Spa! Balmoral - a villa district combining tradition and innovation

Rue du Jeu de Paume leads the walker to Balmoral and offers a panoramic view of the spa town. The upper part of the road runs alongside several large properties. At the height of a cross dating from 1911, called the "Cross of the Old Road of Verviers", the silhouette of the Cross-Ways villa can be seen on the left between the trees. On the right, the park of the villa "La Roche-au-Bois" extends. On the right, above the rue du Jeu de Paume, the villa La Roche-au-Bois is set in a large park designed by the landscape architect Joseph Hensgens in 1928. This park is listed in the Inventory of Parks and Gardens of Wallonia. Today it is characterised by large trees (beech) and beautiful rhododendron beds. Joseph Hensgens is also the designer of the remarkable garden of the Lébioles manor in Creppe. Coming from the rue du Jeu de Paume, the walker first discovers the outbuildings of the villa. Along the road, the former caretaker's house has been converted into a doctor's surgery. The building has a small outside gallery closed by a woodenclosed by a wooden railing. A greenhouse completes the buildings. The villa was designed for Emile Digneffe, mayor of Liège from 1921 to 1937, by the Verviers architect Albert Charles Duesberg, in a style of classical inspiration combined with that of English private architecture. It has a sandstone and limestone rubble floor topped by a floor in the large slate roof with dormer windows. On the façade, three central bays are slightly overhanging and are crowned by acrowned by a triangular pediment. The entrance is marked by a portico supported by two Tuscan columns.The term VILLA, linked to the context of the thermal towns, designates an elegant house located near the town and surrounded by aclose to the town and surrounded by green areas. The villas are distinguished by their style, borrowing elements of ornamentation from various places and periods, mixing tradition and modernity, decoration and functionalism.

On the left, located in a large park also listed in the Inventory of Parks and Gardens of Wallonia, the Cross-Ways villa, in the English cottage style, was built in 1929. It has It has retained its many original metal frames. At the rear, a terrace opens onto the park, which is decorated with beautiful local trees and works by contemporary artists. To the north-west of the To the north-west of the villa, the outbuildings housing a caretaker's lodge and refurbished former stables are built in Anglo-Norman style.In the design of the villas, the architects were inspired by foreign, English cottage but also from regional architecture. One of the major influences is the Norman style One of the major influences was the Norman style, which was considered to be in better taste at that time. It is particularly appreciated in Spa. The Norman resort of Deauville was a source of inspiration for many architects and villa owners. The adoption of the Norman style was often limited to the addition of pan de bois, but above all of faux pan de bois, composed of a decorative plaster of painted cement imitating half-timbering.The use of high-strength steel has made it possible to create frames with very thin profiles, which give them a high aesthetic quality and guarantee maximum light. This type of metal joinery was particularly appreciated in the modernist architecture of the early 20th century.

This villa, combining decorative half-timbering and bow-windows, opens up widely towards the landscaped area thanks to a contemporary extension well integrated into the style of the building. The driveway leading to the entrance is marked by two beautiful lime trees and two chestnut trees, planted symmetrically. A third lime tree punctuates the northwest corner of the rear terrace.At Frahinfaz, the path is bordered to the north-east by a protected undeveloped area, a Natura 2000 zone. It aligns a few meadows, defining an open landscape area just before Staneux Wood, which is nevertheless enriched by the presence of a few isolated trees.

The U-shaped main building of the former Frahinfaz farm is built on the roadside. It is composed of a central forebuilding under a triangular gable marking the entrance. The ground floor is built of sandstone rubble masonry and a rendering imitating pan de bois decorates the façade on the upper floor. A beautiful three-headed ash tree stands at the north-east corner of the property.The former Frahinfaz farmhouse was designed by William Hansen (1848-1936), a well-known architect in Spa. He was responsible for the Galerie Léopold II, built in the Parc de Sept Heures in 1878-1880. He also designed the rotunda of the Tonnelet spring and the neighbouring restaurant

Continuing along the road, the rear of the villa LE VAL VERT can be seen set back on the right. Its imposing facade is embellished with a gable decorated with a faux pan de bois rendering interrupting the long sloping slate roof. Next we discover a remarkable group of buildings: the villa LES SORBIERS.Residence of Princess Clémentine in 1912, this complex of fine architectural quality is notable for the volumes of the main building topped by overhanging roofs, its circular corner turret and its red and white faux pan de bois decorations. Embedded in the masonry of the tower, a slab bears the initials of the patron, J. Gihoul, and the date 1895. The architect Auguste Charles Vivroux signed the plans. Two beautiful purple beech trees mark the south-east corner of the property. To the right of these, the entrance to a path is marked by two wheel chasers and two rows of formerly pruned hornbeams. A coach house and stables extended by a caretaker's lodge also border the paved courtyard. A pleasure garden surrounded by hawthorn hedges and decorated with topiaries extends to the south of the main building. An orchard extended to the rear.The Vivroux family is a famous line of sculptors and architects who were well known in the in the Liège region from the beginning of the 18th century. They became famous in the in the Verviers region from 1820. Designer of the first project of SPA-EXTENSION, Auguste-Charles Vivroux (1859-1920) signed the plans of several villas in Sparta as well as the first phase of construction of the the Balmoral Hotel. His son, Charles (1890-1985) was also an architect, designed a villa on Avenue Albert I.Take the Princess Clémentine promenade on the right to Avenue Albert Ier. This part of the promenade runs along the north side of a deciduous wood mainly made up of beech forests and a a wet meadow to the south. The latter is separated from the path by a row of oak and oak and beech trees.

At the corner, a beautiful Anglo-Norman villa, recently restored, was built in the early 1930s. The sandstone masonry on the first levels and the characteristic faux wood panelling under the roof are still present. decoration under the roof. All the original windows have been preserved. Some of them have small metal lattices, some have sash windows. The garden is very well cared for, with many tall trees and a beautiful three-headed green beech tree at the back.Restoration work always begins with observation of the building and its immediate surroundings. It continues with a careful reading of the constructional details. This approach makes it possible to restore the particular characteristics of each structure and to stimulate a certain creativity that is essential for adapting to new comfort standards. Thus, it is very often possible to conserve old windows by adapting them to improve their watertightness: fitting a flexible seal after grooving the sash, fitting over-glazing, placing a double interior window, replacing single glazing with thin thermally efficient glazing or fitting double glazing. Sensitive work for a quality restoration

Turn right into Avenue Albert I.This villa was built in 1917 in a beautiful garden that follows the street corner. It has an irregular plan and is made up of volumes of varying heights in sandstone rubble. Some parts of the upper floors are covered with painted and plastered half-timbering. The facades are enlivened by characteristic elements of the villégiature style: loggias and porticoes topped by wooden balconies. The old windows, some of which are protected by shutters, have been preserved. Purple beeches, maples, rhododendrons and pines adorn this delicate garden.The woodwork (window frames, external shutters, fascias, balcony railings) is always painted in fairly bright colours. This gives the facades a lively look and a diversity of colours that characterise each villa, while each villa, while ensuring a general homogeneity.

The only remnant of one of the first villas built in the SPA-EXTENSION development shortly after 1908 by the architect Henri Vaes, it is a small, characteristic building of the period, with window shutters and a faux-wood panelled decoration. The villa was demolished to make way for apartment buildings.

The architect Charles Vivroux (1890-1985), son of Auguste-Charles, built this villa for Doctor Dubois-Trépagne in 1927. A large loggia personalizes the street side façade. The right-hand side, slightly set back, is decorated with false panelling. In the past, it was extended by a covered terrace. The garden has beautiful pine trees at the back of the house.

The imposing villa "Le Val Vert" was built between 1936 and 1939 to the plans of the architect Marcel Paes. It is set in a large park and consists of three articulated wings with a pointed arch. A circular turret with a conical roof rests between the first two wings and a porch under a dovecote links the second to the third. This residence was formerly known as "Dovecote". All the characteristics of the Anglo-Norman style villas can be found here: half-timbering, bow windows, high sloping roofs with large dormer windows. Many mature trees, oaks, green beeches, purple beeches, lime trees, large pines and beautiful rhododendron and beautiful rhododendron beds adorn the park.Marcel Paes, a Spa architect associated with Marcel Hansen in 1921 for the reconstruction of the casino, is also the master builder of the Nivezé church, which he built in 1934-1935. He modified the plan of SPA-EXTENSION in 1935 and is also the author of the project of several villas on the Avenue de la Corniche.At the end of Avenue Albert I, turn left onto Avenue Léopold IIThe gardens have retained their "cottage" atmosphere, with large grassy areas, ornamental bushes, clumps of shrubs and trees which, over time, have become remarkable position trees.

Built in 1925, this classically inspired villa was transformed in 1940, according to the plans of the Verviers architect Albert-Charles Duesberg. The main entrance is preceded by a portico on Tuscan columns, added during the 1940 works. On the left, an outbuilding in the same style as the villa probably once housed the caretaker's lodge. Of the original garden layout, also designed by A.C. Duesberg, only a compartmented flowerbed on the southern terrace remains. In 1995, the entire property was redesigned and its relief modifiedAlbert-Charles Duesberg (1877 - 1951), a Verviers architect who was both a traditionalist and a modernist, drew up plans for villas for which he designed the gardens in detail. Until 1914, his style was characterised by eclecticism and classicism, influenced by the English cottage style.Continue. Before the roundabout, the Balmoral Hotel is on the left.

Originally designed as a large villa by the architect Auguste-Charles Vivroux in 1906, the Balmoral Hotel (now Radisson Balmoral) is an Anglo-Norman-inspired building resulting from several successive extensions. The first ones, dating from 1913, were entrusted to the same designer. Today, the building is a long structure with three gabled facades of different heights, the upper floors of which are partially covered with plaster imitating half-timbering. Numerous painted wooden balconies enliven these façades. Turn right onto Avenue de la Corniche.

This rural-style dwelling was entirely rebuilt with materials from an old Ardennes farm. The reinstallation, in the 1930s, is due to the architect Marcel Paes.

Slightly below the avenue, "LE SOYEUREUX" is a villa built in 1910-1911 according to the plans of the Brussels architect Georges Hobé. The masonry here is entirely of sandstone rubble on the road side. The recessed entrance is protected by a portico composed of two arches resting on a bulging column. To the right, a large rounded oriel window is closed by wooden multi-paned windows. Balconies allow the view towards Spa to be enjoyed from the rear façade.Georges Hobé (1854-1936) was involved in the planning of coastal towns from 1918 onwards (he was the municipal architect of De Panne) and built numerous villas throughout Belgium. His architecture is sober, but characterised by an eye for detail, and he is a great believer in the use of local materials. At the Belgian coast, companies for the subdivision and sale of land were set up in many seaside resorts at the end of the 19th century. In these prestigious housing estates, it is the scale and typology of the buildings that determine the coherent ensemble sought. Georges Hobé designed three villas at Balmoral, as well as the former vicinal tramway station, opposite the Balmoral Hotel. The latter was designed in 1909, as were the three shelters along the Balmoral road.

This is the second villa by the Brussels architect Georges Hobé in Balmoral, built in 1910. The rear façade, which overlooks the valley, opens onto two large loggias one above the other, bordered by wooden railings and The rear façade, which faces the valley, opens onto two large loggias on top of each other, lined with wooden railings and ordered by six pairs of delicately worked wooden columns.Continue down the avenue, admiring the unobstructed views between the trees towards the valley. Generally speaking, the ground cover of this sloping section consists of mixed deciduous and coniferous vegetation. These views should be preserved or restored, as some of them tend to close in, particularly because of the omnipresent vegetation which is not always tamed.

Het is de derde villa aan de Avenue de la Corniche, ontworpen door de architect Georges Hobé. Gebouwd in 1911, onderging het belangrijke wijzigingen in 1968 door de Spadois architect Marcel Geenen, met inbegrip van de verwijdering van een vloer. waaronder de verwijdering van een verdieping. De villa heeft echter zijn essentiële kenmerken behouden: metselwerk in zandsteen, vals vakwerk. De garage aan de straat, met zijn overhangende dak, is intact gebleven.Aan het einde van de laan, op nr. 1, is een andere villa te zien met architecturale kenmerken die vergelijkbaar zijn met die van zijn buurman, de Leopold II-laan, nr. 23, de Villa de l'Aiglon. Het is gelegen in een zwaar beboste tuin, op de top van een steile helling beplant met prachtige eiken, beuken, dennen en berken. De villa, met een onregelmatige plattegrond, werd in 1908 gebouwd in zandstenen puin, gedeeltelijk bedekt met valse lambrisering. Het oorspronkelijke houtwerk is bewaard gebleven.Sla linksaf en neem de Leopold II Laan

This building is a former small farmhouse with half-timbering that refers to the holiday architecture of the district. The street facade is characterised by an axial tower made of sandstone rubble, topped by a high sloping roof resting on moulded brackets and cornice. In front of the property, on the left, there is a line of pine trees lining the road and a beautiful beech tree. Continue along the park of the villa "La Roche-au-Bois" and then reach the crossroads with the chemin de Frahinfaz. At the right-hand corner stands a last villa to be admired, after having passed several more recent villas, also set in gardens planted with trees.Rather than having served to close the properties in on themselves, large trees have been planted to preserve a certain transparency towards the surrounding countryside. to preserve a certain transparency towards the villas and to offer the walker long views over a restful background. views of a restful background. By their development, these trees occupy more or less imposing volumes within the plots of land which allow them to rival those of the villas and their outbuildings. In this way, a surprising and pleasant relationship of continuity has been established between the plants and the buildings, rather than a simple visual dialogue.

The villa "Les Eburons" is set in a beautiful pleasure garden with numerous rhododendron and hydrangea beds and large green beeches. It is irregular in plan and built of It is irregular in plan and built of sandstone rubble, and features a wooden entrance portico and bow windows. The one on the main facade, with six windows, is topped by a large French window on the first floor.All of these Balmoral villas, set in their precious green surroundings, favourably combine functionalism and fashionable styles, borrowed from regionalisms. Although the most interesting ones are listed in the Inventory of Walloon Cultural Heritage (IPIC), none of them is yet officially protected by the classification.Intimately anchored in nature, the villas of Balmoral contribute to the charm and beauty of Spa and its living environment.