In 1705, Humber Olivet, a paving contractor, built a large and beautiful house in front of the Chapelle-Royale. He lived there with his wife, his six children, three servants and many animals. After the death of Humbert Olivet, Noël Olivet took over his father's paving activities and the house. It remained a family home until his death.
This residence has housed various head regiments before the battle of Waterloo such as those of the Prince of Cobourg, Prince Frederick of Orange and finally the Republican General Lefebvre, winner of the battle of Mont-Saint-Jean in 1794. During the battle of Waterloo, the Bodenghien Inn, which was at the time the most important building in the village, was reserved for the Duke of Wellington, commander of the allied armies. It was here that the Duke wrote his victory report, then sent it to the British government. It is dated Waterloo, June 19, 1815.
The first tourists arrived quickly after the battle. The first ones were the soldiers, often with their families, who came to see again the places where they had fought. Some celebrities such as the English writer, Walter Scott also visited the inn. Then came the tourists who wanted to visit the plain where the Duke of Wellington defeated Napoleon.
Moreover, Waterloo being a crossing point on the route of the great European tour, the place also attracts many visitors. The Bodenghien Inn lived its glory days!
In 1889, the owners Angelique Dechamps and her husband Charles Decroeck died and left no direct descendants. Their heirs decided to put the house up for sale. In order to facilitate this, the house was divided into 7 lots. Some of them were transformed into butcher's shops, others such as n°145, 147 and 149 kept their initial aspect.
At the time of the sale, Justinien Pieterhons bought n°147 and decided to take advantage of the tourist craze. He created a café on the first floor and refurbished the first floor with weapons and explanatory signs in English. A few years later, Justinian decided to demolish the stables in order to create a party hall with Art Nouveau elements. In 1930, this became the Familia Cinema. The museum and the small café were very successful. However, after the Second World War, the citizens changed their habits. This considerably reduced the number of customers in the cafés. This one being in a sad state, it was to be sold to an oil company which wished to destroy the building to create a gasoline pump!
For Count Jacques-Henri Pirenne, it was not acceptable to destroy a place full of history in order to create a petrol pump. That's why he went on a campaign to convince the inhabitants of Waterloo, including the Mayor Jule Descampe, of the importance of its preservation and this was a success. On October 29, 1954, the ASBL 'Les amis du Musée Wellington' was born! Jacques-Henri Pirenne, Jules Descampe, Robert Cluyse and Fernand Pieterhons were the founding members. Subsequently, the municipality of Waterloo decided to buy the other lots, i.e. n°145, 147 and 149. Over the years, the Wellington Museum has acquired numerous collections on the battle of Waterloo.
As part of the bicentenary of Napoleon's death, the Wellington Museum organized a temporary exhibition entitled "The Empire in Playmobil®". It was possible to discover a huge model of the battlefield of Waterloo made with many Playmobil® figures.
Numerous dioramas evoking the important moments of the Emperor's life were also displayed in the showcases, for the pleasure of young and old people. In total, more than 2000 Playmobil® were created for this exhibition, which was a great success with the many fans of these little characters. In 3 months, "The Empire in Playmobil" welcomed nearly 15,000 visitors!