Front street village

Voorstraatdorpen originated from the 15th to the 18th century in the Newland areas. They were usually already mentioned in the dike plan. Only the larger polders got a village. This village type has as central element a wide main street, ‘the front street’. It is perpendicular to the sea dike and connects the harbour (kaai) with the church. The main street is built on both sides and parallel to it, some rear streets have been built; cross streets connect this to the front street. A center is often missing. The front street village is one of the oldest village types in the Nieuwland Polders. The type has predominantly non-agricultural buildings, as the farms were built scattered in the polder from the outset. Voorstraatdorpen is relatively present on Noord-Beveland and further on Tholen, Sint Philipsland, Schouwen-Duiveland, Walcheren and in Zeeuwsch-Vlaanderen. A subtype within this category is the ring-front village. In it, the front street on the polder side is closed with a church ring, initially round, later rectangular. In some cases there used to be a moat around the cemetery. A port square on the other end of the front street can form the spatial counterpart of the church with the cemetery. The church usually occupies a much less central place than in the older ring villages. The ring-front village is a planned set-up, which has often already been recorded during the division of the polder. Schouwen-Duiveland: Bruinisse Walcheren: Nieuw- en Sint-Joosland, Westkapelle North and South Beveland: Colijnsplaat, Geersdijk, Kamperland, Kats, Kortgene, ‘s-Gravenpolder,’s-Heer-Arendskerke, Wissenkerke, Wolfaartsdijk. Tholen: Scherpenisse, Sint Annaland, Stavenisse Sint Philipsland: Sint Philipsland Zeeuwsch-Vlaanderen: Emmadorp, Head plate, sea village, Walsoorden