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The two lanterns flanking the entrance to the Damen Naval headquarters are burning again after a thorough restoration and years of searching for the wiring. Property Manager John de Pagter and Location Manager Kees Mallekoote are proud of the result. “I’ve been working here for thirty years and never saw the lanterns lit before,” says John. “I think a lot of people didn’t even realise they had lights or that they weren’t working. But it had long been a wish of Managing Director Hein van Ameijden that the lanterns would be turned back on.”
Property Manager John de Pagter and Location Manager Kees Mallekoote.
It seemed that this wish could not be fulfilled for a long time, because several electricians and mechanics had noted in recent years that the lanterns would probably never be lit again. “Once in a while, Hein would ask if it really wasn’t possible and we would have another look,” says John. “The lamps were wired but not powered. And we couldn’t find out where they went inside.”
So the search continued, albeit intermittently. Eventually, the listed building specialist and restoration company Jobse from Middelburg was asked to look at the lanterns.
“During their inspection, it turned out that both the lanterns and the copper nameplate above the entrance needed urgent maintenance,” says Kees. “That was in February. In March, the lamps and the sign were removed from the façade and then we could suddenly see the holes in the façade where the old cables were still in place. There was no movement in the cables and we tried everything to follow them inside, but we still couldn’t discover where they led.”
The lanterns are part of the original design of the building. They have been hanging since the building was built in 1913 as the new headquarters for the Koninklijke Maatschappij de Schelde, and have seen a lot of history pass by. “During the restoration, we were called to ask if we knew that one of the lanterns had bullet holes in it,” Kees says. “That must have been from the Second World War, because there is also damage to the walls caused by shrapnel and bullets. Jobse asked if they should repair it, but I asked them to leave the holes. It’s part of the history of the building.”
It had long been a wish of Managing Director Hein van Ameijden that the lanterns would be turned back on.
While the lamps were being restored, it was decided to drill new holes for the electrical wires: quite a job considering the thickness of the walls, which in some places was 120 centimetres. John: “The hole for the lantern on the right had to be drilled at an angle and slightly to the side. This meant that we ended up in the Ilona room, but the hole was drilled so that we ended up neatly above the ceiling and under the floor, so that nothing can be seen. The hole for the left lamp was simpler and comes out in the mail room.”
In June, the lanterns and sign were put back in place. That too was a substantial job. “We had to arrange a crane and an aerial platform,” explains John. “Also, the entrance and driveway had to be closed so that the refitting could be done safely. It was postponed three times because the work coincided with important company visits, but in the end we succeeded in putting everything back in place.”
Service Foreman Eric Maas has now fitted the lanterns with LED lamps with light sensors that are set to turn on when it starts to get dark. “I’ve had 48 years of service with De Schelde and Damen and I’ve never seen the lights on before,” says Kees. “If we hadn’t taken them off for the restoration, we probably wouldn’t have managed it, but I’m proud that we did. It was quite a challenge, but we enjoyed doing it.” John concludes: “It’s nice that they are finally burning. And Hein thought it was, in a word, ‘beautiful’.”