The country-house Waterland at Velsen

Abstract

Especially in the eighteenth century many country-houses adorned the environment of the village Velsen. situated to the west of Amsterdam close to the dunes and the sea. Nowadays only three of these houses with their accessory gardens have been left. The country-house Beeckestein was threatened with demolition after World War II, but functions at present as a museum

The country-house Velserbeek became already in 1924 municipal possession with a public garden and the country-house Waterland is private possession until to-day Although the owners of Waterland were known this was not the case with its building-history. The regent Cornelis Munter (1652-1708) from Amsterdam has probably been the first owner of the 17th century country-house Waterland. Dirk Trip bought the house in 1721 tor 15 000 florins.

Afterwards Adriaan Speelman possibly designed a new garden in 1724. Although severely arranged the design was not symmetrical because of the eccentric situation of the house. The house has also been adapted. The son, Dirk Trip (1734-1753), had a new country-house Waterland built in 1761. Bills mention Barend Kromhout, who also designed the nursing-home of Velsen, the painter Jacobus van Kalker, the brick-layer Cornelis Twisk and the stonemason Hermanus Roggeman.

Remarkable are the bills of architect Pieter de Swart, probably concerning the designs of the stucco decorations of the most representative spaces like the staircase, antechamber, dining-room and parlour. This stucco decoration shows relationship with the decoration of the house Lange Voorhout 74-76 at The Hague and the decoration of the council hall of the Town hall at Leeuwarden. Until to-day the 18th century character of the country-house Waterland has been very well preserved.