Kerkstraat is one of the oldest streets in the village of Aalten. The street takes its name from the Old St Helen’s Church. From the rear of the church at Markt, Kerkstraat runs downhill southwards towards the Slingebeek. There it meets Landstraat and continues as Dijkstraat.
Above we see Kerkstraat looking towards Dijkstraat. Eppink lived in the first house on the right (Kerkstraat 2). He was sexton of the Dutch Reformed church. He was known as ‘Eppink van de trepkes’ because his home could only be reached by a stone staircase.
Here we see the trepkes head-on, between the church and the Elim building. This path was dug out and widened around 1955. During the work, many human remains were uncovered belonging to former inhabitants of Aalten who had been buried there in the old churchyard.
Above we see Kerkstraat looking towards Dijkstraat. The third building on the left, with barn doors facing the street, was the ‘Lensink-schure’. Behind Lensink’s house stands the stately ‘Manschotshuis‘.
Above is a more recent photograph, taken from almost the same spot. Lensink’s house has since been replaced by the building that once housed Smit Speciaal Optiek and now houses a clothing boutique.
We have walked a little further along Kerkstraat and can now see, behind the ‘Manschotshuis’ on the left, the barn doors of Mrs Manschot’s former coach house.
Here is the same spot again, around 1920.
These photographs were taken halfway along Kerkstraat, looking towards Markt. In the photograph above, on the left behind the pump, we can see Leerink’s textile shop. Mrs Kothuis-Vultink, wearing the white apron, is standing in front of the house of ‘d’n zunigen Manschot’. He sold coffee and tobacco. The bell would keep ringing for quite some time whenever the shop door opened or closed. The site was later redeveloped; it first housed an Albert Heijn supermarket and is now occupied by Action.
In the photograph above we see house numbers 17 to 27, from the T-junction with ‘t Lage Blik. Today, the corner of the Action store would be in view here.
The photograph on the right was taken a little further along. The building on the left housed tailor Wansing. A nice detail is the pair of scissors in the gable peak. The building on the right housed Schepers butcher’s shop.
Land Registry 1832
Address directory 1934
