Beeckestijn

From HGwiki

Beeckestijn is situated to the west of Amsterdam, in the southern part of the municipality of Velsen.

Beeckestijn is a large estate in Velsen, The Netherlands. Its origins are not quite clear, but the history of the estate can be traced back with certainty to the 16th century. Like most Dutch estates, Beeckestijn started out as a farm which gradually expanded, became more important and gained grandeur. The estate had its heydays during the 18th century, which brought the expandion and remodelling of the house (in two stages) and also the expansion and adaptation to the latest fashion of the garden. The latter is reflected in the existing estate map by architect Johann Georg Michael from 1772, in which three consecutive 18th century garden styles can be discerned.

Beeckestijn as seen fom the terrace in the middle of the garden. Photo by Henk van der Eijk.

It is by sheer luck that this late 18th century setup remained relatively intact through the centuries. Some alterations to the garden were made in the early 19th century, but most of these have been discarded by restaurations in the 20th century. What 'saved' Beeckestijn though, was the fact that from 1851 onwards, it was not considered to be a comfortable dwelling for the elite anymore and that the Boreel family, who owned Beeckestijn, also owned the neighbouring estate Waterland. That became their main home and Beeckestijn was let to tenants who would typically not make big changes in house and gardens. The fact that the Boreel family owned Beeckestijn for over two centuries (1742-1959) may have kept zealous propogators of the new and fashionable at bay for a long time altogether. In this case that can be seen as a blessing.

In the early 20th century the enduring neglect seemed to take its toll. In the 1930's the estate almost fell apart, and the stormswept gardens were in no better shape. But even then the core of the 18th century estate must have been apparent enough, because the landscape architect Leonard Springer drew up a plan which was more like a restoration plan than a design for a fashionable garden. The plan was never executed because the political developments lead to the outbreak of the second World War. This almost meant the final blow for the crumbling estate. The consecutive use of the house as quarters by Dutch and German soldiers almost wrecked it completely. The gardens, however, saw much building activty. But instead of ornamental garden features, three large bunkers were built as part of a line of defense for the Germans between the coast and Amsterdam. Two of these bunkers are still discernable today.

The cost to repair the damage must have been high, too high for the Boreel family. Several plans were made (one of them consisted of making the gardens into a villapark) until the Velsen council decided to buy the estate. Restoration began almost immediately, which resulted in a rejuvinated estate by the time it was finished in 1969. The house had been restored and redecorated and was turned into a museum. The geometrical part of the garden had its 18th century layout reenforced in the form of (re)planted avenues and a restored pond.

In the 1990's restoration work continued, but by the turn of the milennium the estate bagan to weigh heavy on the council's budget. In the spring of 2006 the then residing mayor and aldermen almost managed to sell the estate to a commercial party. Protests from both local people as from the stae secretary for culture made the council decide against the plan. The selling coalition lost the elections shortly after that defeat. The new mayor and alderman plan to exchange the estate against land from the National Agency for Rural Areas. The Agency will pass the estate on to two non-profit organisations who specialise in finding new uses for estates like this while at the same time keeping the historical site as intact as possible, thereby using the Johann Georg Michael map as a guideline. A new chapter in the history of the estate commences.