{"id":1103,"date":"2013-02-04T13:27:01","date_gmt":"2013-02-04T13:27:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.proj3ctm4yh3m.com\/urbex\/?p=1103"},"modified":"2017-08-22T09:55:53","modified_gmt":"2017-08-22T09:55:53","slug":"urbexcastle-miranda-aka-chateau-de-noisy-belgium-december-2012-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.proj3ctm4yh3m.com\/urbex\/2013\/02\/04\/urbexcastle-miranda-aka-chateau-de-noisy-belgium-december-2012-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Urbex: Castle Miranda aka Ch\u00e2teau de Noisy Belgium – December 2012 (Part 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"

History<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

Built in 1855 \/ 1866 by English architect Milner under commission from the Liedekerke-Beaufort family this neo-Gothic castle known initially as\u00a0Ch\u00e2teau Miranda but is now known as\u00a0Ch\u00e2teau de Noisy. The castle began life as a summer home for the\u00a0Liedekerke-Beaufort family. in the second world war it was claimed by\u00a0German\u00a0troop at the battle of the Bulge. After the war the Belgian National Railway Company rented the building to use as a school and\u00a0holiday\u00a0home for the children of the Belgian railway employees until the late 1970’s. In 1975 the Castle served as a set for a television show and there the history gets a little hazy. Apparently, there was once a notice\u00a0stating\u00a0that the\u00a0Ch\u00e2teau closed its doors in 1991 due to the heavy financial burden of the upkeep. The owner of the property continued to attempt to find a buyer for the Castle with hopes that it could be\u00a0renovated\u00a0and converted into a hotel.<\/p>\n

In 1995 there was a significant fire at the Castle which\u00a0according\u00a0to local news reports was the result of youths attempting to have a party in there. The Count and owner of the property then decided to dismantle a lot of the remaining fixtures and fittings including marble and parquet flooring which made their way into the neighbouring farm house and another castle in Italy.<\/p>\n

in 2006 a\u00a0severe storm caused the collapse of the roof of the stable building and recent years have seen notable additions of vandalism and graffiti.<\/p>\n

A few old photographs can be found\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0where I also obtained some information after a rough translation \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

January 2014 Update: I have recently heard that the land owners have submitted plans to demolish this building. A petition signed by more than 7000 people was submitted to the owners, however it is unclear whether this will have any impactonn the future of this amazing castle.<\/p>\n

Further update: It looks like we aren’t the only ones to have been shot at here… read this article<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Our Visit<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

Visited with Ryan, Christophe and some other cool Belgian dude. Reccy the day before at dusk and we saw headlights coming from the castle, ducked to the floor as a 4×4 passed then headed back to the car before revisiting the following day to bag some shots. After a nice hike we arrived at the castle got a few externals and headed inside. We split up and I covered the basements first. Evidence of the most recent use of the building as a school was evident, several classrooms and lots of bathrooms were indications of the buildings more recent conversions from a private dwelling to public use. Upstairs the place is getting pretty wrecked inside. One wing has been badly damaged by fire and the other is suffering from the elements with floors and ceilings collapsed in a lot of areas. There are still some amazing features both inside an out and I’ve had this place on my to-do list for as long as I can remember so really enjoyed capturing it for myself.<\/p>\n

While exiting we were ambushed by the land owner \/ grounds keeper packing a double-barrelled shotgun. After lots of shouting in\u00a0French\u00a0and a warning shot from the shotgun we were beckoned down the hill before a second shot was fired over our heads. It was at this point we realised he\u00a0wasn’t\u00a0shooting blanks as branches started to fall around us. Great end to a fantastic explore. Hope you like the shots<\/p>\n