# Château de Noisy - Belgium - September 2012



## urbex13 (Sep 9, 2012)

*A bit of history*​
This has to be one of the most extensively covered Belgian sites but nevertheless I'll try to give an overview for those who aren't familiar. The Château de Noisy was built for the Counts of Liedekerke-Beaufort, a family with an illustrious history in the low countries and with important links to French aristocracy. Château de Noisy was built as a summer retreat and as a modern alternative to the family seat, the nearby Château de Vêves, which had been abandoned during the tumult of the French Revolution. It is Neo-Gothic in style and repeatedly referenced as having been designed by the English architect Milner. Following his death work was continued by Pelchner, a Frenchman. Building began in 1866 and it took more than forty years for the castle to be completed in its entirety. By the end of the First World War it was in the possession of the SNCB (the Belgian national rail company) who used it as a holiday camp for the children of railway workers. It was occupied by the Germans at the outset the Second World War and the surrounding area was at the furthest reaches of the German advance during the Ardennes offensive. Following the war it reverted to SNCB ownership and it continued as a holiday camp until the 1980s. Increasing maintenance costs led to the holiday camp business model being uneconomical and a search for investors to redevelop the castle as a hotel were unsuccessful. A fire in 1991 sealed the fate of the castle, it has sat empty since and is now close to ruin.

*The Pictures*​
1. After a long long walk we're finally getting somewhere close:








2. To be greeted an hour or so later by this emerging from the forest:







3. This is what's behind door number one, in this case:







4. The kitchens were far more intact than the majority of the site:







5. Much of which looked something like this, due to extensive fire and water damage:







6. A couple of the 550 windows this place has to offer:







7. Some of the fairly limited ephemera lying about:







8. The famous staircase and some of the beautiful vaulting that runs throughout the ground floor:







9. Another angle, this was probably my favourite feature and reminded me somewhat of trips to Lillesden:







10. A portrait at the bottom of the slope (not sure what happened to the stairs) leading up to the top of the clock-tower, which measures 183ft:







11. The aforementioned Château de Vêves as seen from the top of the clock-tower, the walls of which were littered with many familiar names.







12. A somewhat cliched self potrait from the top of the stairs:







13. Finally a rear view from the remains of the fountain and landscaped garden:







Thanks for looking! I really recommend a visit, despite the extensive damage the place is still, in my opinion, breathtaking.

Thirteen.​


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## UE-OMJ (Sep 9, 2012)

Good report that, looks an impressive place.


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## UrbanX (Sep 9, 2012)

Nice one! Beautiful photos! I didnt get any externals due to a certain run in with mr angry grounkeeper  
Fantastically documented!


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## urbex13 (Sep 9, 2012)

Thanks guys! We wandered in the grounds for a while UrbanX, I think there were people in the vicinity and hunting seems to be a popular past-time in the area given the amount of times I heard shotguns fired! Whoever looks after the place seems to have gone to some trouble to spray paint big neon orange crosses over every piece of graffiti inside (at least I'm assuming no one else would have been that bothered) which is an interesting tactic to say the least!


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## perjury saint (Sep 9, 2012)

*Lovely, lovely, LOVELY!!! *


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## urbex13 (Sep 9, 2012)

Thank you! I'm glad you like


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## flyboys90 (Sep 10, 2012)

Amazing building thanks for sharing.


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## chapmand (Sep 11, 2012)

awesome photos, looks a fantastic place!


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## TeeJF (Sep 11, 2012)

Miranda never fails to please!


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## Priority 7 (Sep 11, 2012)

Never get enough of Noisy..lovely set chap did you other half regret wearing shorts for the walk in??


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## King Al (Sep 11, 2012)

Tis still a beautiful building that, never get tired of seeing this place!


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## urbex13 (Sep 11, 2012)

Cheers guys  I did message you TeeJF, my phone promptly died though and I had to just be pragmatic. Spent a few hours in an Amsterdam internet cafe looking for sites and then just moved around by rail and on foot! Priority 7 we both did and ended up with various small injuries, I was bitten by an ant and came up with a hard lump the size of an egg on my chest and then an extensive rash! It was a bit of an experience. It was also a six or seven kilometer walk from the train station and we got ample strange looks from the natives (partly because I took to drinking Jupiler at about 8 a.m.).


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