular elements of historical or aesthetic significance. In terms of materials and structure, all the roofs are recent, dating from after 1914.

However the volume and space within the attic on top of the house creates an impressive and majestic space. The impression of grandeur and the atmosphere into this tall, dimly lit space convinced us to give it medium value, to conserve its volume. In the stable attic, the impression is similar but affected negatively by the concrete flooring, hence the neutral value.

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Section AA

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Section BB

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Conservation

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Conservation Masterplan Basement We are conserving the basement as it is, and restoring the windows to reintroduce light and ventilation into this space by introducing grills and glasses (at the moment, they are entirely covered by vegetation). We are also reopening the niches in the walls to restore the basement to an earlier historical state, and discover what is behind them. We are removing the timber frame box in the corner of the basement and some door frames – the wood pieces are rotten and have been eaten by furniture beetles, it has no significant historical or functional value and colonises the space of the cellar.

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Ground Floor We want to remove the toilet space and the very poorly executed door through the thick masonry wall between the stable and the storage room, as both these interventions damage the historic values of the spaces.

We are conserving the thick masonry walls and most of the rooms. The storage room and staircase we have marked as adaptation possible because the current partition system between the two is not feasible. The dark wooden frames of the windows can be changed, as they are not very aesthetically pleasant and have no historical value – we have postcards with old photos showing white timber frames.

We would also like to restore the cross window, to create a more readable history on the North façade and highlight this beautiful remain of the 17th century house. Re-opening the cross window allows us to create a clearer, more readable historical North façade. It also highlights the different historical layers of the inside of the stable, as a space that has evolved over time. If investigations of the North wall and floor of the stable reveals remains of the 17th century East wall, it would also be interesting to showcase these to show the history of the house. As the stable is one of the few places in the house where we can read the history of the house, we think it is important to highlight this as much as possible, all while keeping in mind the historical function of this room as a stable and the agricultural use of the building set.

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Stable As mentioned in our value assessment, we had discussions over the material authenticity of this space, however we believe that the functional value of the space is important and should be conserved. Therefore when we say we want to conserve this space, we mean that the existing volume, space and atmosphere should be conserved, rather than the materials in themselves.

This means that we would keep the vaulted ceiling, the water through and the drainage system as reminders of this agricultural function.

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First Floor We want to conserve the thick masonry wall, but all the other spaces can be re-adapted because they have no significant historical or aesthetic features.

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Second Floor + Mezzanine We want to conserve the thick masonry wall, but all the other spaces can be re-adapted because they have no significant historical or aesthetic features.

The roof is recent, dating after 1914, but it is possible that its shape and height is the same as the previous one, as reconstruction occurred quickly.

We would therefore like to conserve the structural form of the roofs, but the materials could be replaced, hence the status as adaption possible. In keeping the roof frames, we would also conserve the existing openings of the roof. The idea is to replace the asbestos cement tiles covering the West side of the roof with slates, like on the East side, to create a more coherent and historic appearance for the house as a whole.

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Section AA

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Section BB

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chapter four

Image 235

Economics of Conservation

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Cultural Value Mapping The village of Spontin has a portfolio of 18 identified cultural assets. These include 10 tangible assets, 5 intangible assets, 2 natural assets and 1 cultural asset.

It is located within range of other cultural assets on a wider regional level, which include much stronger cultural attractions like the postcard-perfect town of Dinant and the impressive city and Citadelle de Namur. Spontin is not necessarily well integrated with other nearby cultural and natural attractions, and does not sit on existing RaVel paths or national/international walking/hiking trails. Its main connection to nearby cultural heritage assets is through the Chemin de fer du Bocq, which connects Spontin to other destinations in the valley following the old historical trainline 128.

The cultural heritage assets of Spontin are mostly concentrated in the village itself, with a few outlying attractions like the quarries, the Centre GĂŠographique de Wallonie and the Ferme de Salazinne.

The village itself possesses important heritage value – it is recognised as an archaeological zone by the AWAP (Agence Wallonne du Patrimoine). It also contains a listed building (the Castle of Spontin) and two buildings on the inventory (our farm, the Ferme de la Bouverie, and the mill). In general, most buildings are private and in fairly good conditions.

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The Castle of Spontin is definitely the most iconic heritage asset of the village, it is in nearly every postcard. With a dungeon dating from the 13th century and several successive waves of expansion and modernisations, it was for a long time the village’s star attraction, until it was closed to visitors in the early 1990s. The Castle is no longer in use, and is said to be in an advanced state of disrepair. This is a real shame as it represents a main attraction for the village and its reopening could generate significant footfall, bringing income and cultural tourism activities back to the village.

The other significant heritage asset is the mill, which is today privately owned but opened regularly by its owners for public holidays and special events like local celebrations or the steam train weekend. The owners give visits and show how the mill mechanism functioned.

The village also possesses local intangible heritage, including festivals like the Grand Feu, a giant bonfire to chase away winter, or the Marche au Flambeau, a torchlit storytelling evening throughout the village. The yearly steam train weekend is a popular event taking place in the village train station and is another cultural heritage feature.

The village was a popular tourist destination in the late 19th century/early 20th century, and saw a real boost in tourism following the second world war, when restaurants, hotels, campings and visitor facilities flourished.

Image 236: Location of Spontin, Dorinne and Durnal.

(Source: Authors)

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This activity is greatly diminished today, though the potential is still present because of the village’s important heritage value. The village also benefits from a very active, informed and engaged heritage organisation, Le Patrimoine de Spontin ASBL, which is involved in several heritage initiatives.

These include a trail around the heritage highlights of the village, marked by information panels and marketed through fliers in the village. The association also participated to the creation of a large and complete history book of the village, which totals over 1,000 pages and includes contributions from local historians, geographers, geologists and other specialists living in the village or in the surroundings. The heritage association is currently involved in creating an inventory of small, rural and vernacular heritage elements in the landscape and hopes to create one or two new heritage trails from this research. Though these initiatives are very local, heritage-centered and developed for local use, they have the potential to attract more visitors and rekindle a touristic activity in the village if sufficient visitor facilities are offered.

Image 237: Sign for the Ferme de Salazine, part of the cultural tourism trail in Spontin region.

November 2019.

(Source: Authors)

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Images 238-239: Leaflet of the heritage trail in Spontin.

(Source: Authors)

Image 240: Sign of the gallo-roman cemetary in Spontin.

(Source: Authors)

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Existing Resources Spontin is surrounded by existing cycling and hiking trails. Some walking paths go through the village, but for the most part the trails begin at the Centre GĂŠographique de Wallonie. The marked, official cycling paths go all around Spontin and do not pass in the village.

It’s a shame that there are not more hiking and cycling paths going through the village, because with all its cultural and natural heritage resources, it has a lot to offer to hikers and cyclists.

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Image 241: Bike trails in Yvoir.

(Source: Authors)

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Image 242: Map of the existing trails in the region.

(Source: Authors)

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Image 243: Map of the main attractions in Spontin.

(Source: Authors)

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Wider Network

Image 244: Cultural value mapping for a wider network around Spontin (Source: Authors)

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Spontin Area

Image 245: Cultural value mapping for Spontin.

(Source: Authors)

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Jansen - Verbeke Model The Jansen-Verbeke model helps us analyse the village of Spontin’s potential as a tourist destination. It also highlights the village’s strong and weak points in terms of tourism management. These will help us propose interventions to build on the village’s strength and mitigate its weaknesses.

Spontin has a lot of tourism potential and strong existing heritage and natural resources. It also has a very active heritage organisation that promotes its heritage effectively. However, there is no concerted tourism strategy and the village lacks funding and expertise to develop a tourism strategy. This situation is complicated by the multitude of actors involved in tourism in the region, including the Commune of Yvoir and regional actors like the Maison du Tourisme de Dinant. There are multiple stakeholders involved, and they are aware and communicating with each other, but they need to come together to develop a solid management and tourism strategy for the village as a whole.

The proposed interventions could solve some of the problems of Spontin by creating a more pleasant village centre and more trails and connections within the village to highlight existing heritage features.

Our recommendations, in the best of world and if funding was not an issue, include: - the creation of a village management plan, to create concerted action on changes to the village and improve public space, traffic, lighting and develop a sustainable solution for under or unused buildings of the village (like the water factory and the castle); - a village tourism strategy, to being together the different stakeholders (Commune of Yvoir, the Maison du Tourisme de Dinant, mayor of Spontin, private owners, Spontin Patrimoine and other local initiatives) to examine the village’s tourism potential, raise awareness of Spontin in regional tourism networks, and determine short and long term goals for tourism in the village, with a clear action plan attributed to the different actors. This strategy could also examine possible funding stream and government schemes to help develop tourism in rural areas; - Enquire about applying to the Plus Beaux villages de Wallonie - the label could help attract visitors; - increase connections to existing cycle and hiking infrastructure in the region to generate more passage and more footfall (see the following maps).

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Table 03: Jansen-Verbeke model for Spontin.

(Source: Authors)

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The Surroundings We have identified the major urban elements underlying the cultural capital, please find maps for land-use, transportation and legal context in our legal and urban sections. Please find right our map of economic activities and facilities for visitors in the village.

We understand Spontin’s economic landscape as a complex layering of cultural and natural attributes, built environment, land use pattern, perceptions, cultural practices and economic processes.

In terms of businesses, shops and facilities, our interviews (see interview transcripts, annex) revealed that the villagers believe they have an adequate range of necessary and basic businesses, including supermarket, pharmacy, doctor’s practice and restaurants. This situation is confirmed by our map, showing that while there are not many businesses and economic activities, there is a range of them, enough to support the basic needs of the population. The villagers did note that the village was missing some administrative activities, like a post office or a bank, but they were quick to point out that they had more infrastructure and businesses than all the neighbouring villages (Durnal, Dorinne). Another point raised about the few businesses in the village relates to the fact that many of the younger inhabitants live in Spontin but work in larger cities like Namur, taking advantage of the connection to the highway. This explains why there are

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few businesses in the village, and why many bars and restaurants are mostly open on Friday and the weekend, when people actually spend time in the Spontin.

In terms of transport infrastructure, Spontin is very well connected as it sits at the exit of the A4 highway and is therefore very easy to reach from Brussels, Namur, and Luxembourg. However as mentioned in our JansenVerbeke model, the public transport situation is more problematic. The train to Spontin is now touristic and runs irregularly in the summer, and the only public transport to get to the village is by bus from Ciney or Yvoir. The bus runs in the morning and the evening, and not on Sunday. This factor hinders the development of a cultural tourism activity in Spontin.

Spontin has a lot of potential for a cultural tourism activity because of its rich heritage, however there are no businesses catering specifically to tourists with the exception of a few accommodations. Therefore some investment in tourism businesses and infrastructure could help the village develop a cultural tourism activity.

Image 246: Spontin steam train ride.

(Source: Authors)

Image 247: Logis de Spontin.

(Source: Authors)

Image 248: Leaflet for the Centre GĂŠographique de la Wallonie (Source: Authors)

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For a village of approximately 800 inhabitants, Spontin has a good mix of shops, businesses and infrastructure. It could be interesting to develop the business side of Spontin, with more commercial activity and businesses so that economic landfall comes back to the village and leads to sustainable local development. Our project, located in the centre of the village, has potential to start a heritage-led regeneration programme. The village could also develop cultural tourism, because the potential is there, but ideally it would need better public transport connection, cultural tourism activities (like reopening the castle) and more facilities.

Image 249: Centre GĂŠographique de la Wallonie. December 2019 (Source: Authors)

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Image 250: Centre GĂŠographique de la Wallonie. December 2019.

(Source: Authors)

Image 251: Centre GĂŠographique de la Wallonie. December 2019.

(Source: Authors)

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Economic Activity

Image 252: Economic Activities Map. (Source: Authors)

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Economic Landscape

Image 253: Economic Landscape Map. (Source: Authors)

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potential to start a heritage-led regeneration programme. The village could also develop cultural tourism, because the potential is there, but ideally it would need better public transport connection, cultural tourism activities (like reopening the castle) and more facilities.

We have attempted to combine economic activities and facilities as well as transportation on a single map.

Image 254: Trail to the Centre GĂŠographique de la Wallonie. December 2019.

(Source: Authors)

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Image 255: Rural outskirts of Spontin centre. December 2019.

(Source: Authors)

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Economic Values Use Values

Non-Use Values

Real estate value:

Bequest value:

• Price of the house, as a large volume with multiple bedrooms, affected by the fact that it is a heritage building (positive impact on the price) but also by the fact that renovations are necessary (modernisation, energy efficiency, etc.) (negative impact on the price); • Potential rent, especially if the building is divided into flats or offices (see project scenarios).

As a family house owned by three brothers, the wish to bequeath the property to future generations is an important non-use value.

Values from cultural tourism: • Currently none as the building is not involved or even associated with any cultural tourism activity; • Potential for cultural tourism, as a shop, cafe or tourism information space. Could also be part of a village guided tour or walk, as an example of rural heritage.

Option value: • The current option value is limited. However, the potential option value is high because there are many reuse possibilities, so the potential for people to want to reserve the option to use the future building is high; • Currently, the only option value is if people want to reserve the right to buy and live in the building in the future, as it is a wholly private property; • If we make the property into a public space, it could be enjoyed by everyone in the village and by visitors (see project proposals) so increased option value; • If we make the property into a commercial or tourism activity, which could be enjoyed by everyone in the village willing to pay for it (see project proposals), it would also increase the option value.

Existence value: •Tourists, visitors but also neighbours and residents of the village experience this non-use value by experiencing the building as a good example of a

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Externalities farm typology and a proud architectural feature of the village centre, an element of the village’s heritage portfolio and as an integrated part of the typical urban fabric of a Condroz village, creating a well-integrated and coherent landscape.

Positive: • Potential for the restaurants, bakery and supermarkets to benefit from visitors if we create a public or cultural tourism activity; • Potential for the village as a whole to benefit from increased attraction of the village centre if we make it into a nice space where people might relax and stay (see our urban proposals); • Potential for the other businesses in the village to gain commercial partners if we make it into office spaces.

Negative: • Currently; the trees in the garden create shadows on the terrace of the bakery and for neighbours; • Potential for an increased number of visitors to create a busier centre, with more congestion and noise pollution, and disturb the peacefulness of the village; • Potential increase in prices because of increase in visitor numbers and desirability of the village as a place to live.

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Table 04: Economic values chart.

(Source: Authors)

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Stakeholder Mapping

Table 05: Power interest grid.

(Source: Authors)

Table 06: Stakeholder mapping.

(Source: Authors)

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SWOT Analysis This strategic analysis helps us define our project proposals.

Our urban proposal of a cobblestone heritage walk takes advantage of the house’s central connection to reinforce the heritage of the village, connecting it to existing heritage resources put in place by the Patrimoine de Spontin ASBL. The creation of more walking paths and the connection of Spontin to existing cycling routes takes advantage of the existing resources of the village to improve tourism activities. This intervention requires little cost or local tourism expertise, it could be a soft way of improving the tourism offer of the village.

Our proposal to introduce a flat to rent to visitors or tourists in the annex is an attempt to reduce the amount of unused space and introduce functions in the building that can help develop Spontin’s tourism.

Our proposal to create a public area on the ground floor of the stable with flexible spaces to rent above could serve to revitalise the business sector in Spontin, giving the possibility to rent the spaces for company offices, as classes or events spaces, or for cultural activities. This wide range of possibility in a heritage house in the centre of the village could really reactivate the heart of Spontin as an active community and business place.

To analyse the effects of our proposals and their impact on the village, we have developed a multi-criteria analysis. We will only use this for the

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proposals on the micro-scale, meaning the farmhouse itself, as we would need a different set of criteria to analyse the village wide proposals.

Table 07: SWOT. (Source: Authors)

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Multi - Criteria Analysis Please find right the scoring for our farmhouse at the moment. We will then compare this with the scoring of our different proposals; Briefly, the building as it stands now adequately conserves its heritage value and contributes to the quality of the historic environment and the centre of the village. It is in mid-range in terms of property value, but it does not contribute to job creation, tourism growth or the development of the business environment of the village. It provides housing but is empty most of the time and does not have a community function. It is somewhat sustainable because it involves the continued use of an old building reusing an old building as housing, however it has many unused and empty spaces which could be used to improve its sustainability performance. As it is composed of one single house, it does not contain a diversity of function nor provide multiple housing opportunities, scoring low on sustainability and resilience.

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Table 08: Multi-Criteria analysis.

(Source: Authors)

current situation

scenario 1

scenario 2

This is the multi-criteria analysis of our building as it is.

This scenario is strongest in the economic part of the graph, with increased tourism, business environment and property value. However, it is quite weak in the social aspect, with no community enhancement or provision. We decided as a group to place high value on the social and improving quality of life for the community.

This is the most complete scenario. It improves many of the economic cultural, social and environmental criteria of sustainability. It is weak in supporting tourism growth, as the proposals are mostly oriented towards improving the environment and quality of life of the village and of the owner. This is the scenario we are developing more in depth in our proposal.

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chapter five

Image 256

Proposals

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Operational Masterplan

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The Village Traffic As identified in the urban analysis, Spontin has a problem with heavy and rapid traffic passing through the middle of the village. The road cuts the village in two, and is used by big transport trucks driving to the highway.

Our proposal introduces a deviation around the centre for fast and heavy traffic. To do this, we are creating a connection with an existing road going around the hill North-East of Spontin and connecting with Durnal and the water factory.

Our new road would take traffic from the front of the supermarket, currently a wide vacant lot and parking, around the hill and connect it to the highway exit North of the village, next to the train station. We would improve the existing parking lots in front of the supermarket and train station so that visitors can leave their car there and enjoy the centre of the village on foot.

The road going through the centre of the village would be forbidden to trucks, and the speed would be limited 20 km/h to encourage faster traffic to use the deviation. This would reduce the noise, pollution and danger in the village centre, and would create a much more pleasant atmosphere.

This intervention also has the benefit of getting rid of the fast and noisy motorcyclist speed enthusiasts that currently race through the village noisily, as they would have to slow down or take the deviation.

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Image 257: Sketch of main roads in Spontin.

(Source: Authors)

Image 258: Sketch of main roads in Spontin - proposed situation.

(Source: Authors)

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Existing traffic situation

Image 259: Existing traffic map.

(Source: Authors)

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Proposed traffic situation

Image 260: Proposed traffic map.

(Source: Authors)

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Urban Improvements To increase the quality of the urban environment and improve pedestrian mobility in the centre of Spontin, we are improving the sidewalks by extending them where they are too narrow and creating them where there are none. We will pave the sidewalks with cobblestones, recreating a past state found in one of the old photographs.

The cobblestone will go around the village centre and follow the historical trail of panels explaining the history and heritage of the village, to have a clear path to follow for a historical and architectural tour of Spontin. The trail will connect to existing hiking paths to encourage visitors coming to the Centre Géographique de Wallonie to take advantage of them and discover the village, bringing visitors.

This cobblestone walk would connect to our parcel in the front and East through the sidewalks, but also pass through our parcel between our house and the neighbour’s passing by the back of the parcel. This would allow us to highlight and celebrate the important view from the house’s backyard towards the church. We would also create a private parking space at the back of the garden for the Coomans’ family to have a suitable space to park that is not in front of the South façade. We would visually block the view of the Coomans family property from the pedestrian path by planting a number of trees along the pathway.

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Image 261: Urban propositions.

(Source: Authors)

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We would also create a “green� walking path connecting the train station to the mill, next to the river, passing behind the castle to take advantage of the view of the Castle for a pleasant, pedestrian only walk in the village.

This route would create more green space without cars for the inhabitants and enhance the existing heritage assets, notably the castle and the mill.

Image 262: View of the church.

(Source: Thomas Coomans)

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Images 263-264: Photo of liberation day after 2nd World War taken as reference for streets condition and cobblestone as proposed material, respectively.

(Source: Thomas Coomans/Authors)

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Public Space To improve the quality of the urban and architectural environment of the village centre, we are also transforming the front of our house, donating a small part of the parcel to the municipality to create steps in front of the house, replacing the current parking.

The steps would be made of natural stones, local if possible to match the quality of the existing built fabric, with green planters to create a more pleasant urban environment. We hope to foster a feeling of “village centre� in Spontin by creating a public space in front of the house that everyone can enjoy without the current noise and pollution from the traffic.

This would entail the destruction of the parking currently in front of the house, but we would spread five parking spaces parallel to the sidewalk in a shared public space approach. Villagers could continue to do their shopping at the bakery and the pharmacy. The parking lots in front of the supermarket and the train station will provide extra parking when necessary.

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Images 265: Sketch of proposal of public space in front of the farmhouse.

(Source: Authors)

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Intervention drawing, including the steps, sidewalk and new parking spots in front of the house.

A pedestrian pathway connecting from the church to the Coomans family garden that could give a visual treat to the tourists with a beautiful combination of nature, local houses and the church from the garden.

We also propose a tree partition all along the pedestrian pathway which will act as a visual barrier in terms of the family’s privacy.

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Image 266: Sketch of a village centre section.

(Source: Authors)

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Image 267: Sketch of a section of the proposal.

(Source: Authors)

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Walking & Cycling We would like to connect Spontin to the existing hiking trails and cycling paths to encourage visitors to visit this beautiful historic village. The exact connections are beyond the scope of this project, but we have created some maps to indicate where they could go. This process would also involve creating new marked paths inside the village to connect these hiking paths, intersecting with the cobblestone sidewalks to encourage visitors to come in the village centre and discover all Spontin has to offer.

Image 268: Poposition of cycling trail in Spontin.

(Source: Authors)

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Image 269: Proposition of cycling trail in Spontin.

(Source: Authors)

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The Farmhouse First Scenario Basement The project aims to provide properly insulated basement, with windows protected against rain, and improved ventilation. Soft floor lights from the floor following the walls. Functions: flexible depending on family need, but some possibilities include a wine cellar, a comfortable game/TV room and storage (this one also possible to support the oil tank).

Ground floor The annex presents itself as an area for an independent studio, possibly functioning as an Airbnb - existing connections with the main house (through the kitchen and living room) would be closed with masonry walls.

Its main entrance would be through the current laundry door on South faรงade. The lower storage of the annex would be closed off, which, with the addition of a few steps between the ground floor and storage loft, creates a cozy double bedroom. The bathroom would be kept but a toilet would be added to it. The removal of the existing toilet enables the creation of a comfortable open kitchen and living space in the existing service space of the house. The existing door to the oil tank area on South faรงade would be turned into a large window, as well as the door to the bottom storage area would be closed off, turning its upper section into the bedroom window.

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In the farmhouse area, a small deck would be created between West and North faรงades, creating a connection between the living room and the garden. The function of the other rooms on the ground floor would remain the same, with the exception of the staircase, which would be replaced by a self-supporting structure, placed in the North side of storage room, not flush with the wall, with an intermediate landing to really take advantage of the light from the ground and first floor windows. A toilet/bathroom would be created in the space of the staircase and take over some of the South side of the storage room, the partition between the storage room and the staircase shaft disappears and a new simple partition is created to separate bathroom from storage room.

In the stable area, the door between the storage room and the stable would be closed. The stable would be completely opened up. The removal of the vaulted ceiling and flooring would enable the creation of a box-ina-box system of platforms to rent out as offices/workshops/events spaces.

Image 270: Sketch of the 1st Scenario.

(Source: Archana Vinod)

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First floor On the first floor, bedroom 1 would become a large landing for the proposed staircase.The partition between the bedroom and the old staircase shaft would disappear. On the first floor, the annex would become an area for laundry/toilet/bathroom.

Second floor On the attic of the stable: an opening between the mezzanine of the house attic and attic of the stable area would be created, connected by multiplatform mezzanine system supported by a central U-shaped staircase with pillars. The metallic pillars would support the mezzanines.

The installation of zenithal openings in the roofs would bring light into the cellars. Both attics would be insulated and new openings would be created to allow more lights inside. The attic of the house would become an habitable space, with proper insulation and light. It could be used as a flexible space according to the family’s needs.

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Second Scenario In our first scenario, we imagined the farmhouse as a functionnning family home and the stable as a mixed public space and offices for rent.

the centre of the house. Investigations should be conducted to understand how deep the brick infill goes.

This allowed us to think of the farmhouse as a big family home, imagine ways to generate income and think about how to improve its sustainability and how to ensure that the building is still in use when the owners are not there. Thus, a second scenario came to us as a viable alternative.

Corridor: Transformation of the door connecting the corridor with the North façade into a glass window to bring in light into this space.

The basement

Dining Room: Transformation into an office/study which can be turned into a spare bedroom if the whole family comes together.

As well as on first scenario, on the second, the basement would be properly insulated, the windows would be protected against rain and indoor ventilation would be improved (see technical interventions). Soft floor lights from the floor following the walls would be added. In terms of functions, it remains the same: flexible, depending on the family’s needs, but wine cellar, game/TV room and storage remain as alternatives.

The ground floor of the main core of the house Kitchen: Removal of at least 40cm of the brick infill in the fireplace to restore it as a central element of the kitchen and reintroduce this room as

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Living room: Removal of the concrete shelf of the window facing West, keeping the opening but with a better framing.

Staircase: Replacement by a new self-supporting structure, placed in the North side of storage room, not flush with the wall, with an intermediate landing to really take advantage of the light from the ground and first floor windows.

A toilet/bathroom would be created in the space of the staircase and take over some of the South side of the storage room, the partition between the storage room and the staircase shaft disappears and a new simple partition is created to separate the bathroom from the storage room. The door between the storage room and the stable would be closed, as well as the steps between them would be demolished.

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The annex

The stable

The inner wall would be mostly removed, with the exception of the edges of the big West facing inner masonry wall. These walls are medium value (see Value Assessment), but the current spaces are unpractical and unused, so they could be reused on our conservation masterplan. Rethinking this whole area we propose to convert the existing space into a dining area which can be connected to the beautiful garden on the West side of the house by creating an opening on the outer West wall. We also propose to retain a small portion of the existing inner masonry wall from both the sides and demarcate the in-between flooring and the ceiling with different materials so that this intervention could retain and remind the coming generations about the historical tale of this house. The floors would be leveled in the whole annex (currently at different heights in different rooms) in order to reach 2.5m height, by putting everything on level of laundry/oil tank. The door to the bottom storage area would be closed and the opening to the small loft storage area would be turned into a window. The door to the oil tank would also become a glass window. On the North side of the annex, the small corner window would be closed and the concrete of the two windows in the bathroom would be removed in order to extend them and make them look like the North façade windows.

In the stable, the bricks on the flooring would be replaced by a new material but the existing layout and shape of drainage trough in the centre would be kept as design feature, in order to retain the stable atmosphere and highlight the past function of this space. The cross window would be reopened in order to create a clearer, more readable historical North façade and highlight the different historical layers of the inside of the stable, as a space that has evolved over time. The majority of vaulted ceiling would be kept by using C-channels (see technical interventions on Technical section).

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The vaulted ceilings above the cross window and in the space supported by the I-beam would be removed, so the I-beam is no longer necessary and more light can be brought into the first floor through the cross-window. Clearing the large window in the North East corner of the stable, which has been closed with a temporary infill is also a strategy adopted.The bottom of the window in the South East corner of the stable would be reopened. This window has been blocked off by masonry. By inserting glass, it can be restored to its previous state, looking like all the other windows of the South façade.

A new function is adopted in the stable: as library/bookshop with a café and seating spaces in front of the cross window to admire the view.

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First Floor In the first floor, the annex would become laundry/toilet/bathroom area for use of the house.

In the stable area, on ground and first floor, the L-shaped wall separating it from the house would give place to toilets for public use.

In the house, the first floor would become a workshop/classes/meeting area, with a long table for a variety of activities.

The glass and frames of the two windows on the first floor of the South facade would be renovated to match the existing windows to create a sense of homogeneity to the South faรงade.

In the stable, two mezzanine floors of offices, created as a multiplatform mezzanine system supported by a central U-shaped staircase with pillars.

The metallic pillars and the masonry walls will support the mezzanines.

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Second floor In the stable, at the attic level, we are proposing an opening in the existing East wall of the mezzanine floor that could connect the proposed mezzanine from the stable. Therefore, we would be closing the existing opening of the mezzanine from the house and converting the space for a public function. The metallic pillars would support the proposed mezzanine floors. Openings in the roofs would be created to bring daylight to inner spaces.

Both attics (in the house and the stable) would be insulated (see technical interventions).

New zenithal openings between the chimneys, parallel to the ridge and seven slates wide would be inserted on both sides of the façade on top of the stable attic and the mezzanine. We would like to make the frames as thin as possible in order to minimise the visual impact of these openings on the façades. These openings would allow a lighter indoor environment and , possibly, more ventilation to these spaces, making them usable and more pleasant. Because of heights, they would be inaccessible so their openclose function would have to be remote-controlled.

The attic of the house would become an habitable space, with proper

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insulation and light. It can be used as a flexible space according to the family’s needs.

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Image 271: Sketch of the cross-window open.

(Source: Authors)

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chapter six

Image 272

Conclusions

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The Future This IPW3 project was a fantastic opportunity to discover many different aspects of research, investigation and conservation of heritage projects.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and as we are reaching the conclusion of this project we reflect on what we would like to have done with more time and more resources (specially time).

the East wall of the 17th century/pre 1823 building, giving us a clear idea of where the building ended on the South side. We may also find an older flooring under this part of the house that could help us determine what the area was used for before 1823, and if it was always a stable or had a different function.

The Ferme de la Bouverie that we discovered throughout this project has yet to yield all its secrets.

IPW3 was a complex project, and to complete all the phases of data collection, analysis and presentation, we could not investigate all the different elements with the depth and detail they deserved. Our choice to study the village as a whole rather than just the house also meant that we discovered many interesting elements we would have loved to study further. Therefore, for future research, we would recommend looking more in depth at the neighbour’s property and its building history, which our initial research suggests is as complex, if not more, than the farmhouse’s.

Future projects could also study the courtyard, as the heart of the farm complex and space of connection for all its surrounding buildings. There is also a lot of potential to conduct more in-depth analysis in the church St. Georges, the mill and the Castle of Spontin, which could all be fascinating future IPW3 topics on their own.

If it was possible to remove the plaster and gypsum boards from all the wall surfaces, we hope the masonry would reveal some of the house’s mysteries and could help us answer questions about the early phases of the building by revealing different materials, wall connections, traces of openings and older periods of construction. Removing the gypsum boards could also improve our understanding of the construction material and type of masonry.

There is a lot that archaeology could reveal about the house. It would be fascinating to investigate the possibility of a fourth cellar room under the stable – we could investigate this in two ways, by exploring the blocked off niche in the third cellar and by digging a trench under the floor of the stable.

Archaeology in the stable could also potentially reveal the remains of

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Image 273: Rose garden in the courtyard. May 2020.

(Source: Authors)

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Epilogue IPW3 was a fantastic experience. Being able to spend days at a time together in the farmhouse, working but most importantly living, eating and laughing as a team was an amazing human experience. Spending so much time so intensely together really enriched our time at the RLICC; we worked hard, but more importantly we spent hours in the bakery and discovered Belgium together.

of software, the complexity of dealing with survey data and the pains and joys of teamwork. It has been an educational process and a steep learning curve, but a remarkably enriching one. We are more confident in our ability to understand, conserve and protect heritage, and we will continue to use our skills and our voices as young heritage professionals to campaign for the preservation of heritage everywhere in the world.

Many thanks again to Professor Coomans for his dedication to the project and extraordinary support, taking us there himself and allowing us to stay in the house overnight. Being able to live inside our object of study created a truly immersive experience and gave us real ownership of the project, which we frequently called our home in Belgium. It also added depth to an incredible learning experience – we started this project with no documents, no plans and no idea where to start. Six months later, we’ve built survey plans from scratch, investigated every nook and cranny of the house, and created a solid project supported by thorough historical and urban studies of the building and the village. We’re very proud of this final product, and believe it is an accurate reflection of our learning and discovery journey in Spontin.

Unfortunately, Covid-19 interrupted our studies and disturbed our lives, and the project, pretty severely in March 2020. Nevertheless, we found ways to stay in contact, work together and support each other throughout an unprecedented, lonely and difficult period. Surviving the isolation of lockdown would have been a lot harder without this team and all the love and support we shared. As we finish the project crammed together in 2m², it feels like we are making up for lost time together. Finishing the project together makes all the stress and sleepless nights worth it.

We had been warned at the start of IPW3 that it would be an intense experience, but a rewarding one. After this project, we whole-heartedly agree. We’ve gone through the ups and downs of research, the frustration

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We’re not likely to forget this year, and Spontin was our crowning achievement.

Image 274: Frozen landscape near the Vivacqua station in Spontin. December 2019.

(Source: Authors)

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Bibliography ASBL Le Patrimoine de Spontin, “l’église Saint Georges”, visited 26/03/2020, http://www.spontinvillage.be/a-voir-eglise-saint-georges.php ASBL Le Patrimoine de Spontin, “la roche buant”, visited 26/03/2020 Spontinvillage.be/a-voir-roche-buant.php ASBL Le Patrimoine de Spontin, “le moulin”, visited 26/03/2020 http:// www.spontinvillage.be/a-voir-moulin.php

Del Zotto, C. & Sangoi, P. “Spontin del Friuli ou l’immigration italienne à Spontin” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, edited by Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004) Fortemps, “Regards croissés sur la Haie Collaux” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004)

Butil, P., & De Jonghe, & S., Genicot, L-F. Le Patrimoine rural de Wallonie: la maison paysanne (Bruxelles : Crédit communal; 1996)

Fortemps, V. « L’openfield Condruzien et Spontin », in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, edited by Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004)

Chemin de Fer du Bocq , “horaires”, accessed 20/04/2020 https:// www. cf b o cq . be/ind ex. php /fr /hor air es /5 2-20 18-0 1-03-0 9-5 736?date=2019-07-07-10-00

Genette, L. & Germain, J. “De 1918 au XXIe siècle, d’hier à demain” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, edited by Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvainla-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004)

Cornut, P. “Le conflit agricole de Spontin avec la CIBA en 1973” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, edited by Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004)

Genette, L. “Démographie et évolution de la population” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, edited by Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004)

Dasnoy, A. “Spontin avant Spontin : les tombes du Bas-Empire et de l’époque mérovingienne” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, edited by Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004)

Genette, L. “Les eaux de Spontin : histoire économique” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, edited by Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004)

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Genette, L. “Les eaux minérales de Spontin” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, edited by Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004)

Germain, J. “Les captages au XIX siècle: Spontin au secours de Bruxelles” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, edited by Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvainla-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004)

Germain, J. & Genette, L. “Hotels, restaurants et cafés” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, edited by Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004)

Germain, J. “Les carrières et le travail de la pierre » in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, edited by Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004)

Germain, J. & Schraverus, B. Spontin de sang et de feu (Editions Martagon 2014) Germain, J. “De 1104 à 2004, Spontin dans la longue durée” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, edited by Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004) Germain, J. “L’exploitation des captages par la CIBE” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, edited by Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004) Germain, J. “Le baron de Pierpont et quelques personnalités Spontinoises” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-laNeuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004)

Germain, J. “Mais que signifie donc Spontin ?” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, edited by Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004) Huby, R. & Germain, J. “Le camping Le Quesval” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, edited by Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004) Javaux, J-L. “Le Château de Spontin” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, edited

by Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004) Mardaga, P. Architecture Rurale de Wallonie Condroz, ed. Mardaga, P. (Liège: Mardaga, 1989)

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Marion, J-M. & Barchy, L. “Le Context géologique de Spontin » in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, edited by Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004) Marion, J-M. & Barchy, L. “Le Context géologique de Spontin” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, ed. Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004) Matele, “Quel avenir pour les sources de Spontin”, visited 30/03/2020, https://www.matele.be/quel-avenir-pour-les-sources-de-spontin Moreaux, J. La Vallée du Bocq: sites, légendes, histoire : Yvoir, EvrehaillesBauche, Crupet, Spontin (Bruxelles : Commissariat général du tourisme, 1956) Parfonry, A & Germain, J. “L’église au milieu du village” in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, edited by Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004) Pierres et Marbres Wallonie, “Les carrières du Bocq” January 2018, accessed : http://www.pierresetmarbres.be/fileadmin/PMW_site/Caroline/PDF_ membres_2018/PM1703_Fiche_Bocq_2018_FR_v02a.pdf

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Vivaqua, “125 ans d’eau potable”, accessed 20/03/2020 https://www. vivaqua.be/fr/profil/125-ans-deau-potable Wilmet, J-L. “La ligne 128 à Spontin, entre passé et avenir”, in Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, edited by Germain, J. et Genette, L. (Louvain-la-Neuve: La Mémoire de Spontin A.S.B.L., 2004) Wouez, A. Spontin, Durnal & Dorinne, (Brussels: Editions Techniques et Scientifiques, 1958)

Cover images: Image 01: Former cafĂŠ in Spontin centre. Undated photo.

(Source: delcampe.net)

Image 02: Family photo in front of the farmhouse. Early 20th Century.

(Source: Vincent Fortemps)

Image 03: Undated photo of the farmhouse.

(Source: Vincent Fortemps)

Image 83: Professor Olivier Guillite in wood condition investigation in the farmhouse. March 2020.

(Source: Authors)

Image 234: The whole farmstead.

(Source: Thomas Coomans)

Image 235: Professor Thomas Coomans in the Centre Geographique de la Wallonie. December 2019..

(Source: Authors)

Image 256: Surroundings of the Spontin mill. December 2019.

(Source: Authors)

Image 272: View of the mill from the roof of the farmhouse. May 2020.

(Source: Authors)

All sketches on cover pages throughout the book are the artistic work of Archana Vinod, made during the development of the project.

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Annex Interview with Patrick Evrard Conducted by: Chloé Ducroizet-Boitaud Thursday, March 19th 2020 - 6PM CD: Hello! Thank you very much for accepting to talk to me. As you know, I am part of a group doing a conservation project on the Ferme de la Bouverie in Spontin. We were hoping to ask you a few questions about the village.

PE: Of course.

CD: One of the first question I have is regarding the plan secteur – we saw there were forest, industrial and habitation zones, but also areas called ZACC. What are those, and what do they mean in terms of building permit?

PE: These are zones that can still receive different statuses; they can’t be industrial but they could become habitation, agricultural, leisure zones.

There are a lot of possibilities. But originally when they started making these plan secteur, ZACC were considered to be real estate reserves for the communes. The land does not necessarily belong to the commune but the zones are pre-reserved, in a sense, for the extension of housing.

CD: so how does the plan secteur combine with the water protection

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system? I know that because Vivacqua has an interest in protecting the water table, there are restrictions on the use of land. Is this linked?

PE: No, they’re not at all linked. Do you know WalonMap? If you dig around a bit you can find the different protection maps. The protection of the water capture zones should be there, but they’re not at all linked to the plan secteur. Spontin is indeed a zone of water capture by Vivacqua, so there is a series of zones around the capture points that are so-called protected. This means that when you have a demand for a permit in these zones, Vivacqua is always asked to consult.

CD: so Vivacqua has an important power over construction permits?

PE: yes, though they do not have absolute power. They give an opinion, which is important but they do not have the final say. So it isn’t Vivacqua which decides if a building can be built on land within the protection zones. However the functionary of the Walloon region or of the commune, depending on the case, is going to really take into consideration Vivacqua’s opinion because otherwise there is a risk of Vivacqua appealing to the

Conseil d’Etat or to the Walloon government. So there’s two dimensions; on the one hand, an opinion by Vivacqua, for building permits. On the other hand, when you are in a zone where water is being captured, whether by Vivacqua or other companies, there are strict sets of rules and regulations to follow. For example, you need to have double walled tanks if you want to have a fuel tank, to prevent contamination of the water table.

CD: I see. I have been reading the two volumes of Spontin d’Eau et de Pierre, and there is a lot of information on these things so I am trying to build an understanding of how they all relate to each other. Professor Coomans notably told us that there was a recent project to replace the water canalisations under the main street – is this also linked to the water protection?

PE: No. Our region has the particularity of being a water capture zone for Vivacqua, and the water is sent to Brussels. But because we are on the route of the pipes going to Brussels, and since Vivacqua started exploiting the water in the 19th century, the localities like Spontin have relied on a water system for their inhabitants which involves buying water from

Vivacqua. So Spontin’s water distribution system relies on Vivacqua’s water canalisations, but the water management is run by the Société Wallonne des Eaux, which is another water distribution group. This group buys water from Vivacqua. The replacement of the pipes under the Chausée de Dinant is a replacement of old pipes by the Société Wallonne des Eaux.

CD: Another question I have on water in Spontin is linked to the Sources.

I understand that the building is abandoned now – are there any projects for this building?

PE: The building is indeed abandoned. There are some projects. Basically, what happened was that a company was using the building of the source, but no longer the water, to bottle products like Coca-cola, so it was no longer a mineral water company. It went bankrupt in 2011. The site was sold and bought by an individual who wanted to use it as a garage to stock his collection of hypomobile vehicles, like ancient coaches. He is a very old man from Alsace, 94 years old. He has never been able to really launch his project, and the site has remained empty since and is regularly squatted, there have been rave parties organised there… So the site is really suffering

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from its current condition. In 2019, another two investors bough part of the site from this man, the part which has the water sources, which are still exploitable. These two investors are looking to start a mineral water activity once again. But they’re only owners of 1/4th of the site, and the current state of the rest of the site is a bit of hindrance to them receiving clients and so on. So for the moments, there is not much dialogue going on about the development of these projects. We’re following the project very closely in the Commune, but also with the Bureau Economique de la Province de Namur, a parapublic organism which takes care of economic development in the province. But we are of course limited in what we can do because it is a private site.

here but because of the virus we thought it was not advisable. He told me he was happy to be contacted, I will give you his email and phone number and I am sure if you explain the context of your project you could organise a visit with him. The Castle is currently owned by a real estate company, owner now for quite a long time, at least 10 years, and since then nothing has happened: it’s not open, there are no activities… I think the only things that have happened was filming, twice, because the site is very suited to it.

So for that they probably tried to spruce up the place a bit, but it’s the only activities that have taken place there.

CD: Another question we had was on the castle – from what we understand, it is closed to the public today, but it used to be open. Are there no times when it is open anymore?

PE: No.

PE: I think you could ask the question to Mr Enroté (?), who is in charge of the castle. He is not the owner but he is in charge f it. I can send you the contact of Mr Enroté, but also of Jean Germain, who was supposed to be

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CD: So no plan of restoration or rehabilitation?

CD: We also noticed that the Agence Wallonne du Patrimoine has the farmhouse as a “pastillé” building – we’re not entirely sure what it means in contrast with a listed building?

PE: Professor Coomans can probably explain better than me, but the fact

that it is “pastillé” means that the building has been highlighted during an inventory of monumental heritage so it is not listed, in the strict sense of the term, but it is a building which was considered of value, interesting.

However it does not benefit of a particular protection. It is a changing landscape because there has been a new code of heritage since last year which introduced this notion of “pastillé” and there are now procedures which need to be respected for the house. There’s another dimension, which you will find on WalOnMap, is that we are in an archaeological zone.

So demands for work and permits for the building need to be submitted to the Commission Royale des Monuments. But Mr Coomans probably can explain this to you because he is a member of the Commission. So mostly it means that it’s on an inventory.

of the criteria include having a minimum commercial activity, not having a dead village with no restaurants and cafes. But in Spontin there are restaurants and cafés, so that shouldn’t be a problem. Though one issue could be that Spontin has been heavily damaged in the first world war and it is therefore very reconstructed, because many of the historical houses had to be reconstructed, usually identical but they’re no longer authentic.

Another thing is that there needs to be a demand to join, but you should speak to Jean Germain, he is probably aware of the context because this label of “Plus Beux Village” in Belgium goes back quite a few years already and the time when most demands to join were made was quite a few years back – I was never involved with this process but Jean Germain I’m sure could tell you more about this context.

CD: Thank you. A related question, this time on the village as a whole – we saw that there was a label called “Les Plus Beaux Villages de Wallonie”, and we were wondering, what would Spontin need to become one of them? It has a castle, beautiful landscapes…

CD: In terms of touristic activities in Spontin, we were wondering if tourism was a key factor for Spontin; is the village actively trying to attract tourists?

PE: I think for Spontin, there shouldn’t be too much missing. I know some

PE: Well as you know, Spontin is part of a larger commune, Yvoir, which regroups 9 villages. Spontin is an average village in terms of size. The village in itself has the local associations, there’s one called Le Patrimoine

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de Spontin, another called Libye (?) Spontin, that’s Walloonian for the beautiful Spontin. Beyond these associations, the village itself does not have any decision-making powers. The tourism policy is defined at the level of commune, for Yvoir as a whole. And also by the Maisons du Tourisme, which regroup an important number of communes. Yvoir belong to the Maison du Tourisme of Dinant, which combines 13 communes, a zone of 300,000 inhabitants, including the city Namur. So the big decisions in terms of tourism and tourist marketing are taken at this level. This is the formal response. From a more local point of view, the commune, in Yvoir, has always been in favour of tourism development but the means put forward are not always enough and often do not match the stated intentions. Spontin, amongst the 9 villages of the commune, is probably the one with the clearest tourism vocation because historically the Castle could be visited, there were always the Sources which attracted visitors, and today there is still the Chemin de Fer du Bocq, the touristic train line, which is relatively successful with families and train enthusiasts, a specialist group that organises meetings and get-togethers about historical train, steam locomotives, etc. So there are events over a weekend that can draw several thousand people to the village of Spontin. There’s also the centre

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Géographique de Wallonnie, and there is a network of walking paths. There are also the restaurants. This means that within the commune d’Yvoir, Spontin is the village with the most potential for touristic development.

CD: I had another question, this time related to economic activities in Spontin. What are the main sectors of activity in the village, where do people work?

PE: In terms of economic activity, in Spontin itself, there is no more industry – the quarries are gone, the Sources are gone. There is a commercial activity and an artisanal activity, with a company called Piscinat which installs swimming pools and spas, and on the same site near the train station there’s also a wine retailer, there’s a small events company near the train station, which organises events like concerts, receptions etc. And even though their headquarters is not in Spontin, Vivacqua has an office for the capture zone of Spontin and Senenne in the village.

CD: And that’s in the building which used to be part of the Grande Carrière, near the train station?

PE: Yes exactly. Beyond that, you have the small commercial activities and the cafés and restaurants. That’s about it. For tourism, I forgot to mention that there is also the Mill on the Rue des Rivières, near the Bocq.

Chronologically it is Spontin’s second mill, built in the 19th century in competition with the “moulin banal”, the moulin of the Castle, which was located at the site of the actual Garage Montagne, the garage near the bridge. The “new” mill, which still works, is regularly open to visitors with activities and guided tours. It’s usually free, they open a small bar, for example in August when the Chemin de Fer du Bocq does its “steam weekend” when they gather steam locomotives, the mill is also open and allows the visitors to visit the mill too.

CD: My last questions are about possibilities for the farmhouse. Because it’s a theoretical project, we are quite free and can go in any direction we like.

We were wondering, if money was not an issue and anything was possible, what do you think would be a good function for the building, considering it’s centrally located. Obviously, today it is a habitation building, but if it could be anything, is there anything in particular you think could go there?

PE: There’s nothing that immediately springs to mind. However what is quite apparent is that in many places in this type of building “chambres d’hôtes” have sprung up (guest rooms/b&b) so that could happen, because it’s set back a little from the main road and the location is interesting, near the church and so on. So a gîte, or chambres d’hôtes could be something to go in that building. Why not a restaurant or a business with a tourism orientation, like for example something that they did in Redu, the book village, at the start of the Province of Luxembourg, 40-50km away from here. It’s very specialised there, but we could imagine a bookshop dedicated to local books and local heritage. Maybe with a café or food area.

CD: I see. And it could link to what you were saying before, about artisanal and local products. Another question we had about Spontin was on agriculture – is this still an activity in the village?

PE: Globally, when you look at the use of land around the village, it remains an agricultural village. But like everywhere else, the farms have combined to form fewer, bigger entities. Looking at Spontin, there are essentially two

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farms, one of which might be linked to Senenne actually. There’s the ferme de Salazinnes, on its own in the middle of the fields, and another one near Quesval, behind the camping. The way agricultural plots have changed hands and been inherited means that there are plots cultivated within the limits of Spontin by people not from Spontin but from Dorinne or Ciney, amongst others. So the villages on the plateau around the valley of the Bocq, as opposed to the villages of the valley of the Meuse, are villages where agriculture remains important in terms of land use.

CD: So compared to Spontin, these villages have a more important agricultural activity, while Spontin diversified into an industrial activity which no longer exists today?

PE: Yes, exactly.

CD: We did take the car a bit in the neighbouring villages, and it does feel like there is a different atmosphere there, there are less businesses and things going on.

PE: Yes absolutely. In Spontin we have a reasonable density of businesses

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for the amount of population, but villages like Dorinne and Durnal have almost nothing.

CD: I think that was all for my questions, thank you so much for speaking with me and helping me understand how the village works.

PE: No worries at all, if you have any more questions please feel free to ask, and I will send you the contact of Jean Germain, who would be very happy to talk to you. He can also give you information on several themes of the village. We would be very interested to see the final product of your work and what you discover.

Interview with Jean Germain Conducted by: Chloé Ducroizet-Boitaud Thursday, March 26th 2020 - 5PM CD: Thank you very much for agreeing to speak to me. How are you?

JG: Well thank you.

CD: I was contacting you because we have several questions on Spontin and the Ferme de la Bouverie. We’re actually drawing plans now, to try to understand the history and the evolution of the building. Wait, let me show you.

JG: Have you read the two volumes that I wrote? Because in the first one, there is quite a lot of information on the farmhouse.

CD: I have, actually, though not the whole books. I actually had a few questions on the sources you have used, notably to date the tenants living in the farm. Did those come from parish records?

JG: It is mostly my colleague Louis Genette who was more interested in the farms than I was and who has an interest in genealogy, so he is the one who traced back the tenants. In most documents we do not have the length of

the tenancy, we only have one date so we can find the tenant or owner for specific dates depending on the documents that we have. It is difficult to give a range of dates, from this time to that. It is easier for mills because it’s usually tenancies of 9 years so easier to trace, but not for farms.

CD: So these records of tenants, are they in the castle archive? From what I understand, the farm used to belong to the Castle?

JG: Yes, until 1818 it belonged to the Beaufort-Spontin. The problem with the Beaufort-Spontin archives is that they are in Czechoslovakia. It’s a long story – there is still one Beaufort Spontin duke, who currently lives in Austria and sometimes comes back to Spontin or Florennes. The problem is that the family, during the war, used to live in Bohemia, in Germany. After the war, this whole part became part of the Soviet bloc. The family moved back to Austria but the family archives were annexed by the government and so all the archives of the Beaufort-Spontin, which are relatively important, are in Pilsen. There are archives on the castle and the farms they owned, but it was family that owned a lot of property so there is also a lot on Florennes, on the other side of the Meuse. There is more documents on Florennes

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than on Spontin. However Louis Genette went with Jean-Louis Javaux, you know of him I suppose, he’s one of the foremost specialists in Belgium on farms and rural architecture. He’s written a lot about farms and also about the Castle of Spontin. They went at least 3 times, so they have records of these archives, which probably have not been used to their full potential.

CD: Ok, so that is how they can go back so far? I saw we had a list of tenants stretching back to 1600.

JG: Yes, though we also have information in other archives. I have been several times to the Namur state archives for information on Spontin, they have what we call the “transports”, the exchanges and sales of plots. We can find interesting information when there is an inheritance containing land, we and usually know when an owner sells or distributes land to his children, their names and where the land is located. When there is a sales, there are details about the property and the owner and seller. So this information is not only in the Beaufort-Spontin archives but also in notarial records of the Ancien Régime, or in what we call “echevinages” archives, so the archives of local fiefdoms.

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CD: Another question we had was relative to our basement – we have a hole in the back of the basement, filled up with bricks, in the direction of the church. Is that normal? Is it going somewhere?

JG: There is a legend that says that there was underground passageway under the Bouverie farm, connecting to the church. Could that be it?

I’m relatively sceptical because there are always rumours going around everywhere about secret passageways, but it’s possible.

CD: And the Church is built on a rocky outcrop, isn’t it? That’s probably relatively difficult to dig through.

JG: Yes, exactly. But the Bouverie farmhouse was probably the first farm in the village – farms around the church and the castle were probably the earliest farms. This is how the village started to take form – the church, the castle which here is a bit to the side, and the first farmhouses around the church.

CD: So, it was one of the first in the village.

JG: Yes, this is what we assume. However, we do not have documents from the Middle Ages to prove it with certainty.

CD: From what I understand, the building was originally a half-timbered thatched cottage, and then was built in stone. I spoke to Vincent Fortemps who explained to me that around 1770s, there’s a general transition from timber and thatched cottages to stone buildings. What sources do we have that allow us to date this change, and why at that period in particular?

JG: I think we have documents of 1616 for the Bouverie farmhouse, concerning the stables, the fenil and the gerbier (fenil at the attic to store grain, gerbier at the place to store large hay sheaf). So, we have indication on the construction, restored since. On the gable of the farm there is 1823 so that’s clearly stating that there’s an enlargement and that they added a level. So, I think the first level, which was lower, was already built in stone. In the region, there were some timbered, thatched cottages but less than in other areas, because of readily available stone. The big stone quarries we

know from the 19th century really grew in the 1870s, but they were working before, on a smaller, more local scale. Before public transport, the village is very difficult to access because surrounded by steep rock on all sides, so it’s really difficult to export the stone. When the Luxembourg-Brussel line and the Bocq line come into being, the stones start being exploited more intensively and exported. Before that, the exploitation was only local. The Castle of Spontin is typically built of Spontin stone, it’s 300m away from the quarry. Generally speaking, always look to the gable, it’s the best indication of an increased level of a building. Chimneys are also a good indication.

Typically, houses were very low, with one level and an attic, and once the technology improves you add a level.

CD: On this note, we found when doing plans that we had very large inner walls, so we were wondering, could these be traces of this older, shorter house?

JG: I think for that you need an architectural analysis. One person you could ask is Jean-Louis Javaux, he has already spent time on the house and he knows it, so he may be able to help you. He lives in Namur. He’s really

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the specialist in Walloonian medieval architecture.

CD: Ok. Another issue we have is that we only have access to the housing building of the farm, not the barn or the stables, which could also have helped us date the farm and determine which parts came first. Another question we had was about the architectural expansion of the village. From what we understand, it starts with a Roman road, where does that go?

JG: Yes, so it goes from the Bouchat, on the bridge and up the path on the right, the ruelle de Huy. It goes up to the highway exit. It was probably a Roman diverticulum. The place where the bridge is, near the mill, is probably one of the rare places in the valley where you can cross the Bocq with animals and carts – there was a ford. It was probably a good spot to control coming and goings in the valley. When you go towards Yvoir, it is very rocky so there were not a lot of access possibilities. So the Bocq in Spontin is where there was easy passage and the diverticulum would have been the Chemin des Batelier, they would have gone on the Meuse and when they would cut between Dinant and Huy. Instead of doing DinantNamur, Namur-Huy, they would cut through Dinant-Huy by Spontin so

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they would pass on this spot. There was probably a control in the village.

If the Castle settled there it is because there was probably an interest in controlling that valley. Already in the 5th century, there were garrisons.

Actually, that’s where the house I was born in is, I was born on top of a Merovingian cemetery.

CD: I see. I also read that there were remains of an old tower, on the Roche Buant – is that not linked to the garrisons then?

JG: So, what we can see are remains of old walls. It could have been a small garrison, but I don’t see the point. For a moment I wondered if the lords who wanted to settle in Spontin did not originally try to settle there, because it’s an interesting location, just by the Roman path. The Church is very old, so it was already there on the other rocky outcrop and the Roche Buant was the one left. However it’s very narrow, not a very comfortable place to build a castle so they probably decided to build a castle at the bottom of the plain, surrounded by a moat, while normally in regions like this one, where it’s really rocky, the tendency was to build castle on rocky outcrops. This is my interpretation, but we don’t have any proof.

CD: So starting with the church, we then have the castle. When does the rest of the village grow, notably towards the river and the centre?

JG: All the big farms, 5-6 of them, are around the church. On the other side of the village, the castle occupies a large area. And the central bit along the Roman road that goes down to the bridge. The path actually today is not exactly the old Roman diverticulum, both the path and the bridge were deviated when the mill was built, but it used to be a straighter path. So, on that side you had the Ferme Ogiers, called La Franche Taverne, and the path going towards Huy. Beyond that, nothing was built. Nothing going towards Durnal, that arrived towards the end of the 19th century when the quarries started being exploited more intensively and they built housing there. Otherwise for the rest everything around the church and part of the Bouchat was built and until the Roche Buant, nothing beyond, and the centre of the village, towards the castle, is also built. It’s also where the lord’s mill was, near the old quarry. It was destroyed permanently in 1914 by the fire.

CD: So, when the quarries start being exploited, there’s a new area that is

built with the small houses by the quarry, near la Rochette. What about the modern expansions, on the side of the Grande Carriere and on the path going towards Dorinne?

JG: That would be 19th century essentially. The one that goes up, not the one we take today which came later, but the Ry d’Aout.

CD: and the modern houses, when do these come in? I’m guessing after the second world war?

JG: yes, there are a few inside the village. At a time, you had to build in stone, brick was forbidden. On the side of the church and farm, it’s mostly blue stone because the Grande Carière is there, and on the side of the mill it’s mostly sandstone because of la Rochette. So, the two sides of the river are different construction material. There’s a development of the village mostly in the 19th century, especially in the second half because the quarries will develop rapidly and need a lot of manpower. When I was younger in Spontin there were jobs for 250-300 people, with the stone, the Sources, the CIBE, the restaurants, there used to be a concrete factory…

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So, there was a lot of business. And also, more tourism.

CD: Another question on the evolution of the village was the small road that cuts through our actual parcel and went down to the Chausée de Dinant, where were wondering, when was that cut off?

JG: There is a plan from 1823 with this road. The Bouverie and the farm above, the Ferme Collard, used to belong to the same family. There were modifications at that time. In the past, the street that goes down to the pharmacy used to go directly towards the bridge and the mill.

CD: And so when did this street disappear completely?

JG: Now there is only the small road that goes between the two farms, but I think it disappeared in the 1830s or so.

CD: The next questions I have are about the village today, and the project for the house. One part of our project is to decide what we are going to do with the house in the future. Currently it is clearly housing, but if we could

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imagine any function, what would work in the house. Is there something missing from Spontin that the farmhouse could provide, with its central location?

JG: Obviously it’s a strategic location. I am president of the SPL Le Patrimone de Spontin, and we already occupy the train station as a communal meeting room for the village and we also rent it out, as well as the camping. So, what could we do? Une “maison des jeunes”? But it could be a bit big for that. We could imagine a more cultural function. The big problem is that with the communes merging into one in 1977, Spontin is only a small part. The centre is in Yvoir now so it’s always difficult to have activities in Spontin when there is already quite a lot in Yvoir and in Godinne too, with the prehistoric farm. So, there is already a lot. We did think about maybe starting a museum of stone, because this activity was so strong in Spontin. For example, all the stone cutting tools, even ancient ones, I have and I regularly lend them to exhibits. My whole family was stone-cutters, I actually wrote my thesis on stone work in Spontin. The problem for museums is that you need funds. Though there are a lot of tourists in Spontin, even though it is no longer like before when the Castle

could be visited. We hope that it might one day reopen, because without it it’s a little difficult, but I remember when I was young there were loads of people passing through the village, for the castle but also the Sources building. There still are some restaurants. And even though most of these activities are gone now, you still a lot of passage in the summer, because the village is still in guides like the Michelin and others. So even though there’s nothing left to really visit, people go around the village. And that’s also why we made the historical signs and the path in the village, to give people some content to digest. There’s still the mill, but it’s not open regularly, it’s only every once in a while. So, I don’t know, you couldmake it in a place with a cultural value. But we do have a lot of businesses and restaurants still, so we are doing well on that front. We have lost a bit on the cultural side of things, but you do need to have funds to support these activities.

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Interview with Vincent Fortemps Conducted by: Chloé Ducroizet-Boitaud Wednesday, March 18th 2020 - 5PM CD: Thank you very much for agreeing to speak to me. How are you?

VF: No problem at all. Things are getting a bit stressful at work, with the coronavirus and all. You still have the book? You can keep for as long as you need.

CD: Thank you very much. We will return to Spontin when this is all over, hopefully sooner than later. I had a few questions, notably on the article you wrote about the development of the village, with the phases of construction of the village, the materials and the stones used in the village. You notably mention that the houses are first half-timbered thatched cottages and in the 17th century they start becoming stone buildings. How can we justify this change in construction?

VF: The stone was easily available and not expensive. Why then? Because most houses seem to date from 1770. There are several Mardaga books on the stones and the construction. The technique probably also probably evolved that allowed them to build in stone. But why then in particular, I don’t know, I would have to do some research.

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CD: No worries, research is our job! We were just wondering if you knew.

And in contrast, the castle and the church were already built in stone at this period while the rest of the houses were half timbered thatched cottages?

VF: Absolutely. They were people with more wealth, and for the castle notably it was a show of strength, contrasting with the villager. A “I am the leader and powerful, I can afford to build in stone” attitude. The peasants could not afford it.

CD: So, in our farmhouse for example, we have a stone basement. We’ve always been told that the basement is the oldest part of the house. In this case, does that mean it wouldn’t be older than the 1700s.

VF: Yes, most likely around 1770. There’s someone who did a study of all the houses in the village and their evolutions. His name is Louis Genette, he is the co-author of Jean Germain for the book. He is quite old now, and retired in Hamois, but originally from Spontin. He worked on the houses, who lived there and when. When we were working on the book, he gave

me a genealogy for my house, a history of my house’s inhabitants. So, he probably has the same information for the Bouverie farmhouse, I can ask him? Though he had a few health issues last year so we’ll have to see what he says.

CD: That would be great, thank you very much. Another question we had was about the development of the village itself, and its different phases. We know from the book originally there was the church and a few farmhouses, then the Castle, but today it is quite spread out, in different directions. Do you know how that happened? Today it feels like the bakery is the centre of the village, but originally, it was probably the church?

VF: In past times, and in the Ferraris maps, looking at the path that goes up the rue du Bouchat towards the field, we can see it says “chausée romaine” (roman path). So, at that time, there was a road going from Dinant to Huy. This passed through the Bouchat, on both sides – the road that goes down to the pharmacy and the one that goes to the bakery. Why there? The romans did not like going at the bottom of valleys, always passed higher on the ridges, and the ford of the village was the only part of the river where it

was possible to cross with carts, allowing them to go to Huy from Dinant.

This allowed them to avoid passing by Namur, they saved up a day’ worth of travel, because at the time they could travel maximum 30 kilometres a day with carts. So, there was a road going down past the church, along the farmhouse, they would go down, cross the ford and up the “corne”, the part on the right when you cross the bridge. The area of the Bouchat can be circled around, if you take the path up by the pharmacy, behind the farmhouse, and then go down near the church. We had a workshop with a geography teacher who told us it is likely that the carts took one path to go up, and the other to come down to avoid crossing paths. So that defined a path and marked the original occupation of the village. Also, we are very unsure about this, but it is possible that before the church was there, in Roman or early medieval times, there was a guard post on the site to collect taxes or tithes, as a right of way. Because it was a highpoint, above the riverbed, because in winter or when there was a lot of rain the area below could flood. But this is hypothesis, we are not certain. So, this was probably the first major road. For example, on the Ferraris map the road going to Dorinne or the one going to Durnal and passing by the Eaux Minérales, near the tunnel today, did not exist.

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CD: Another question we had – we found a hole, filled up with bricks in the basement of our house and got really excited, thinking it could be a secret passage. Is that something common to a lot of the houses?

VF: No, not really. At least I don’t think so – we have none in our basement, though because we are near the church the basement is dug in the rock – it’s quite small because the rock is very hard. But I also have another book on the Condroz, they have a study of housing typology by region. It’s possible to date a house just by the shape of its staircase and the thickness of its wall. For example, in our place we have walls of 50sm, and houses with walls 50-53cm thick date from the 18th century. Those of 60cm date from the 17th. We can date through these elements, the position of the stairs, if it is in the centre or near the external walls. There are interesting descriptions. It also explains why the houses have external chimneys – in the middle ages, buildings had the fireplace in the central room of the house, built in stone. They were placed in the middle of the house, but later this changed and they were placed near the gables. This allows to date, more or less precisely, the houses.

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CD: could you please give me the title? I will look for it in the university library.

VF: Architecture Rurale de Wallonie, Condroz. Editor: Pierre Mardaga. And the other is called Le Patrimoine Rurale de Wallonie, la maison paysanne.

Collection CGER. In two volumes. I’m not a historian, but I’m part of a group on the small, popular Walloonian heritage. If you go on the site of the WAP (Agence Wallonne du Patrimoine), there’s a long list of categories and subcategories defining what small heritage is. For example, one of the categories is small religious heritage, like the “potales”, the chapels, the crosses, the organs and the bells. There’s the small heritage connected to the train, the one linked to water with the sources and fountains. There’s also the iron small heritage, etc. There are 18 categories. There’s about 20 of us, since September, creating an inventory of this small heritage with photos and using books on the region to make heritage cards. We want to create a website, and maybe create guided walks, with QR codes, to create diversity and give more walk opportunities beyond the ones in the wood. There’s a site that we’re inspired by, called Olne Petit Patrimoine, near Verviers. So, in Spontin we’ve already done the cards for several of the

potales, the Monument for the Dead.

CD: Is the monument for the dead considered small heritage? It’s a pretty big, official monument.

VF: Yes, but it’s not a building or a big construction, so it fits within our category.

CD: The walks you are trying to create, do you have an audience in mind?

Are you hoping to use it to attract tourists, or is it more for the local population to enjoy?

VF: It would be for everybody – a lot of people in the village do not know their own history. It could be of interest for tourists, we do get some with the tourist train and the walks. There are also “gîtes rurales” around here.

But importantly it is also valuable for the commune to have this inventory, to know where and what this small heritage is, what state it is in, if it needs repair and to prepare a programme of restoration for each village.

CD: These kind of restorations for small heritage – is it supported financially by the commune, or the WAP? VF: At the moment nothing is done yet, we are still at the start of the inventory. Then the decision lies with the commune. If it’s possible for the communal employers to restore the piece, they’ll do it. But there’s restoration and restoration. Recently in Dorinne, a potale was damaged by a car – they sent the commune employee to find and pick up the pieces, and patch it up again using glue. There’s no hiring of a stone carver. If it was a statue, then the commune would probably need to find a stone carver, or a woodworker or ironworker. So, the commune would be the one taking this on, not the WAP. But we’re only just at the start of the project at the moment; we’ve started the inventory and we have made three walks.

We’re still at the beginning of the inventory work for the nine villages in the commune of Yvoir.

CD: My next questions are more about the current state of the village.

For example, the label of the “Plus beaux villages de Wallonie”- why does Spontin not have it, with the castle and all its heritage?

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VF: The label, like in Crupet? I don’t have any contacts with them so I am not sure, but one element I think is that there’s not been a formal demand, or application, to obtain the label. But we also shouldn’t forget that we have a very busy road cutting the village in two with heavy traffic and big trucks, so it’s not a very calm village. I’m not sure we would actually be able to get the label. You should ask Jean Germain; he might have tried to start the process in the past. But when I look at the villages included in the list of “Plus beaux villages de Wallonie”, I think we may have lost the peacefulness and tranquillity that these villages have.

CD: In contrast, is Spontin maybe a bit livelier? We were surprised by the amount of restaurants when we first came here. The last part of our project is to rehabilitate the farmhouse, find a use for it. If we had all money and the time in the world for a restoration project, in the best of worlds, do you think that there’s anything missing in Spontin, a gap that the farmhouse, in the middle of the village, could fill?

VF: That’s a very hard question… Wait, I’ll ask my wife. Do you think that there is something missing in the village, and that the farmhouse could be

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used for in a renovation project? She just said “oula!”.

CD: There’s no right or wrong answer, we were just interested in knowing if something was missing, notably in terms of public services, and if we could use the farmhouse as a solution.

VF: Well, there used to be a post office… We have restaurants already, and the shop…

CD: It could public, private, commercial… Is there anything we could bring to the village with such a restoration project? Or maybe not, maybe it would be better to leave it as housing?

VF: I think housing is good. I really don’t know; it’s a hard question and the village already has a lot …

CD: We did notice that there was a pharmacy, a bakery, a supermarket, doctors… Anything else?

VF: Yes, there is all this. There used to be a bank but it closed down for years ago, but everything is online now anyway. There used to be a post office

and we have two good restaurants and third one that’s a bit less successful.

Maybe, but of course this would be expensive for the commune, it would be nice to bring back the library. It is in Godinne now, but the farmhouse is a nice building for a library. But no, there’s really nothing else I can think of.

CD: That’s pretty good for Spontin, no? It means that there’s not much missing!

VF: Yes, that’s true. It’s also always been a habitation building, so maybe that would be best.

But I do think, if this building were to be restored, there’s an element to preserve and those are the sidewalks. The sidewalks were part of the old farms’ properties because in the past farmers went every day from the house to the stables and as you can imagine, without sidewalks there was mud everywhere. So, the sidewalks were very useful and part of the history and heritage of these farmhouses. It would be a shame to remove them and replace them with tiles or gravel. They’re an important part of the building.

CD: Yes, that’s true, and that is also the simplest option in terms of restoration. But because this is a theoretical project, we thought it would be interesting to be creative and think of other possibilities.

CD: That’s really interesting, I had no idea about the sidewalks. It’s really helpful actually because part of the project is to highlight what parts of the house have historical significance and should be restored, and which part detracts from its historical importance and should be removed. Though to be honest we’re not quite there yet, we’re still drawing the plans.

VF: I see. I think what it would be a shame is to divide the building into several housing units – it’s nice to have only one property occupying the whole building, because otherwise you multiply the number of vehicles, and you lose the charm of the street because there would be more cars.

VF: On that note, and seeing as we were talking of “Plus beaux villages de Wallonie” earlier, what Crupet has that Spontin lost a little, is the charm of wooden shutters. They’ve been removed or replaced by plastic in Spontin, but in Crupet they’re mostly still there. They really dress the building,

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because the stone is all grey and even though it’s a characteristic of the region, it’s bit sad. The wood shutters were present on most houses in the past but now they’re either gone or replaced by plastic, because people have double or triple glass windows. But wooden shutters really add charm to houses. But there may be traces of old shutters and the swivelling metal retainers (“arrêt de bergère”) on the façade of your house. They’re the small metal bits that swivel to retain the shutters – usually it’s the bust of a woman with a hat, hence the name (bergère in French is shepherdess).

Sometimes it can also be a man, a soldier, or two different characters on the two ends, a mother and a daughter for example, or animals like lions, dragons, with an open mouth. There can be small differences, it can be interesting to compare and look. And sometimes we can still see the metal attach – the figure and the shutters have disappeared but the metal bit indicates where they used to be.

CD: That’s really helpful, we haven’t looked for this yet but we’ve got remains of old windows on the façade so that could really help identify them.

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VF: Yes, and not just the metal bit. Sometimes you have holes where the metal bits used to be to attach the shutters to the wall. I hope this has been helpful, I will contact Louis Genette to see if he can give you the information he has on your house.

CD: Thank you so much for your help, and your time and for lending us the book.

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