Kasteel, buitenplaats, Straatweg 33

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed, in Dutch. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

Description

MAIN BUILDING (Vredenhoef).

The house Vredenhoef was built in the 17th century, possibly in 1666, on the western bank of the Utrechtse Vecht. The entirely cellared main building, constructed of red brick, has a rectangular floor plan and consists of one storey and an attic beneath a hipped roof covered with old-Dutch tiles (originally a continuous hipped roof with gutter). The roof is fitted with four chimneys, located at the ridge ends. The roof truss structure dates from the period of construction. The facades are finished with a simple continuous cornice. The symmetrical front and rear facades are seven bays wide and fitted with multi-pane sash windows in Empire style; at basement level these are double multi-pane casement windows. The front facade has a raised central section three bays wide. This central section is provided with a gable roof, the ridge of which is at the same height as the ridge of the main roof. The gable roof is closed at the front by a decorative tympanum, in which a round window with cross-shaped glazing bars is incorporated. On either side of the central section the roof is crowned by a balustrade with scrollwork or circular motif. The central entrance section, consisting of a double entrance door with ornamental fanlight, framed by a simple pilaster arrangement with entablature, is preceded by a stone entrance steps with six treads. In the side facades a single multi-pane sash window and windows at basement level. In the rear facade double multi-pane casement windows at basement level and somewhat irregularly placed sash windows at the level of the principal floor. Against the middle of the rear facade is a low extension with a flat roof in which the rear entrance is incorporated. On the roof on the front side two and on the rear side three roof dormers with simple moulding and a multi-pane sash window.

The 18th-century floor plan and layout of the house are intact except for a few minor alterations. The alterations relate in particular to adaptations that permit separate use of the house by two different parties; for example the routing of the staircase has been somewhat altered. In the basement in the north-western corner of the house is the kitchen tiled with white tiles, in which there is still a worktop and dresser from the 18th or 19th century. The finishing of the rooms on the principal floor dates from around 1800 and is almost entirely intact. The vestibule and hallway are fitted with a white marble floor, laid in tiles of approximately 50 by 50 cm, on a shell bed. The undersides of the doorposts in these rooms are also of marble. The hallway is situated behind the vestibule, on the central axis of the house, and opens onto a small room at the rear. On either side of the hallway and mirrored on the central axis are wide doors, slightly arched at the top. Some of these doors are blind doors, installed for symmetry. At the front of the house, the two rooms on either side of the vestibule are provided with wooden panelled wainscoting, simple stucco ceiling and fireplace arrangements consisting of a marble chimney-piece with a mirror in a gilded carved frame above. The grey marble mantelpiece in the northern room is relatively flatly detailed and provided with a carved rocaille motif, as such it forms a discordant element in the Empire interior. In all rooms on the principal floor the interior shutters of the windows are still present. These are for the most part panelled folding shutters; the windows in the southern room at the front are fitted with sliding shutters. In the southern room at the rear is a stove recess.

Valuation The MAIN BUILDING (Vredenhoef) is of general importance: - On account of its simple, harmonious design; - As a well-preserved example of a 17th-century country estate which developed in the 18th and 19th centuries into a classicist villa on the Vecht; - On account of the well-preserved spatial layout and finishing from the 18th and 19th centuries; - On account of the functional-spatial relationship with the other components of the country estate; - On account of its characteristic location on the Vecht; - As part of the country estate development along the Vecht.