Speystraat 3 · Damme
Between Bruges and Knokke, a stone's throw from the Damse Vaart canal.
Damme, between Bruges and Knokke
About five kilometres from Bruges, along the Damse Vaart
The historic town centre
Speystraat 3, 8340 Damme
Discover the houseThe house at a glance
Whitewashed brick, red joinery, a stepped gable with a tiled roof, an open fireplace and a brick floor that has lasted more than half a century. Everything has been measured and drawn, and the rooms have been emptied so you can picture them your own way.
Details
A whitewashed facade with red joinery, an arched entrance and a brick staircase with white joints. These are the details you do not see on a plan.
Stork nest
Damme
Damme lies between Bruges and Knokke, about five kilometres from the centre of Bruges. In the Middle Ages it grew into the outer port of Bruges: ships and merchants made the town rich. What remains is one of the loveliest spots in Flanders. A Gothic town hall on the Markt, the Church of Our Lady with its striking tower stump, a star-shaped rampart you can walk all the way around, and the Damse Vaart, which runs straight as an arrow, lined with trees, to Bruges.
The poet Jacob van Maerlant wrote his major works here, and the legend of Tyl Ulenspiegel is inseparably linked to Damme. You live in the heart of the town, close to the Markt and the ramparts, and yet within minutes you walk out into open countryside.
If you enjoy eating out, you do not have to look far. In the centre you will find, among others, De Zuidkant (with a Michelin star) and Mout (listed in the Michelin Guide), both on Jacob van Maerlantstraat, De Damse Poort and Arrom Thai (Thai cuisine) on Kerkstraat, and Soetkin on the Damse Vaart: dining with a sunny terrace and a view of the water and the Damme windmill. A little further, in Oostkerke on the Damse Vaart, you will find Siphon.
Opening hours and menus change. Please check before you plan a visit.
The street
Speystraat follows the course of the Reie, the old waterway from Bruges to Damme. Its name refers to the Grote Speye: the sluice (spui) that gave access to the harbour of Damme in the 13th century, together with the Speibrug bridge.
Today it is a curving cobbled street, up to two storeys high. At the junction with Kerkstraat, dark basalt stones in the road surface mark the remains of the Speibrug.
Source: Inventory of Immovable Heritage (Onroerend Erfgoed), geographical theme Speystraat.
The architect
The house was built in 1967 to a design by architect Arthur Degeyter.
Arthur Degeyter (Bruges 1919 – 2004) trained at the Saint-Luc Institute in Ghent, which championed a synthesis of modernism and traditionalism, and studied urban planning at La Cambre. From 1947 to 1992 he worked as an independent architect. His body of work comprises about a thousand projects, mainly in West Flanders: houses, abbeys, churches, commercial buildings and restorations.
In 1965 Degeyter travelled to Denmark and Finland. The Scandinavian modernism of, among others, Alvar Aalto, Jørn Utzon and Arne Jacobsen inspired him, and he sought a reconciliation of modernism and regionalism using local brick and wood.
He also designed furniture and interior elements, assisted by his second wife, interior architect Rita Gesquière, and had a great love of garden design. You can see it in this house: calm forms, natural materials and a garden that truly belongs to the house.
Source: Inventory of Immovable Heritage (Degeyter, Arthur).
Floor plans
Hover over the plan or the list to highlight a room.
| Room | Dimensions | Area |
|---|---|---|
| Cellar | irregular | 19.59 m² |
| Extra cellar room | irregular | 6.54 m² |
| Stairs | 2.37 × 0.97 m | included |
| Total cellar | 26.13 m² |
Dimensions measured inside the walls, in metres. The staircase lies within the cellar room and is not counted separately.
| Room | Dimensions | Area |
|---|---|---|
| Living room | irregular | 50.85 m² |
| Bedroom 1 | 5.98 × 3.55 m | 21.21 m² |
| Garage | 5.94 × 3.44 m | 20.44 m² |
| Hallway | irregular | 19.62 m² |
| Office | irregular | 12.57 m² |
| Kitchen | irregular | 10.29 m² |
| Library | 2.79 × 2.21 m | 6.15 m² |
| Bathroom 1 | 2.21 × 1.98 m | 4.37 m² |
| Stairs | 3.34 × 0.97 m | 3.24 m² |
| Shower (1) | irregular | 1.89 m² |
| Toilet (2) | irregular | 1.59 m² |
| Total ground floor | 152.22 m² | |
| Outdoors | ||
| Terrace | 10.68 × 4.29 m | 45.85 m² |
| Garden | irregular | 233.97 m² |
| Garden shed | 2.60 × 2.02 m | 5.24 m² |
Dimensions measured inside the walls, in metres. Irregular rooms have no single dimension. The garage is included in the total.
| Room | Dimensions | Area |
|---|---|---|
| Attic 1 | 7.04 × 5.83 m | 41.00 m² |
| Office | irregular | 25.88 m² |
| Bedroom 3 | 4.43 × 4.26 m | 18.84 m² |
| Bedroom 2 | irregular | 16.72 m² |
| Bedroom 4 | 4.89 × 3.41 m | 16.69 m² |
| Attic 2 | 4.68 × 3.31 m | 15.50 m² |
| Landing | 4.53 × 3.41 m | 15.45 m² |
| Stairs | 3.44 × 0.97 m | included |
| Total first floor | 150.08 m² |
Dimensions measured inside the walls, in metres. The staircase lies within the landing and is not counted separately.
Renovation
The house needs renovation to meet current EPC (energy performance) standards. The gas heating and the electrical installation are outdated. The buyer carries out the renovation works, or has them carried out.
The furnished images in this file are a proposal: a way to preserve the architect's architecture and carry that style forward. It is not a must. The buyer renovates and furnishes as they wish.
The gas boiler (Buderus) and the pump control box are in the extra cellar room. Location of the gas meter: in the garage, to the right of the door, behind a door. EAN number: 541 448 820 041 735 686. The meter reading must be taken at the handover.
Location: in the garage, to the right of the door, behind a door. EAN number: 541 448 820 041 735 679. The meter reading must be taken at the handover.
Speystraat 3 lies in the protected townscape of Damme, and the facade is subject to an easement in favour of the town of Damme.
Changes to the facade are therefore not free. Please consult the regulations of the town of Damme and its Environment department beforehand. Read more about the rules, the shutters and the grants.
The floor plans of the house with all dimensions, as PDFs.
Ground floor plan (pdf)The facade
Speystraat 3 lies in the protected townscape of Damme. The exterior of the house is therefore protected and work on the facade is not free.
Work that is visible from the public road, such as installing, replacing or altering windows, doors and shutters, must be notified to the town of Damme beforehand. Sometimes an environmental permit or written authorisation is required. The town judges whether the work affects the character of the townscape.
Wall anchors can be seen on the facade that may indicate there were once shutters. Anyone wishing to put shutters back may be able to do so as a restoration to the original appearance. That too requires a notification or authorisation from the town of Damme beforehand.
Owners in the protected townscape can, under conditions, receive a grant for certain exterior works on some houses. Whether Speystraat 3 qualifies must be checked by the buyer beforehand with the town of Damme.
This information is general and not legal advice. Always consult the town of Damme.
Rooms
All furniture has been removed, so you see each space as it is. Slide over the images for an idea of how it could look. We chose a light Scandinavian style: architect Arthur Degeyter travelled to Denmark and Finland in 1965 and was inspired by Scandinavian modernism. Natural oak, linen and calm colours also suit the brick floor and the fireplace.
Ground floor
TodayProposal50.85 m² · with fireplace
TodayThe largest room in the house, with the original brick floor and the open fireplace as its focal point. Plenty of daylight on the garden side.
ProposalFurnished with a seating area, a dining table, light brown wood, linen and calm colours.
TodayProposalsame room, third angle
TodayThe living room seen from the back, along the glass sliding doors with a view of the garden, with the fireplace in the middle.
ProposalFurnished with a seating area on the left and the dining table behind it.
TodayProposal10.29 m² · with glass door to the garden
TodayA bare room with exposed brick and a glass door to the garden.
ProposalFinished and furnished with light oak kitchen cabinets, a stone-coloured worktop and a lit open shelf.
TodayProposalsame room, other angle
TodayThe back wall of the empty kitchen, next to the glass door to the garden.
ProposalFurnished with the work wall: hob, oven, extractor hood, a lit open shelf and a tall column unit.
TodayProposalthe entrance, on arrival
TodayThe red doors and the brick floor give the entrance character straight away.
ProposalComplemented with a wooden console, a round mirror and a piece of art.
TodayProposalbrick staircase and brick floor
TodayThe brick staircase with white joints and the brick floor define the character of the entrance, next to a light wall.
ProposalComplemented with a wooden console, a round mirror and a vase against the light wall.
TodayProposalground floor, street side
TodayA quiet room on the street side with a large window and a radiator under it.
ProposalFurnished as an office with an oak desk and an open bookcase.
TodayProposalground floor, with a glass door to the terrace
TodayA small, bright room on the ground floor with a glass door to the terrace.
ProposalFurnished as a library, with made-to-measure oak cabinets up to the ceiling, a reading armchair and a herringbone floor.
TodayProposalground floor, with a window onto greenery
TodayA bright bedroom with a tall window and a door.
ProposalFurnished with a wooden bed, linen bedding and a herringbone floor.
TodayProposalground floor
TodayThe bathroom in its current finish, with bath, washbasin and toilet.
ProposalCompletely renewed: microcement on walls and floor, a walk-in shower with copper taps, green vessel basins and lit mirrors.
TodayProposalwith washbasin
TodayA small toilet with a washbasin, a red-framed mirror and a radiator, in its current finish.
ProposalOnly dressed with a shelf, a plant and towels. A basis to renovate further.
TodayProposal20.44 m² · 5.94 × 3.44 m
TodayA deep garage with the round wooden door on the street side.
ProposalRoom for a car and, for those who like, a classic.
TodayProposalsame room, other angle
TodayThe garage with the wooden door in the background and a radiator.
ProposalFurnished with a low workbench cabinet, a pegboard wall for tools and an open shelf, a place to tinker.
First floor
TodayProposalat the top of the stairs
TodayThe landing under the sloping roof, with a roof window, a wooden banister and a radiator.
ProposalWith a herringbone floor, a piece of art and a plant.
TodayProposalwith sloping ceilings
TodayA room under the sloping roof, with a window, a radiator and a washbasin.
ProposalFurnished with a bed, a bedside table with warm lighting and a herringbone floor.
TodayProposalwith roof window, under the roof
TodayA room under the roof with a roof window and sloping walls.
ProposalFurnished with two beds and a herringbone floor. Just as well a child's room or guest room.
TodayProposalwith dormer, under the roof
TodayA quiet room with sloping walls and a dormer window.
ProposalFurnished with a double bed, bedside tables and a jute rug.
TodayProposalupstairs, with two roof windows
TodayA bright room under the sloping roof with two roof windows.
ProposalFurnished as a workspace with a reading corner: a wooden desk, a leather armchair and a jute rug.
TodayProposalunder the pitched roof
TodayA spacious attic under the tiled roof, with a roof window.
ProposalWorked out as a man cave in a classic style, with a pool table, a bar and leather armchairs. Just as well a studio, office or guest room.
TodayOptionsame room, a second idea
TodayThe same attic under the roof structure, with a view of the window.
OptionAs a fitness room: an exercise bike, a rowing machine, a bench and weights on rubber mats, with a light wooden floor. An option alongside the man cave.
TodayOptionupstairs, under the roof
TodayA small room on the upper floor under the sloping roof, still in a raw state today.
OptionA walk-in wardrobe with open cabinets, a low chest of drawers and a wooden floor.
TodayOptionan alternative for the same space
TodayThe same small room on the upper floor under the sloping roof, still in a raw state today.
OptionAs an alternative: a bathroom with a freestanding bath under the roof window, a floating vanity unit with a green vessel basin, copper taps, a lit mirror and microcement on walls and floor.
Outside
TodayProposalwith the rear facade, view from the garden
TodayThe rear façade with the tiled roof, the large sliding doors and the terrace in old stones, with a lawn in front.
ProposalWith a lounge corner on the terrace, wooden blinds and a well-kept lawn.
TodayProposalview from the terrace
TodayA walled garden with a lawn, a red Virginia creeper against the wall and a terrace in old stones.
ProposalComplemented with a lounge corner on the terrace and a flowery border.
TodayOptionan idea, not a permit
TodayThe garden as it is now: a walled lawn.
OptionA possibility for those who want a swimming pool: an elongated pool in the lawn. Whether this is allowed, the buyer must check in advance with the town of Damme.
TodayOptionan alternative for the same garden
TodayThe same garden as it is now: a walled lawn.
OptionAn alternative placement: the pool lies in a different direction on the lawn, on the terrace side. Whether this is allowed, the buyer must check in advance with the town of Damme.
The furnished images are digital impressions of a proposal, not photographs of the house, and no obligation for the buyer. The empty images have been digitally cleared of furniture.
Interested?
Interested in a visit to the house? Feel free to call.
