Leyduin

From HGwiki

Leyduin is one of the many estates that are located on the middle one of three rows of dunes that protect The Netherlands from the sea near Haarlem (map). These three rows (strandwallen) were formed in consecutive periods of warm weather during the Holocene. The most western one is the youngest, is identifiable as dunes and actively protecting the country from the sea. The most eastern one is the oldest, and harbours the oldest settlements in the region (Haarlem, Heemstede and Bennebroek). Lying between these rows of dunes are areas of flat and fertile land (strandvlakte), which are ideal for agriculture.

The middle strandwal is where most country estates in the area are located and Leyduin is one of them. Leyduin’s known history starts in 1596, when it is first mentioned. It probably was a fairly standard homestead or farm then, and like many others situated on the edge of the dunes, where the higher sandy soil gradually made way for wetter and richer pastures.

During the 16th and 17th centuries no real changes seem to have been made on the house, but the lands surrounding the farm gradually became used as a forest for the production of wood. We know of one owner of Leyduin, Johan van Romswinckel, because in 1701 he lined the border of his estate with stone poles on which carried his name. Two of these now line the driveway to the house. This indicates that he was proud of his estate, had money and cared to mark the homestead as his property.

But Leyduin really gained importance when it was bought by Van Loon in 1717. The Van Loon’s were to become one of the most influential families in Amsterdam during the 18th century. The few remnants of their layout on Leyduin reflect that importance: the ‘Patte d’oie’, the hermit’s lodge or belvedere and the cascade in the Leybeek are still vital parts of the landscape around Leyduin and architectural reminders to its great past. The Van Loon’s also expanded the estate, buying the grounds of what is now known as the estate of Vinkenduin, wedged in between Leyduin and Woestduin.

In the 19th century the estate was bought by the Van Lennep family -among others the writer Jacob van Lennep lived in the house. The original homestead was replaced early in the 19th century, possibly with the white wooden house that is now known as ‘Juffershuis’. In 1874 a new house was built. The classic late 19th century villa is shown on the accompanying postcard from around 1900.

From a gardening perspective the bridge is ofcourse of interest, and also the maturity of the trees near the relatively new house. Even more interesting -as far as I am concerned- is the fact that the grass is fairly high. Around the time this picture was taken, the lawnmower had already been invented and been in use for many years. That technological feature had made it possible to maintain vast areas of lawn by keeping it fairly short. Surely the owners of Leyduin had one of these machines available. But it doesn't seem they used it much.

But this house was of poor quality, so it was replaced by a new one in 1920. That house, located a bit south from where the original houses were, is still standing. Leonard Springer designed the garden around the house, although not much has remained of that layout. During WWII German troops built bunkers in the garden, and after the war Leyduin was a training camp for women who joined the Marine forces. After that, it was used as a boarding school.

Not surprisingly, few remnants of the historical garden are preserved. The foundation that now owns Leyduin, Landschap Noord-Holland, has prepared a maintenance plan in which the architectural history of Leyduin is recognised.

[edit] Photos

You can find a slideshow of photos of Leyduin on HGblog.

[edit] Links

Leyduin on HGblog

Maintenance plan 2005-2019 Leyduin (pdf).