Campaigners aim to block imminent destruction of abandoned Walloon castle

Demonstrators gathered at Château de Noisy on Sunday in a last-ditch attempt to stop the demolition of the 19th-century Neo-Gothic castle in the Namur province of Wallonia.

With cranes and bulldozers on standby to start work, around 70 people picketed the castle’s gate in a campaign ‘Make noise to save Noisy’. Local resident Marion Evans said they were resigned to seeing the building pulled down but were nevertheless, “hoping for a miracle, a dramatic twist in which a philanthropist turns up and saves the castle”.

Associations have rallied in an attempt to save the 100-room haunting stone structure, among them, nonprofit Aresno and Facebook group Sauvegarde du Château de Noisy.

A press action has been called for Thursday at 11.00, ahead of the scheduled start of demolition work in the afternoon. It is calling for the Walloon heritage minister Maxime Prevot to classify the building which could lead to a suspension of the demolition order. Journalist and campaigner Philippe Farcy proposes securing the building and restoring the grand entrance hall, enabling safe guided visits of part of the interior as well as the exterior and grounds. “The castle would then qualify as a romantic ruin.”

Built between 1866 and 1907, it was designed by English architect Edward Milner in a Neo-Tudor and Scots baronial style, boasting turrets and an imposing clock tower. Lying hidden among woods in the village of Celles, the castle has been abandoned since 1991.

Damaged by water, fire and vandalism, it is now in a decrepit state, popular among urban explorers. The owner Comte du Liedekerke-Beaufort, who lives in nearby Château de Vèves, obtained a demolition order in 2015 from the Wallonia Region on grounds of safety and a lack of financial resources to restore it.

Action groups have criticised the owner for ignoring offers from private investors and question his motives for destroying the historic site, also known as Château Miranda. Says Evans, “we not going to stop trying to prevent the demolition of this beautiful and much-loved castle”.