Brewers’ House

Around 1550, Gilbert van Schoonbeke completed several projects: he finished the northern part of the Spanish ramparts and supplied water to the breweries. He commissioned the construction of the Brewer’s House, a water house which drew water from the ditches around the city’s fortifications and subsequently also from Herentalse Vaart. A horse mill was used to distribute the water to the many breweries. In 1582, the Brewer’s House was converted into the guild hall of Antwerp’s brewers.