- Year built: 1755
- Style of construction: e.g. Louis XV forms and rococo fireplace
- Original function: Social care and charity
This women's court, which was run by regents in 1755, has forty residents. During the day, visitors can stroll through the Regentenhof, which consists of four almshouses; after 18.00, the gate at Bagijnhof and the gate at Vriesestraat are closed. In 1755, the Dordrecht shipowner and merchant Gijsbert de Lengh put his intentions in writing for the establishment of a women's court where women aged fifty and over could live free of charge. However, he died in the same year. The regents he appointed carried out his plans and in 1756 the first residents could move into their houses. The hofje therefore bears the name of both the founder, de Lengh, and the regents who carried out the work after his premature death. The main entrance is on Bagijnhof: a gate covered in natural stone with rococo decorations (typical of this are the shell shapes). Here you will find the "Voorhof" with sixteen original houses around a square courtyard. On a pedestal from 1730 there is a sundial from 1880. Opposite the main entrance is the Regentenkamer (Regency Room) with an interesting interior. The combination of marble panelling and gold-leather wallpaper is unique in the Netherlands. There is a chimney of Belgian marble, gilt leather wallpaper and a stucco ceiling with ornate Rococo decorations. Seen from the entrance to the right is the 'Klophof', an extension of the early twentieth century. The passage on the left leads to the nineteenth-century "Langehof" and from there to the "Achterhof" or "Vriesestraathof". The original eight dwellings from 1755 in the Achterhof were replaced in the nineteenth century and supplemented by new dwellings. Many of the dwellings have since been adapted to modern times, and some have been given a different function. Although the residents now pay a small contribution for the use of the houses, many of the rules drawn up by Gijsbert de Lengh still apply.
