The history of the
oldest house in the county
The original core building (1546 d)
The half-timbered house with the gable facing Wilhelmstraße and the left-hand side on the steeply sloping Kipkerstiege was rebuilt in 1546 (d) with a 4-fold length in continuous tie beams. Many details of this building have been lost due to later alterations or are not yet visible behind more recent panelling. It had a vault on the right-hand side and probably a passable hallway with a plank door, which was probably located on the right-hand side in the front gable. Above this was a projecting steep gable. The gable triangle was probably
However, as all parts of the old gables were removed during later conversions, a half-timbered gable (there were several of these in Bentheim) cannot be completely ruled out.
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Until now, any attempt to explore the interior layout of such old buildings in the county of Bentheim has always encountered major problems, as any original fixtures that may have existed had subsequently been cleared out in their entirety, leaving very few traces recognisable in the remaining structure. We have to assume that these fixtures were not regularly mortised into the structure either, but were instead installed in a separate step, with lap joints or even butt-nailed throughout. Such old fixtures are therefore always very difficult to distinguish from newer ones made in a similar way. In confirmation of this regular observation, no tap holes or overlays that could be interpreted as the beginnings of walls 0.8 can be found in the core structure of this building either. In the front area, the ceiling beams are also still covered by a panelled ceiling from the 19th century and thus currently inaccessible. On the other hand, the lack of firmly inserted half-timbered construction elements would explain why many of the walls inside that still exist today show no relation to the wooden construction.
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When it comes to the question of the original interior structure, we are therefore dependent on analogies and meaningful interpretations. According to these, there may have been a parlour-like structure in the two front compartments on the left-hand side, which would have been lit by relatively large windows facing the street. To the right of this was the already mentioned hallway, which was probably only as wide as a door and accessible from Wilhelmstraße. The cubage, which was later enlarged and of which no remains have survived from the original construction, may have been largely open to the hallway and may have included stables and storage areas. The existence of this timbering from the very beginning is proven beyond doubt by the fact that the right-hand side of the structure is timbered flush on the inside, which would have been highly unusual on a high outer wall.
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The living area must have been in the two rear compartments of the four-part house. It extended to the rear gable, which had two intermediate posts and only a single row of transoms, both of which are occupied by distinct mortises. In its left-hand compartment (facing the Kipkerstiege), a fold in the beam still bears witness to a window installation. The most striking detail of the living area was a chimney stack in the rear gable. This is considered proven because the old rear gable beam has grooves on the right and left on the underside for struts, indicating that half-timbered walls were there, but not in the middle compartment. A piece of the original beam is also missing there; at a later date, this gap was (re)filled with a piece of beam with two sloping leaves. The chimney stack that is still preserved today has been rebuilt several times, but may still contain original parts. Massive chimney stacks of this kind can be assumed to be regular in Bentheim and are sometimes also documented on houses (e.g. Haus Westerhoff, Heeresstraße) or clearly recognisable in old photos.
It is also noteworthy that the original rear gable of the core building, in contrast to the front gable, had no projection. This also matches the findings at Haus Westerhoff.
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The roof structure was a rafter roof with collar beams that were folded and fixed with a wooden nail. What is striking, but also very characteristic of such early buildings, is the slender, absolutely sapwood-free and sharp-edged cross-section of the exceptionally straight rafters.
The extension (1621 d)
Around 1621, the four-bay core building at the rear was extended by a further two bays. This resulted in the construction of a sandstone-built cellar with a beamed ceiling facing the Kipkerstiege. This ceiling has a remarkable detail in that a stone ceiling was formed in the area of the chimney stack by bricking a half brick barrel against the first ceiling beam of the cellar. This must have been the substructure of a fireplace near the wall, directly at the stack. Although the right part of this extension was severely damaged by a fire in the 19th century, which meant that the rähm in particular had to be replaced, it can still be seen that the construction of the first newly added frame only had a regular anchor beam framing on the side facing the Kipkerstiege, but on the other side of the the beam was supported approx. 1.4 m before reaching the structural wall by a post braced with two headbands, which is still preserved in the partition wall to the right rear corridor, but which unfortunately was so severely thinned by being chopped away on the right side that any mortise holes were lost in the process. Due to the aforementioned fire damage and extensive conversions, it is no longer possible to see what the construction looked like at the intersection of the beam and the right wall. However, there is much to suggest that only a short stub without headbands engaged in the rafter, but was intercepted at the bottom by a joist, so that a column-free space must have been created here. In today's structure, none of this can be seen anymore!
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These findings suggest that the extension of the house primarily served to create a bower (a hall), i.e. an elevated living room that was separate from the rest of the largely open house and had a fireplace.
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It is likely that it was an open fireplace with a fire directly at the chimney stack. This assumption is also supported by two tap holes or inlays for two changes parallel to the ridge, which could have been the supports for part of the chimney or the flue.
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The extension meant that the windows in the rear gable, which can be identified by traces, had to be removed. To provide light to the living area, windows must have been installed in the left side wall facing the Kipkerstiege at that time. Some leaf seats against the posts could indicate this. After that, it is likely that there were cross-post windows almost floor to ceiling with lead glazing at the top.
Replacing the panelling
Probably in the 18th century (1715 d?) the cupola was replaced by a wider and taller successor. A small part of its half-timbered eaves wall still remains under the cement plaster facing the street. The old wall frame with tap holes and window jambs still exists along the entire length, but unfortunately it is not exposed over its full length. The ceiling, which was probably lower in the past – the height would be revealed by uncovering the remaining outer wall studs – was probably only removed in the 20th century and raised to the height of the rafters. The lower ceiling height must have existed for a long time after that, because during the renovations around 1860, a window was added to the attic room of the annexe that would intersect with the current ceiling height. This window was probably closed only after 1950, but this can only be assumed, as it is not recognisable. During these conversions of the cubature, the spatial structure there was also greatly altered, so that only a few statements can be made about the older one. Of particular significance here are the traces of several doors and openings that have been preserved in the right inner structural wall.
Conversion of the wall at the Kipkerstiege
The wall facing Kipkerstiege originally had two rows of transoms that continued into the extension. It is striking that the structure shows a strong downhill slope that must have been present from the outset. The wall of the original core building from 1541 was probably windowless. One of the oldest alterations was probably the installation of tall mullioned windows in the middle two bays after the extension in 1621; the added annexe on the Kipkerstiege side probably not have such windows, although a large former sliding window has been installed there today, since the large room of the bower could be adequately lit from the new rear gable. If, on the other hand, a narrow chamber had been partitioned off on the side facing the Kipkerstiege from the outset, it would of course have had to have a window on the side. The headbands of the longitudinal bracing were originally not visible and concealed by a thin wattle-and-daub shell in front of them. In the period around 1800, the wall was fundamentally altered. The rows of transoms were removed and a new, deeper row of transoms was installed, on which the cousins of a total of three very wide sliding frames with counterweight guides were placed. The headers were doubled up on the wall alignment and the walls were bricked up without further transoms, with the headers partially butted with ‘Dutch triangles’. The compartments at both ends were also massively renewed a little later.
Fire damage
and further renovations in the 19th century
There must have been a major fire in the house around 1860. As a result, the entire roof structure was removed. However, the old rafters, most of which were charred, were not discarded, but rather, as far as they were still usable, supplemented by new softwood rafters, placed closer together and with a slightly reduced roof pitch. The gable was rebuilt in a much more substantial manner and, recognisably, pushed forward a little into the street, especially at the left corner. Pilasters with a moulded sandstone coping were inserted at the corners, slightly pushed forward, and the newly created half-hipped roof was given a broad moulded eaves cornice, which no longer exists today but has been replaced by a more recent construction. At this point at the latest, the parlour on the street side must also have been removed. An almost square sales room was created here, incorporating the also abandoned hallway (the foundations of the demolished longitudinal wall are still present), with a steel girder underbeam parallel to the ridge, supported in the centre by a cast-iron column. The ceiling itself was panelled with overlapping profiled boards; such ceilings are very common in the Upper County. In the front gable, the room was provided with a mullioned window with segmental arches, which is also divided by a cast-iron column. Unfortunately, no remains of the corresponding window frames have been preserved. It is likely that they were cast-iron frames with striking mullion divisions. The other windows on this gable were designed completely differently in the Dutch tradition as ‘Sesruiter’ sliding windows with wooden frames, which were covered with a straight brick lintel of 1% stone height. The design of the front door also followed this style. It received a classic, wide, possibly fluted vertical cladding with a ledge. It was probably removed in the 1970s and could be reconstructed from analogues or old photos if necessary. The left gable stand was removed and the front section of the left eaves wall was massively renewed in 1 stone thickness.
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The massive renovation of the rear gable had to be carried out at the same time due to the uniformly modified roof contour. However, it shows two further reconstruction phases that are clearly visible in the masonry: around 1900, the two windows in the attic were completely modified and finished with a 1-stone-high segmental arch. In the 1930s, the window area on the ground floor was removed and completely rebuilt. The very extensive renovation of the masonry – partly with the old stones – makes it almost impossible to determine the exact size and design of the former window openings.
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Around 1890, the roof was re-tiled with small, blue-coloured ‘Boulet’ tiles from the Berg en Dal company. It is likely that the predecessor of this roof was a thatched roof made of hollow tiles from the time of the castle's construction.
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The construction of a large rainwater cistern, which appears to extend behind the entire rear gable, is very typical of Bentheim. Because of the rock, the people there were entirely dependent on the supply of rainwater, which is why Bentheim also received a public water supply relatively early. This cistern, which is only accessible via a narrow shaft on the side of the property, was probably not installed until the late 18th or even the 19th century.
Conversions
inside
A renovation of the kitchen and hearth dates back to the first half of the 19th century. The hearth was fitted with two coffered sandstone slabs at the bottom, and a mirror made of handmade Dutch white tiles was installed above it. To the left, the access to the cellar and hall was changed. In the process, the cellar staircase was probably altered, possibly an older wooden staircase was replaced by the current, turned sandstone staircase. The partition wall was moved a little way into the kitchen and two board doors with dummy panels were installed. The kitchen was given a covering of 20x20 cm yellow and black stoneware tiles laid diagonally, presumably (based on comparable floors where the tiles date from between 1860 and around 1890) from Utzschneider & Cie in Sarreguemines.
The installation of the current staircase with alterations to the surroundings, and probably also the conversion of the attic, date from the early 20th century, although the front gable in particular had long been prepared for such a conversion. Although the attic conversion had since been almost completely removed, the remains of gypsum floorboards with cane reinforcement were found, which were typical building materials for the early 20th century.