Gatehouse and Coach House of d'Ursel Castle

First mentioned in the 13th century, in the 15th century in the hands of the lords of Gruuthuse and from the 17th century onwards owned by the d'Ursel family, who built a hippodrome on the domain in the 20th century (which has since disappeared).

The castle itself cannot be seen. There are a few outbuildings on the street side:

The gatehouse was repeatedly modified. It contains an older core, possibly dating from the 16th-17th centuries. The yard side of the building was added in 1890. The building itself is an anchored, brick construction under a slate gable roof, in combination with bluestone for the gate frame on the street side and sand-lime brick for the cross windows and the foundation stones of the gate on the castle side.

The square building has two floors, under a pointed gable roof between two side-stepped gables, with a skylight and two dormer windows at the front and rear. On the castle side, the gatehouse has been flanked since around 1890 by two unequal corner towers under a tent roof on a polygonal floor plan. Above the gate on the street side is a round arched niche with a statue of Mary. On the side of the castle there is a natural stone bas-relief with the coat of arms of the d'Ursel family.

The caretaker's house is located to the east of the gatehouse and is adjacent to the wall of the castle grounds on the street side. Commissioned in 1891, the house is inspired by cottage architecture with influence from the Anglo-Norman architectural style. It is a brick building under slate gable roofs, with bluestone used for the plinth, the (three-tiered) cross windows and the middle and lower sills extended as bands.

The large coach house with stables is located to the west of the gatehouse. The design is by René Buyck and also dates from around 1892. Red brick construction under slate gable roofs, combined with bluestone for the frames of the wall openings, the triple windows, the checkered relief arches and the lintels extended as bands. The construction consists of two wings on an L-shaped plan to demarcate an inner courtyard. The left wing was used as a depot, the right wing as a stable. The original horse boxes have been preserved inside.

Source: Wikipedia

route 221