English

Open Garden Days 2011 at Vollenhoven

Saterday the 25th, Sunday the 26th and Monday the 27th of June 2011,
10 am – 5 pm

Country Estate Vollenhoven, Utrechtseweg 59,
3732 HA De Bilt

Entry : € 6,50 p.p.
Child to 12 years: free
65+ : € 5,50.- p.p.
Estate Tour : € 2,- p.p.
Parking : € 2,-
Bikes : free

Information: Phone +31 30 220 0032

Vollenhoven is easily accessible by car, bus or bike. For further information on directions see How to get there.

Open Garden Days 2011

Foundation Friends of Vollenhoven is organizing the Open Garden Days, which this year will take place on Saturday 25th, Sunday 26th and Monday 27th of June 2011.

It is towards the end of June that Vollenhoven’s park and gardens are at its best. During the Open Garden Days the English landscape park, all private gardens and a number of buildings will be accessible. In addition, workshops will be held and there will be a variety of stalls, based on this year’s theme.

Park

The large 20 ha English landscape park was designed in the beginning of the 19th century and has largely remained unchanged. The original layout, including meandering waters, lakes, woods, vistas and sweeping lawns still exist. The park can be enjoyed by those on foot during the Open Garden Days. It’s your choice to either walk at leisure or to follow the walking route, where signs provide you with explanations. A map is available in the Coach House.

Buildings

Various private homes on the estate, including the main house, are for the owners’ privacy, not accessible. All other buildings, like the coach house, tea-house, the 19th century hothouses in the kitchen garden and the exquisite orangery, will all be opened to the public. It is worth mentioning that the only opportunity to view the ice cellar is during the Open Garden Days, as it is closed for the remainder of the year.

English Garden

The so-called “English Garden” is one of the private gardens and was designed in the early 1920′s by garden architect Copijn from De Bilt. The lay-out follows the English garden style. The colour based borders are all in full bloom towards the end of June. The terraced garden, with one meter height difference, doesn’t only provide protection to the plants but also engenders a feeling of seclusion. During the Open Garden Days, experts with respect to the plantings of this particular garden will be available to share their knowledge with you.

Kitchen Garden

The large walled kitchen garden dates back to the beginning of the 19th century and houses some rare and beautifully restored early 19th century hothouses. The organically run kitchen garden still functions as a real kitchen garden and is also used to cultivate and selectively propagate delphiniums and hellebores. Management and specialized workers of the garden are available during the Open Garden Days to guide tours and provide more explanation.

Stands

Each year, the Open Garden Days at Vollenhoven have a different theme involving gardening. Stall keepers, in- and outside the coach house and orangery, will interpret this theme in their own way, selling and displaying different, and often very curious, gardening items and plants

Homemade products

All produce from Vollenhoven’s orchards and kitchen gardens are used to make jams, chutneys, jellies and juices. These products are all for sale in the Coach House during the Open Garden Days

Estate Tours

Estate tours consist of three separate stages and leave every 30 minutes from the Coach House. The tour begins with a general account of Vollenhoven’s history and a visit to the ice cellar. The second stage of the tour is in the English Garden, with background information on the garden itself and explanations on plant selection and placement. Finally, the tour ends in the kitchen garden, exploring its history and hearing about its management, its current use and the delphinium project. Each section takes about 30 minutes. If so desired, you can interrupt your tour after each section and join a different group at your leisure.

Coffee, tea and lunches

On the terrace near the main house, as well as in the Orangery, there are cozy areas where you can sit and relax with a cup of coffee or tea, a glass of home made lemonade, icecream or a piece of homemade cake. The Orangery also serves lunches.

Group Package Deals

An attractive package deal is offered to groups. Upon arrival you will be welcomed with a cup of coffee or tea and provided with an information kit on Vollenhoven. If the groups consists of 15 or more, your group will be taken on a separate tour by one of our volunteer guides. She will tell you about Vollenhoven’s history, the layout of the parks and gardens and the management policies pursued by the estate. In the English Garden, the guide will leave you with an expert who has specific know-how on the planting of the garden. After having spent some time at your leisure in the English Garden, you can make your own way to the Kitchen garden, to continue the tour. There you will hear about the delphinium project and the kitchen garden itself and of course you can also ask questions about the different crops. It is also possible to book yourself in into one or more workshops.

In case you and your group want to make use of the opportunity to pre-book a lunch, high tea or picnic for a reduced price, you should contact Liline Haitsma Mulier on +31 30 220 032.

General information

Country Estate Vollenhoven, situated in De Bilt in the province of Utrecht, is a fine example of one of the first country houses of the Stichtse Lustwarande. The estate, which dates back to the 17th century, was designed in an English landscape style in the first decade of 1800 and has since remained largely unchanged. Vollenhoven is therefore one of the few Dutch estates with many of its original features still intact. In 1997 Vollenhoven received the status of a protected monument.

This website provides you with an initial introduction to the estate, which at times is also referred to as the “pearl of the Stichtse Luchtwarande”. You will find a concise summary of Vollenhoven’s history, information on and photographs of the parks and gardens, buildings, fauna and flora as well as information on annual events at Vollenhoven.

The menu on the left is for navigation through the different sections of the website. You can also use the shortcuts: the three small icons in the top right hand corner of each page. To open the “Events” page, click on the left window, a click on the door will take you back to this introduction page, and the right hand window will launch the Contact page.

As Vollenhoven is privately owned, entry to the estate is restricted. However, during the Garden Open Days, a weekend in June, the estate will be opened to the public, and visitors can admire and enjoy the grounds, the kitchen garden, the private gardens, the ice cellar, the coach house and the orangery. The Open Garden Days at Vollenhoven have become a popular and much talked about event these days. From May to October, the orangery can be hired as a venue for parties, meetings or other functions. This website also provides more information on public admission to the estate and other activities.

From Farm to Country Estate

Originally, Vollenhoven was one of the farmsteads belonging to the monastery of Oostbroek (Oost = East, broek = marsh), ie an annexe in the form of a farm. After the Reformation in the Northern Netherlands, monasteries were being done away with and Oostbroek came under the administration of the Provincial States. In the first half of the 17th century the States sold Vollenhoven to Goderd van Reede van Nederhorst.

Goderd van Reede was a man of great importance in the Netherlands. It was Goderd who represented the State of Utrecht at Munster in 1648 and who signed for Utrecht the convention that ended the war with Spain. To Goderd van Reede, Vollenhoven was probably a mere investment. It is known that Vollenhoven was still a farm in those years.

In 1651 the Van Reede family sold Vollenhoven to a member of the Utrecht Uyttenbogaert family. The estate changed hands many times by way of inheritance until 1774. Not much is known about the development of the estate, but data indicates that in the first half of the 18th century Vollenhoven had already become a country estate.

The Van Tuyll Family

In 1774, Willem René Baron van Tuyll van Serooskerken purchased Vollenhoven. He was a brother to Belle van Zuylen and was married to Johanna Fagel. During this period Vollenhoven was referred to as “Mansion annexe farm buildings, stables, coach house, gardener’s cottage and other buildings, including another farmbuilding with hayshed and shed located on the far end of the estate, on the “Biltse vaart” together with its parks gardens, pastures and fields”.

Shortly after they purchased the estate, Johanna Fagel wrote a letter (dated 29 March 1774) to a friend mentioning that she, as well as her husband, was very happy with the acquisition: “C’est ma passion. Nous sommes foux et aiséscomme des enfants, d’avoir cette jolie terre …”

In this same letter Johanna described the house and grounds. She didn’t elaborate on the house much, but from her description it appears that it was at least a two-storied house, with a dining room and nursery on the ground floor. According to Johanna, there were many suitable small rooms on the first floor and at least three of those were very comfortable. There were plenty of cupboards; Johanna thought the house to be very “livable”. She was not alarmed by the isolation of the estate, which was half an hour away from Zeist: the large roadway offered enough passage.

The letter also enthusiastically described the park: beautiful, large trees adjacent to the house, a fir lane, an orchard, a fish pond, two farms and a small forest. Behind the house there was a garden with a “gloriette de sapins”: a pergola of firs, which offered shade and which would be a splendid place to relax. In addition “ce charmant pays” offered the opportunity to wander about: one strolls along a small path, into a long lane, only to reach a small stream. There are magnificent views all around and nightingales sing in the fir lane. In short, as far as Johanna was concerned, Vollenhoven embodied an eighteenth’s century nature ideal: “C’est la belle nature, simple, riche et pure”. Johanna concluded her enraptured description of Vollenhoven – where even the air would have been superior to that on other rural estates – with “etcetera etcetera”. What a pity, as we would have liked to have learned more about the situation in 1774. The descriptions, however, point out that at acquisition there were clear signs of the existence of a rural estate with an established landscape.

Design of a new house

In 1777, the French architect De Malhortie developed a design for a new house. The drawings show a massive house in a classical style with two wings and a prominent centersection. It is, however, unlikely that these designs were ever implemented.

Porcelain mill

In those years there must have been a porcelain mill on Vollenhoven. It belonged to the famous vicar Johannes de Mol, who had started a china factory in Loosdrecht. It is known that De Mol and Van Tuyll, who owned the estate, were acquainted. The first part of the porcelain production proces took place in the Vollenhoven mill, grinding the quartz that was needed to produce china clay. It was probably send by boat to Utrecht and Loosdrecht. Very little is known about the mill on the estate, but it seems to have been in operation for several years.

The Munter Family

The house that was bought by Van Tuyll in 1774, was evidently not the same house as that what was sold to Gerard Munter in 1792; this as stated by the deed of sale mentioning “a to be sold by the Gentleman mostly newly constructed mansion with adjacent stable and coach house, together with two farmhouses…”.

We have more information on the estate from the age of Gerard Munter. For several months in the summer of 1793, the Munter family had a guest from Amsterdam, namely Mietje van der Dussen. A picture is painted of a simple, quiet rural estate, without much diversion and you weren’t even allowed to sing! Mietje van der Dussen’s stay has been embodied in a book of the same name, written by Lyte Engelberts.

De Smeth Family

In 1800, Pieter de Smeth van Alphen became the new owner of Vollenhoven. His father owned Beerschoten, a country estate close to Vollenhoven. Pieter de Smeth can be considered as the founder of the current estate. He commissioned the construction of the current main house, as well as most of the outbuildings, like the orangery, the coach house and the ice cellar. As yet, it is still unknown who the architect was and when exactly the main house was built, but from the auction description it can be concluded that it was built or renovated between 1800 and 1810.

At the same time, Mr. De Smeth requested that a new park be designed in English landscape style, where the new buildings were to be naturally incorporated into the landscape. The layout of the park was planned by landscape architect Hendrik van Lunteren.

De Smeth expanded the estate systematically by way of exchange and acquisition. The most important acquisition was the farm “Den Eyck” in 1806. This part of the estate, which is situated fronting Vollenhoven on the other side of the Utrechtseweg, has – from that time onwards – been known as the “Overplaats” (Property-Across). Originally, the farm was probably used as a change-over place for horses. De Smeth had the farm modified and incorporated it in the landscape as a “ferme ornée”. In 1802 De Smeth inherited the nearby Beerschoten from his mother, making him a landowner of a very large area.

After the death of De Smeth, in 1810, the auction notice described Vollenhoven as an “elegant mansion of recent construction including a large kitchen garden, English gardens and fishponds, ice cellar, coach house, gardener’s cottage, orangery and boatshed.”

“The world commences at De Bilt”

After the public auction on 12th May 1810, it was Jan Willem van Loon who became the new owner of Vollenhoven. The estate was open for inspection several months prior to the auction. One of those who decided to take advantage of this opportunity was Louis Napoleon, who together with his family liked to tour the region. The King disliked the city of Utrecht and he proclaimed that the world commenced at De Bilt. A short account of the King’s trip to De Bilt was found in a diary from that period.

The Van der Capellen Family

Van Loon was owner of Vollenhoven for only five short years: in 1815 the estate was sold to Anthony Luden, who resold it in 1827 to G.A.G.Ph. Baron van der Capellen van Berkenwoude, ex-governor general of the Dutch East Indies. It was at Vollenhoven were Van der Capellen expressed his penchant for the Eastern culture. He extended the park and planted various exotic plants. Van der Capellen owned a highly commended horse stud and an extensive collection of curiosities, including stuffed animals, shells, butterflies and souvenirs from the Dutch East Indies as well as clothing and weapons from Javanese tribes.

Although Van der Capellen was known to be an eccentric man – (it is said that he paid his Javanese servants at Vollenhoven with Javanese coins), his exotic collection still attracted a great deal of attention. His 1833 – 1845 guestbook (kept in the Provincial Archive in Utrecht under Archive Zuilen), indicates that an average of eight visitors per week came to Vollenhoven from all over Europe. People from England, France, Belgium and even a member of the Tsar dynasty from Russia came to view these displays. Several Dutch people of high influence also thought it interesting to visit: in 1833 “Madame la Princess d’Orange” with “Prince Alexandre” and “Prince Henri” visited the estate.

Van der Capellen received a head wound during the 1848 February Revolution in Paris, an injury that would later cost him his life. After his death, Vollenhoven was sub-divided into nine sections and auctioned off. The estate Vollenhoven, the farm Den Eyck, carpenter’s cottage, two homes by the domed summer house and the farmstead De Hoek were bought by J. Kluppel for a total amount of f 95,300. He bought only three of the nine subdivisions.

The mention of a domed summer house in the auction description is of interest, as this was the first time it was ever mentioned. Unfortunately it is not known where this house was situated. It is assumed that the current tea-house on de Bloemberg, that dates back to the early 20th century, replaced the old domed summerhouse.

The Kluppel Family

Mr. Kluppel purchased Vollenhoven in 1848. To him Vollenhoven was an absolute rural estate and he lived there most of the year. He was a conscientious owner, who managed the estate thoughtfully. His meticulous recording of various activities, including the acquisition of new trees and plants, is proof thereof. Likewise we know from his notes that 1860 must have been a year of disaster for Vollenhoven’s forests: two severe storms in February and May felled nearly a thousand trees.

The van Marwijk Kooy Family

In 1922, after the death of Kluppel’s daughter-in-law, Vollenhoven was again auctioned. That year Mr. M. van Marwijk Kooy bought the whole estate including the “Overplaats” (Farm Den Eyck across the road). The house was renovated by installing central heating throughout, and replacing sash windows with wide opening iron windows. An impressive colonnade was constructed at the back of the house to replace a small sunroom and at the south west side of the house an English garden was laid out by landscape architect Copijn.

In 1966, part of the “Overplaats” was sold, which now houses a suburb of Zeist, named “Vollenhove”. The latest change in the estate’s size took place when highway A28 was constructed through it, dividing the estate in two. Farmstead De Hoek is now separated from the rest of the estate. Further division of the estate can hopefully be avoided now that Vollenhoven in 1997 has been listed as a protected monument.

Country Estate

A country house like Vollenhoven, was for most previous owners, a second home. The winter months were spent in the city; as soon as the season changed and the roads permitting, one would leave for the country in Springtime. The parks and gardens were designed following the latest fashion and in line with the recreational function of the estates.

It is unfortunate that many of these features were lost in the Netherlands. The buildings of previous country estates are generally still standing, but the parks and gardens have usually disappeared. It is seldom that an estate is passed on with its park in its original state.

Vollenhoven is an exception to this. It is one of the few Dutch country estates, with most of its original planning preserved. The park reflects the English landscaping style and was laid out in the early 1800′s, which coincided with the design of the main buildings. Not much has changed since then and consequently Vollenhoven still shows the original 19th century unity and its integration of the park with the buildings.

Development into a country estate

In the 16th century, before the Reformation, Vollenhoven was one of the farmsteads belonging to the monastery Oostbroek. In 1651 it was sold to an individual. Whether or not there was at that stage any established park and gardens is not known, but in the first half of the 18th century there is mention made of the existence of a mansion. It would not have been a big one and probably involved an annex to a farmhouse.

It is very fortunate that a letter from Johanna Fagel, who owned Vollenhoven in that era, was retained. From this letter it can be concluded that the layout of Vollenhoven, which then already functioned as a country estate, had a formal feel to it and that certain landscape features were present. She mentioned “un petit sentier”, “une petite rivière” and a “longue allée”.

The park

In between 1800 and 1920 many estates were built along the road from Utrecht to Rhenen. This chain of estates was later named “De Stichtse Lustwarande”.

More so than the buildings, it is the parks and gardens that determine the image of de Stichtse Lustwarande. In the 19th century a number of prominent landscape architects were asked to design the parks and gardens of country estates. Well-known Dutch landscape architects from that era were Jan David Zocher, Hendrik van Lunteren, Hendrik Copijn and Leonard Springer.

Hendrik van Lunteren (1780 – 1849), who also designed the gardens of the homes te Brakel and van Sandwijck in De Bilt, was commissioned to design Vollenhoven’s park in the English landscape style. From mid 1700, Lancelot “Capability” Brown elevated this style to a veritable art. Brown’s vision was the natural merging of park and open land; winding lanes and paths flowing gently around the house, directing the walker towards unexpected vistas. Lakes formed with curving, soft lines and gently sloping banks, imitating the natural course of a river. The landscaped park of Blenheim Palace near Oxford was undeniably Brown’s masterpiece.

This was the style that Pieter de Smeth had envisaged for Vollenhoven’s park, replacing the more formal style, probably evident at that stage. In approximately 1800 he commissioned Van Lunteren to design the park. Van Lunteren performed his task by designing a park with different elevations, serpentined waterways, lakes, vistas and sweeping lawns, using, just like his British predecessor, the natural features already present. Brown often mentioned “the capabilities of the landscape”, hence his nickname. On Vollenhoven for instance, the capability of the landscape was a well, which van Lunteren incorporated into the waterways.

Characteristic features of the English landscape style are easily recognizable in Vollenhoven’s parks: the flowing transition from forest to open areas, the shape of the lakes, the spectacular spatial effects and surprising vistas when following the winding paths which changed direction frequently thereby disorientating the walkerand giving an impression of space.

The influence of another colleague of van Lunteren, the famous garden architect Jan David Zocher, can be found in the aptly named “Zocherkam” (Zocherridge), the elevated area along the banks of the “achtervijver” (lake at the back). Van Lunteren’s style was somewhat more liberal than the style of Zocher with respect to flower and shrub plantings, resulting in more complex pathways.

The open park at the side of the house is called the “Bloemberg” (Flower Hill). Woods with meandering walking paths, water features, lawns and pastures planted with shrubs, clumps and solitary trees providing variation, flank the Bloemberg.

The open Bloemberg, the forest including “achtervijver” (lake at the back), and the “Overplaats” (Property across) with the farm “Den Eijck” all show different nature types, with the house remaining the spatial pivotal point. Each of the three view axes from the house show one of the three areas: from the front it is the Overplaats (Property across) – agricultural life – from the back it is the lake and the city of Utrecht, and from the side it is the Bloemberg.

Van Lunteren thus successfully combined the three different terrain types, creating unity in the landscape, by using the house as the central point.

The Kitchen Garden

The kitchen garden was designed towards the end of the 18th century. The 1.5 hectares trapezium shaped garden is walled by the original red brick wall, supported by brick pillars on the outside. The auction catalogue from 1810, after the death of Pieter de Smedt, describes the garden as “large kitchen garden, with several fruit houses, as well as a mortared hothouse, Peach boxes and cribs …” These old hothouses and hot beds have survived.

The original objective of the kitchen garden, namely to provide the residents with vegetables, fruit and flowers, is still valid. Half of the organic garden has been planted with heirloom vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers to restore its historical value. The other half, houses an exclusive collection of delphiniums, needed for a seed selection and propagation programme. The collection consists of approximately 5000 mother and cross pollinated plants. During its flowering period in June, it produces a sea of blue flowers.

The English Garden

In 1922, Mr. van Marwijk Kooy commissioned Henri Copijn, a garden architect from De Bilt, to develop a rock garden at the western side of the house. The “Rijksdienst voor de Monumentenzorg” (Dutch National Trust) later described this garden as a “typologically important, well maintained and rare Dutch example of a private recreation park, formally framed by borders, terraces and rockgardens dating from the second decade of the 20th century.”

The English garden is named after the mother country of the person who inspired it: the famous English garden architect Gertrude Jekyll (1843 – 1932), whose ideas of a “wall garden with mixed borders” form the basis of this garden’s design.

The garden consists of a terraced inner garden within a rectangular and alcoved construction. You reach the inner garden via paths and flagstone steps and it is surrounded by splendid, colour-based borders. At an earlier stage, there was another terraced lawn right behind it, on which – some years later – a tennis court was built. Behind the court, against the stone exterior wall of the garden, you will find an elevated terrace with a pergola.

Main building and annexes

A country estate such as Vollenhoven, characterizes itself not only by the main house, but also by the numerous outbuildings which can be found in the park and gardens. In Vollenhoven’s case, virtually all outbuildings that are currently standing were built at the time of the original layout of the estate, maintaining the important unity of the grounds and buildings. Below you will find a list of the most significant buildings located at Vollenhoven.

Main house

Usually, the main building of the estate was located in such a position that it would catch your eye before all else. Vollenhoven’s main house does exactly that, bordering the park and located right in the middle of the semi-circular drive, fronting a large open grassed expanse: it is bound to catch your eye immediately.

The main house was built in a classical style between 1800 and 1810. It was Pieter de Smeth, the owner at that time, who commissioned the design. It is known that a country house existed at Vollenhoven prior to the new house being built, but little is known about that house’s appearance or location. There are indications, however, that the current main house originated from the formerly existing house.

The main house, as you see it today, has undergone some transformations since its construction in early 1800. The balcony on the side for instance was added during the course of the 19th century. The main features, however, remain largely unchanged.

The main house is used as a private residence and is therefore not open to the public during the estate’s open days.

Coach House

Partly hidden behind the trees of the southern drive you will find the Coach House, which was built in the beginning of the 19th century at the same time as the park was redesigned by Van Lunteren. The magnificent, large double panel doors and the beautiful dormer window are eye catching.

The interior of the coach house is essentially original. The large space behind the center doors was used to house the coaches. The area was big enough to house two four-in-hands. The old stables including eight horse boxes are found behind the left door. The details by the racks and the wooden divisions between the boxes show that great store was set to the horses. The names of the latest horses at Vollenhoven can still be seen on plagues located above the boxes. The coach house will be opened to the public during the Garden Open Days in June.

Orangery

Within the forest, behind the Bloemberg and behind the kitchen garden you will find the Orangery. The orangery too, was built when the estate was originally designed. It is clearly visible that the orangery was incorporated in the design of the park: the white building – in the same style as the main house – is situated in a semi-circular open area within the forest, betwixt tall trees and integrates well with the lake and the lawns sweeping down to it. The right side extension is of a later date.

The orangery at Vollenhoven is still functioning as what it was intended for: a building used to overwinter fragile plants. The orange trees and pot plants, which flank the park’s paths during the summer, are all stored in the orangery during the winter months. The building is well suited for that. The south facing, large windows in the front wall and the enormous skylight let plenty of much needed light in. In the olden days there was even a heater against the back wall. The interior of the orangery had to be high and spacious enough to house the tall plants. This was achieved by supporting the roof with six decorated cast-iron columns. A number of years ago, the orangery was restored to its former glory, at which time the skylight was also re-introduced.

From May to September all pot plants are moved outside onto the estate. During those months the orangery has a different function: the building is available for hire as a venue for parties. The orangery will be open to the public during the Garden Open Days in June. During those days it will function as a restaurant as well as providing space, inside and out, for market stalls exhibiting its wares.

Tea-house

On the right side of the Bloemberg you will find the tea-house, a châlet-shaped little wooden house, which probably dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. It was renovated some years ago, using the original colours. A wooden bench runs along the inside of the six-sided back wall and two open sided walls. The floor of the tea-house is tiled in a beautiful black and white pattern. The view from the tea-house across de Bloemberg is magnificent.

An estate account from the 19th century previously mentioned a domed summerhouse at Vollenhoven, however, it is not known where it was located. Possibly in the vicinity of the current tea-house.

Ice Cellar

The ice cellar is located on the northern side of the park, next to the tennis court. The large brick cellar was built when the park was originally designed, i.e. in the beginning of the 19th century and was restored some years ago. The subterranean chamber has an arched roof with a diameter of approximately six meters. The vault is covered with earth, which makes it look like a little hill from the outside.

During the winter the ice cellar was filled with ice from the lake behind the house. Due to the cellar’s effective water drainage, the ice could be kept in the cellar for up to two years. It was used as a cooling and storage place for provisions.

Various species of bats have made the ice cellar their home. When the cellar was restored, the entry door was provided with a “letterbox” to allow the bats access into the cellar.

The ice cellar can be viewed during the open days in June. The cellar is closed the remainder of the year to protect the bats

Garden shed

The garden shed is located on the northern side of the kitchen garden and was build around 1800. The dark, wooden shed has a grey-red tiled roof. Within the shed you will still find boxes in which the gardeners kept their tools

Hothouses

The hothouses and seed boxes also go all the way back to the 19th century. The two oldest hothouses and seed boxes even date back to the beginning of the 19th century. As it was, Vollenhoven’s sale documents of 1810 already mentioned them. Both hothouses are located on the northern side of the kitchen garden, built against the southern wall. The seed boxes are located in close proximity.

During the course of the 19th century, two additional hothouses were built: a grape hothouse and the “Ronde Kas” (round hothouse), the latter of which was built in a position perpendicular to the two old hothouses. The “Ronde Kas”, a hothouse of a rare type, is of an appealing wrought iron construction, with half round glass. It also has a small heating room, including a high chimney.

Floating bridge

It may not be a building, nevertheless the floating bridge at the back of the main house’s lake is definitely worth a mention. The white, wooden bridge dates back to the 19th century. At that time it was a true floating bridge, hence the name “vlotbrug” (Floating bridge). The bridge could turn away, enabling small provision boats to enter the lake via the “Biltse Grift” to stock up the main house.

Standing right in the middle of the vlotbrug, you will find yourself precisely in the line of sight of the main house. Up until a number of years ago, you could see the “Dom” (cathedral tower) of Utrecht in the distance. For centuries this was the view from the main house. Nowadays, a more modern building blocks the view to the Dom.

Nature management

At Vollenhoven a lot of attention is given to its flora and fauna. Generally, the idea is to let nature take its own course, but when necessary an active approach is taken. For instance the planting of a willow coppice, creating rest areas for roe bucks and deer, as well as changing steep river banks to more gently sloping ones, thereby providing the right living environment for amphibians.

Birds

By planting different species of trees and varying the landscape different sorts of animals are being attracted. A kingfisher, heron or woodpecker all require totally different nesting grounds. Many nesting boxes have been provided for, to accommodate different species of birds. In the breeding season the boxes are inspected at least 6 times and they are cleaned in autumn. The birds that overwinter in the nesting boxes are sometimes ringed in December and January.

Since 1976 regular bird countings of breeding pairs have been carried out. Some 70 species of breeding pairs have been spotted at Vollenhoven, including the hawk, the cuckoo, the tawny owl, the honey buzzard and even over the last few years the kingfisher. Most of this work is carried out by The Bird Society.

Wild flowers

The forests of Vollenhoven are abundant with wild flowers: more than 200 species from the Standard List of Dutch Flora have been recognized. In spring many wild bulbs are in flower, such as daffodils, crocus, snowflakes, grape hyacinths, hyacinths, corydalis and forest anemone. In June there is an abundance of flowering foxgloves.

Truly rare wildflowers are not found at Vollenhoven, however, some threatened species have been seen. Unfortunately, due to the lowering of the groundwater table over the past 20 years, quite a few species have been lost. New wild flowers are being re-introduced at Vollenhoven.

Mushrooms

There are many different sorts of mushrooms at Vollenhoven. The latest inventory in 1999 counted approximately 60 species.

Bats

The ice cellar houses a colony of bats. The different species seen are: Natterer’s Bat, Daubenton’s Bat; Whiskered Bat and the Brown long-eared Bat. The bats are counted every year; the numbers vary between 60 and 70.

Pastures

The pastures are not used during the meadow birds’ breeding season. Haying only takes place once the birds have flown, and the pastures are not fertilized. Some of the pastures are planted with wheat, providing shelter and food for the wild animals.

Orchard and Kitchen garden

Herbicides and pesticides are not used in the standard orchard or kitchen garden. When needed, old fruit trees are replace and the espalier fruit trees along the kitchen garden wall are being re-introduced

Overbos (Forest across)

For several decades now, the “Overbos”, which is located opposite the main house, across the Utrechtseweg, has been subjected to multifunctional forest management. A recent evaluation indicates that this has been very successful. The quality of nature is highly rated, partly due to the ample presence of fallen and standing dead wood.

Co-operation

Vollenhoven is situated at the junction of ecological connecting zones: the “Kromme Rijn” area, the “Utrechtse Heuvelrug” and the “Noorderpark” area. The province and Vollenhoven are looking at ways to improve the exchange between the three areas, without compromising Vollenhoven’s refuge function that it currently fulfills. The fact that Vollenhoven is totally surrounded by highways doesn’t make it any easier. It is also being considered to convert agricultural grounds to nature.