Farrier's workshop

Around 1700, this house stood on the edge of the Marktveld, behind the old church. Many roads from the surrounding area converged there. Travellers on their way to Venlo – and on to Cologne – passed through Asten. It was therefore a logical location for inns where one could spend the night or have something to eat or drink. There must certainly have been smithies too, as the blacksmith could shoe your horse or repair your cart whilst you rested.

In the 19th century, the house developed into a well-known blacksmith’s workshop. From 1879, the blacksmith Marcellis van Bussel lived here, and after his death in 1887, his sister Maria van Bussel took over the running of the household. She lived there with her son Leonardus Marcellus Hoefnagels, better known as ‘Lange Nard’ (Tall Nard) due to his height of 1.87 metres.

Nard Hoefnagels continued to run the smithy and was a familiar sight on the high street. In old photographs, he is thought to be standing by the metal hoof block, which still forms a distinctive feature of the building. The smithy remained in operation until 1954, supplying tools to farmers, market gardeners and peat cutters.

The building also served other purposes. During the war years, it housed a radio distribution centre, where residents could tune in to two radio stations. In the 1970s and 1980s, the building was converted into a studio and retail space, whilst the historic core was well preserved.

The building is a valuable municipal monument, with a construction history dating back to the 18th century and a characteristic 19th-century appearance. The metal horseshoe in Julianastraat is a fine remnant of the former smithy.