“The tradition of neighborhood breweries and distilleries is the short circuit before time” (photos) (Saint-Gilles)
Saint-Gilles and the cafes, it’s not new. A book written by the former alderman Patrick Debouverie traces the history of Saint-Gilles estaminets up to the 18th century. A treasure trove of archival photos and logos of vanished beers.
Special Baf Extra Fine, Export Vandenheuvel, Perle, Wiel’s, Bock de Koekelberg, Stout Whitebread, Piedbœuf, Hanquell, Navy’s… So many brands that make nostalgic collectors dream of beer coasters. From the 19th century to the 1960s, the facades of the estaminets of Saint-Gilles were covered with them, calligraphy on the facade or the window, embroidered on the awnings, enamelled on the balconies. And from the South to the Barrière via the Parvis and Louise, these establishments abounded. “The café was a place of leisure. There wasn’t much else. We talked from table to table, we read the newspaper…”, recalls Patrick Debouverie.
The former Saint-Gilles Alderman for Economic Affairs knows what he is talking about. He was “born in” since the famous Verschueren, on the Parvis, was operated by his ancestors. An inveterate collector, the President of the Circle of History of Saint-Gilles brings out a very nice panorama of the estaminets of the town. A book that is in line with a similar volume retracing the 800 years of the old Obbruxelles, released in 2016. We sit down with it to go back in time.
“Saint-Gilles keeps a big popular tradition of coffee”
Patrick Debouverie, the history of the estaminets of Saint-Gilles begins very early.
An 18th century map proves that there were already inns and cabarets at the time. The first horecas opened upstream from the Porte de Halle: anyone coming from the south, via Uccle or Forest, could not pass the Brussels enclosure after 6 p.m. The offer in Saint-Gilles then expanded with urban development: around the Gare du Midi at the end of the 19th century, Parvis, Barrière, Hôtel de Ville, Louise and finally Ma Campagne, until the beginning of the 20th century.
The horeca tradition is well anchored in the municipality.
There is a big popular tradition of coffee around the Parvis and the South. When I left the alderman of Economic Affairs in 2018, there were some 450 horeca. We remain in these proportions today. Saint-Gilles has also become the 2nd municipality in terms of hotel accommodation with the Louise-Chaussée de Charleroi axis, which has experienced major development in recent years.
The book is full of photographs of establishments…
These cards were a tradition at the time. On taking photos of the staff in front. They were printed in 5 or 6 copies. The habit is lost.
Your family history mingles with that of the estaminets since you are the great-grandson of Louis Verschueren, founder of the brasserie of the same name.
In one of the book, it is also a family photo! The Verschueren remains, with L’Union, the oldest café in Saint-Gilles in its initial state. It was founded in 1880 by Louis Verschueren, brewer. His son Jean transformed it into an Art Deco establishment in 1935: its interiors, benches, stained glass windows, lights and the famous table of football results, are also classified.
You can’t separate this café from the L’Union club.
Many establishments referred to the club. The family served as a player and an executive for The Union. Returns from matches were joyful. The Verschueren is also a place of the Resistance. And as it has 3 meeting rooms upstairs, up to 43 political and civic associations meet there. I remember it well: all the political parties meet downstairs.
What did they drink in these estaminets?
In the 19th and first half of the 20th century, the tradition of neighborhood breweries and distilleries was the short circuit before time! The outlets are made in the cafes while lambic, gueuze and liqueurs are produced closer to the Senne. So we drank the Brussels craft beers. Then imported German beers. And wine, of course.
Can the reader expect exceptional witnesses?
Many things have disappeared. I would obviously mention the Hôtel de L’Espérance, Place de la Constitution. The Swiss Antognoli family acquired the place in 1869 and transformed it into a hotel. Lounges, terraces, shops, delivery boys…: this is the ultimate luxury. We spend our wedding night there before leaving on a trip. All flamed up in 1953: in 2022, it is a gray building that overlooks the petrol pump at the corner of Fonsny and the Petite Ceinture. We did not win the change.
What else ?
There is also La Trattoria, avenue de la Toison d’Or. It was the first pizzeria in Brussels: it opened in 1958 for the exhibition. It’s luxurious: banquet halls, Italian-style cafés, a huge team… My generation knew this restaurant well. My parents used to take me there to eat. It formed a whole with the Albergo hotel.
A favorite address?
I kept this habit from when I was an alderman: it’s a question I never answer.
The archives between 1960 and 1980: “paradoxically more complicated”
Patrick Debouverie was 8 years old in 1960. He therefore did not know the flourishing period he describes. But he promises a sequel, which will go to the present day. We will then discover the places where, “with friends, we would eat shrimp croquettes and the bistros where we would have drinks”.
While the documents published today come from private collections or that of the Cercle d’Histoire, the next evocations surprisingly require more work. “It’s paradoxical: for the next volume, which will start from the 1960s, the more recent archives are more difficult to find”, concedes the former liberal representative. “We try to get in touch with the families of the catering industry. They lend us the documents to scan them. During my 36 years as alderman, I also photographed everything I saw in Saint-Gilles”, says the one who took the oath in 1983. “Between the 60s and 80s, it’s more complicated: we have anecdotes, but few images”.
Do not hesitate to contact the Circle of History of Saint-Gilles if your family history contains traces of one or the other caberdouche Saint-Gilles.
+ “Hotels, pubs, cafés, restaurants, Saint-Gilles, from the 18th century to the 1960s”, 160pp., €20, sold for the benefit of the Cercle d’Histoire de Saint-Gilles. Points of sale to consult on the Facebook page or on the interactive map below.