Miranda Castle

Miranda Castle
Celles, Namur, Belgium
Main frontage of the castle
General view of Miranda Castle
Type Neo-Gothic, Château
Site information
Open to
the public		 No
Condition Abandoned
Site history
Built 1866 (19th Century)
Built by Edward Milner
Materials Stone

Miranda Castle (French: Château Miranda), also known as Noisy Castle (French: Château de Noisy) is a 19th-century neo-Gothic castle in Celles, province of Namur, Belgium, in the region of the Ardennes.

History

The castle was built in 1866 by the English architect Edward Milner under commission from the Liedekerke-De Beaufort family, who had left their previous home, Vêves Castle, during the French Revolution. However, Milner died before the castle was finished. Construction was completed in 1907 after the clock tower was erected.

Their descendants remained in occupation until World War II. A portion of the Battle of the Bulge took place on the property, and it was during that time, the castle was occupied by the Nazis.

In 1950, Miranda Castle was renamed "Château de Noisy" when it was taken over by the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB) as an orphanage and also a holiday camp for sickly children. It lasted as a children's camp until the late 1970s.[1]

Today

The castle has stood empty and completely abandoned since 1991 because the costs to maintain it were too great, and a search for investors in the property failed. Although the municipality of Celles has offered to take it over, the family has refused, and the enormous building is now (as of 2015) in a derelict state, succumbing to decay and vandalism. Parts of the structure were heavily damaged in a fire and many areas of the ceiling are collapsing. Despite this, it has become a favorite venue of urban explorers.

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/belgiums-abandoned-fairytale-castle?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=atlas-page

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Château Miranda.

Coordinates: 50°13′16″N 4°59′24″E / 50.221°N 4.990°E / 50.221; 4.990


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, January 26, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.