During 18 June 1815 the walled farms of Hougoumont was attacked seven times by Napoleon’s infantry and was defended with tenacity and resilience by soldiers of the light companies of three British regiments of Foot Guards under the leadership of the Duke of Wellington, soldiers of the 1st Nassau Regiment and the 1st Hanoverian Brigade.
For the bicentenary of the battle in June 2015 this farm should be renovated and be a memorial in honnor of the Wellington and his alleys soldiers.
Old paintings of the battle around the Hougoumont farm
In 1945 the farm started to detoriate
in 2012 it looked even worse
When I went there in March 2013 it looked like this, the works could start !
I came back in March 2014 and indeed the works had started
and one year later it looks like this ! I couldn't see very much as the entrance was closed. But from the little I saw I sincerely started to doubt if it would be finished in June !
There was still a lot of work to do to repair the walls
Only one commemorative plaque had been cleaned
The rear side looked only slightly better
At least the big door had been repaired and apparently inside there had been some progress
But the surroundings looked like a big mess
Only the battle field looked renovated, because there was nothing to be done !
And here is the maquette how it should look when it is finished ! I think a Harry Potter team is badly needed !
A link to a video made by Peter Snow (UK) is here
I hope it gets fixed up in time!
ReplyDeleterenovations if done properly always take time - better in the long run if it is not rushed.
ReplyDeleteIt is a pity that they start to renovate when a building is already so ran down. Hope that they can get it back to its former glory.
ReplyDeleteIt will be wonderful when it is done. Apparently the work takes a long time.. Great post, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSometimes old historical places look good when left alone but this seemed really need a restoration. It'll simply look more interesting to visit for most tourists.
ReplyDeleteSometimes old historical places look good when left alone but this seemed really need a restoration. It'll simply look more interesting to visit for most tourists.
ReplyDeleteSometimes old historical places look good when left alone but this seemed really need a restoration. It'll simply look more interesting to visit for most tourists.
ReplyDeleteSometimes old historical places look good when left alone but this seemed really need a restoration. It'll simply look more interesting to visit for most tourists.
ReplyDeleteGood to see restoration work of this monument has started.
ReplyDeleteHopefully they will finish it in time. It is an amazing piece of history.
ReplyDeleteIt definitely needs some work, that's for sure. I hope they can do it and on time.
ReplyDeleteGattina, I love the art of renovation, especially when it's historically significant. Hope they meet their deadline.
ReplyDeleteAlso, thanks for visiting. My computer was on the fritz, but finally I am back on the web.
Great post, love your careful documentation and commentary! Amy
Such a beautiful place- and it looks already like spring!
ReplyDeleteIt will look great when it is finished. May be work is slow because it is winter and cold. Once spring is here work should go faster, hopefully.
ReplyDelete