Former Avelgem Railway Station

Former station, now the Municipal Atelier for Visual Arts Avelgem (GAVKA), also partly used by the Red Cross.Station located on lines 83, 85 and 87. Formerly an important point in the transport of goods between cities and municipalities with an industrial activity that should not be underestimated: Ghent, Oudenaarde, Kortrijk, the Lille agglomeration and Basècles. In Avelgem there was a branch to the textile company Leurent. Lines 83-87 (Ronse-Kortrijk) date from 1869. Line 85 was built from 1881 (Avelgem-Herseaux) to 1893 (Herseaux–Wattrelos in France) and thus forms the link between line 86 (Ghent-Oudenaarde/Leupegem–Basècles/Carrières) and line 83 (Avelgem-Kortrijk via Zwevegem). Line 85 was already closed for passenger transport in 1956 and for freight transport in 1975. Transport between Herseaux and the French border ceased in 1931.Rural, former station building of the "Reconstruction type" built by the state in 1924 to a design by architect P. Ongenae, this to replace a station from 1869-70 (built by the Société Générale d'Exploitation, which operated the line). Central section of one floor. To the right of it, a two-floor house. Small annex for sanitary facilities and lampshade. Elongated building under hipped roofing (tiles). Bright red brick construction, divided by locally bush-hammered natural stone bands (Basècles?). Plinth of natural stone bush-hammered blocks. Asymmetrical facade layout. Arched coupled wall openings; bluestone sills and sills. Door set in a small front-placed portal under a lean-to roof. Typical woodwork in the fanlights of the wall openings on the street side. In the front and side facade, tile tableau with the inscription "AVELGEHEM".DEPARTMENT Spatial Planning, Housing and Monument Care WEST FLANDERS, Cell Monuments and Landscapes, archive number W/01939.
DE BOT H., Station Architecture in Belgium, part I, 1835-1914, Turnhout, 2002, page 136 and part II, 1914-2003, Turnhout, 2003, pages 47 and 58-59.Source: DE GUNSCH A. & DE LEEUW S. with the cooperation of CALLENS T. 2005: Inventory of the architectural heritage, Province of West Flanders, Municipality of Avelgem, Sub-municipalities of Avelgem, Bossuit, Kerkhove, Outrijve and Waarmaarde, Building through the ages in Flanders WVL23, unpublished working documents.
Authors: De Gunsch, Ann; De Leeuw, Sofie
Date: 2005
The text is made available by: Agency for Immovable Heritage (AOE)