Theekoepel Land en Bosch restored

Earlier I wrote that the 18th century theekoepel at Land en Bosch was being restored. The restoration forms part of wider efforts of owner Natuurmonumenten to restore the grandeur of many estates they own in the area. Land en Bosch in particular has long been closed for the public. Since Natuurmonumenten bought it in 2007, they are working to provide (safe) access. Bridges connecting it to the surrounding areas and estates are restored or newly built, paths are opened up again, and the new hiking route should be available anytime. 1Via.
The result of the restoration is good, but unremarkable. In monuments, that is often a good thing. The photo’s below show the situation before and after restoration.

Theekoepel in 2008 (left) and in 2012.

The previous restoration took place in 1958. The then owner of the estate could not afford the upkeep of the theekoepel, so in the 1950s it was sold to the council of ‘s-Graveland for ƒ1,-. ‘s-Graveland took care of the restoration and further maintenance. In 2003 the Christengemeenschap bought it back from the council of Wijdemeren (name change) for €35.000,-. 2Via. Natuurmonumenten bought the whole complex in 2007.

The theekoepel was probably built between 1782 and 1788 by Lodewijk Hovy. When he bought Land en Bosch in 1782 it was not mentioned, but it was when he sold the estate to Louis Samuel Meynet in 1788. 3Dates taken from this source, who somehow did not put 2 and 2 together.

Footnotes

Footnotes
1 Via.
2 Via.
3 Dates taken from this source, who somehow did not put 2 and 2 together.
Summary

The restoration of the theekoepel at Land en Bosch has been completed. Photos of before and after presented here.

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2 Comments

  1. Oh, in case you were wondering: yes the theekoepel partly stands in the water and doubles as a boat house. I realize the duckweed and snow on the photos make that fact slightly unclear…

  2. Thank you for sharing these photos and news. My father in law grew up at Land en Bosch, and if he were alive, he would be very excited.

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