’t Kasteelke has been owned by the Nieuwland Foundation since April 19, 1984. This was followed by an overall restoration and a grand reopening in 1986. Around that time there was talk of whether ’t Kasteelke should be closed, however, Meerlonaren identify themselves with 't Kasteelke. In 2009, ’t Kasteelke was purchased by the chairman of the Nieuwland Foundation, J.L.M. van Susante. Despite all these developments, ’t Kasteelke has not really been permanently inhabited for decades. Sure ’t Kasteelke has been maintained inside and out by van Susante. Buildings such as the Bakehouse (Bakhuis), the Gatehouse (Poortgebouw) were rented for short vacation during the summer period. The farmhouse (hoeve) was and is still occasionally rented as vacation home for a few months. Yet we feel that more is possible, in the hope that more people can enjoy ’t Kasteelke!
And what do we want to achieve?
A whole lot of course! Take a look at the beautiful photo of this blog post. There are beautiful green shutters in the opening of the gate, however, we feel that ’t Kasteelke should have a real "castle" gate. So a gate that reaches to the tip. Thus, the entire gate will need a refurbishment, cleaning, new plaster, painting, fixing the lights. Perhaps a nice rose bush?
The First Projects
First we want to tackle the Bakehouse (Bakhuis), followed by the Gatehouse (Poortgebouw). The map shows where these buildings are located on the property. New bathrooms and kitchens are a must, but we do need to use old building materials as much as possible. Thus, we want ’t Kasteelke to continue to look authentic. A nice touch would be more vibrant colors and warmth on the inside of the vacation rentals. This all hopefully results in cozy retreats during the winter season. Are you curious how these vacation rentals currently look? And what kind of ideas we still have in store? You will read in our next blog post.
