Castle Loenersloot, Loenersloot, The Netherlands
The oldest part of this castle, the keep, is from the 13th century. Some living quarters were added to the keep in the 14th and 15th century and parts of the walls of these buildings are still part of the castle.
From the 17th century onward, the function of the castle was no longer defensive, but residential and from this time, many renovations have been performed. The exterior as we see it today is mainly as it was build in the 1770's.
The castle was a house until a few years ago, when the last barones died. This lady was a remarkable person. She kept the castle in a relatively wind- and waterproof state for the last 50 years all by herself. But no large repairs have been undertaken and the castle is now in a deplorable state. It has been sold by a foundation, who will renovate it and open it to the public more regularly.
A few beautiful old farms belong to the castle estate, including this largely 16th century one, which was recently beautifully renovated. There is still a tenant farmer living and working on this farm, as has been for the last 350 years!
The park around the castle was designed in English landscape style in the late 18th century.
This was once a beach frame, a remnant of the formal garden which was here before the English landscape garden was build. Here, ladies could walk in the shade, so they could be outside without tanning! The frame has outgrown it's shape however, as it has not been upkept.
Here you can see a bit of the sad state the castle is in. During the 18th century renovation, large windows were cut into the keep with it's 2 m thick walls. You can also see (next to the keep window) part of the keep was flattened to fit the building next to it. These changes have led to tears appearing in the walls of the keep. The middle part of the building on this picture has no foundation and is slowly 'sinking' into the clay soil, pulling away from the keep. Rather complex architectural problems, in my opinion, but the foundation who now owns the castle is self-confident they can make the castle strong and steady again.
Some interior shots. These interiors date from the late 18th century renovation of the castle
Both the Garden Room (previous photo) and the Dining Room (photo above) have large wallpaper paintings and beautifully ornate ceilings.
The wallpaper paintings are in a bad state due to 200 years of 'neglect'. A few patches were proof-renovated to test some techniques. You can see how large the difference is!