‘op den donck gewerk aan de gabinet genaam Rouina’

The designer and builder of the ruin in the park of Huys ten Donck, near Ridderkerk, has been discovered. Two bills -which I found last week in the Rotterdam Municipal Archives, or Stadsarchief Rotterdam– reveal the identity of the architect as the Rotterdam-based Italian Giovanni (Jan) Giudici (1746-1819). The title of this post is a direct quote from one of these bills mentioning the work, in Dutch mixed with Italian influences.
That bill also leads to the conclusion that the ruin, now basically a screen of brick and stone, was originally covered in plaster when it was built in 1777.

This find adds at least one item to this architect’s portfolio, whose legacy was so hard hit by the 15 minute bombing of Rotterdam by German forces on May 14, 1940. This tragedy all but devastated the inner city, including what was left there of the architect’s work.
Luckily some of his work done outside that city can still be seen. We now know that part of his legacy is at Huys ten Donck near Ridderkerk. The house itself may contain more of his work, these same bills reveal. Architectural historians can chew on that piece of information.

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Summary

The designer and builder of the ruin in the park of Huys ten Donck, near Ridderkerk, has been discovered. Two bills -which I found last week in the Rotterdam Municipal Archives, or Stadsarchief Rotterdam– reveal the identity of the architect as the Rotterdam-based Italian Giovanni (Jan) Giudici (1746-1819). The title of this post is a direct quote from one of these bills mentioning the work, in Dutch mixed with Italian influences.
That bill also leads to the conclusion that the ruin, now basically a screen of brick and stone, was originally covered in plaster when it was built in 1777.

This find adds at least one item to this architect’s portfolio, whose legacy was so hard hit by the 15 minute bombing of Rotterdam by German forces on May 14, 1940. This tragedy all but devastated the inner city, including what was left there of the architect’s work.
Luckily some of his work done outside that city can still be seen. We now know that part of his legacy is at Huys ten Donck near Ridderkerk. The house itself may contain more of his work, these same bills reveal. Architectural historians can chew on that piece of information.

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Schloss Herrenhausen rebuilt

Ever Ssince the Herrenhauser Schloss was bombed in 1943 (and consubsequently burnt to the ground), the question what should come in its place has been on people’s mind in the north-German city of Hannover. 1The original Schloss had been a late 17th century structure, which was mostly upgraded on the outside…

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Well, I díd ask…

I asked a question in my last post. This one: “Or could the circular area -with or without building- surrounded by a thick planting of evergreens have been the norm at the time?“. ‘At the time’, being the 1720s, as that was when two drawings of such a circular open…

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Swimming in the garden

An easily overlooked reference from 1766 indicates that the owner of Huys ten Donck (Ridderkerk) liked to swim in a ditch in his garden. No evidence of a bath house or similar structure has survived.

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Summary

An easily overlooked reference from 1766 indicates that the owner of Huys ten Donck (Ridderkerk) liked to swim in a ditch in his garden. No evidence of a bath house or similar structure has survived.

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Triple bridges, a new map

Just a short note that another map has been added to the collection. This time it does not focus on gardens in a region, but on a certain type of garden feature: the triple bridge. Also known in French as Triple pont or Pont triangulaire, and in Dutch as Driepuntsbrug,…

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Ponder and Focus

The new art work or belvedere in the Overtuin of De Hartekamp is ready now. The design by Inbo has not stolen my heart.

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Summary

The new art work or belvedere in the Overtuin of De Hartekamp is ready now. The design by Inbo has not stolen my heart.

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Squeezed between trees

A question: when did landscape architects start planting two trees close together on either side of a garden path, so the casual visitor feels the path narrows considerably?

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Summary

A question: when did landscape architects start planting two trees close together on either side of a garden path, so the casual visitor feels the path narrows considerably?

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The second life of Pavillon de Hanovre

Pavillon de Hanovre in the park of Sceaux is not rebuilt in 1932, as many sources write. The relocated pavilion became a new building, perfectly suited for its new setting.

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Summary

Pavillon de Hanovre in the park of Sceaux is not rebuilt in 1932, as many sources write. The relocated pavilion became a new building, perfectly suited for its new setting.

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