Château Miranda, Belgium

Château Miranda was a 19th-century neo-Gothic castle in Belgium. It also goes by the names Château de Noisy, Chateau Noisy, Noisy Castle or Kasteel Miranda. This fairy tale castle stood cloaked in woodland atop a sizeable hill.

Brightly coloured ceilings with many arches and columns greet you upon entering the main doorway. A large drained pond sat at the back of the Château Miranda, a toad pool. The walls and floors were crumbling. Parts of the structure, specifically the upper floors, were very treacherous in places.

History of Château de Noisy (The Noisy Castle)

Château Miranda was located in the province of Namur, Belgium. Building work started in 1866. English architect Edward Milner planned and designed the chateau. Building work culminated with the clock tower construction in 1907.

The castle was commission by the wealthy Liedekerke-De Beaufort family. This family were looking for a new place to set down roots, after fleeing their previous home during the French Revolution. The family lived here until World War II. Interestingly, the site was the scene of a skirmish during the Battle of the Bulge. This resulted in Château Miranda being occupied by German forces, temporarily.

The National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB) owned the chateau from the 1950s. During this time it was used as an orphanage and children’s holiday camp from 1950. During this time it was renamed Château de Noisy. Finally, the orphanage closed sometime in the 1970s.

The Chateau was finally abandoned in 1991, due to mounting running and repair costs. The costs to maintain this property, which was falling into disrepair at this time, were considerable. There was a search for investors, but salvation was not to be found.

The demise of Château Miranda (Demolished)

Years of decay, vandalism and several fires left Château Miranda in a sorry state when we visited early 2016. Demolition of the chateau began in October 2016. The first part to be removed was of the Gothic roof peaks. Deconstruction of the chateau proceeded from the roof down. The rest of the chateau had been completely demolished by October 2017. The final part to be levelled was the iconic central tower. A sad loss of an iconic building.

Further details about Château Miranda – Wikipedia