Historian Bart Beaard is extremely enthusiastic about the restoration of the ‘hidden gem’ the Doeverensche Sluis near the village of Doeveren in the municipality of Heusden. “During the restoration I visited once a week to have a look. It looks great. The restoration has been done very professionally. Even the old Pieter Arie Boll’s bench is there again.”
The construction of the lock started around 1830. In the past, the lock had military significance, among other things, when the polder around the Heusden fortress was flooded.
“The masons delivered craftsmanship at the time,” project leader Wijnand de Ridder said earlier. “It was shocking how the lock looked almost two centuries later. It was actually a dilapidated ruin.”
They worked hard for eight months on the dilapidated lock. During that period, the structure that was about to collapse was fully restored. Ard Hartjes and Bart Beaard of the local history circle Onsenoort have closely followed the metamorphosis from ruin to restored gem.
“At the official opening of the lock, we will present a photo book, in which the entire process of the restoration is recorded,” says Beard. “Not only pictures of before and after the restoration, but we have also researched the history of this lock and there are quite a few remarkable stories.”
One of those stories is about Pieter Arie Boll’s bench. That bench has also been restored and now also has an information board. Bart Beard explains: “Boll had his own place here for years. He used to sit there every afternoon and chat with passers-by, but there were not many at the time. He died in 1982. He was 105 at the time and is buried nearby. ”
“During the restoration, we also got in touch with Mrs. Boll-Kuijteren,” says Beard. “She lives not far from the lock and is married to a grandson of the old Piet Arie. When she was cleaning up the old iron in her shed, she came across a remarkable object.”
“I wondered: what kind of thing is that?” she says. “The solution came from my son, who told me that he got that bar from my husband’s father. He had used the rod to get the lock gates moving.”
“That original rod has also been given a place in the restored lock”, Beard says about this special find. “In consultation with the contractor, this historic object was mounted very firmly and hung on the inside of the lock.”
After eight months, cyclists and walkers can now cross the Doeverensche Sluis, a stone’s throw from the village of Doeveren, in the polder between Heusden and Elshout. Today it is part of a popular cycling route along the medieval Zeedijk. The lock will be officially opened at the end of September.
