Veehouderij, Mr. P.J. Troelstraweg 193

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

Introduction

Block-shaped FRONT HOUSE AND GATE of a farmstead consisting of barn, neck section and front house, outbuildings and gate, possibly built in 1889 to a design by Hendrik Kramer in Neo-Renaissance style in the northern countryside of Leeuwarden, on the old exit road to Stiens. At the end of the nineteenth century, the farmer family Wassenaar had three large and extraordinarily representative farmsteads built on either side of the old Middelzeedijk. On the right, near Jelsum, these are Vijverzathe and Haskerzathe on the old land (both likewise protected) and on the left, halfway between Leeuwarden and Jelsum, an unnamed one on the new land. They were and are impressive farmsteads. Around 1900, traveller Jacob Hepkema wrote in his Eenvoudige Memories: "The first part of our journey in the open countryside still leads us through pastures, where the excellent Friesland cattle can be admired; and one sees here also some farmsteads of the first rank, such as one will not find together and side by side anywhere in all of Friesland; they are worth viewing, above all recommended to the stranger, for whom they possess the attractiveness of the new, both in terms of construction and layout". Besides farmsteads, members of the Wassenaar family built along the Harlingerstraatweg in Leeuwarden, a villa around 1880 at number 11 and more than a generation later at number 9a, in the garden of the previous one, another.

The farmstead on Troelstraweg 193, formerly Stienserweg, bears in its southern side gable a foundation stone with the inscription: "This building was founded by N.A. Wassenaar and R.F. Noordenbos, first stone laid by Janke N. Wassenaar on 7 August 1889". No building documentation has been found. Hendrik Kramer is possibly the architect. Around 1890 he is the most important architect in Leeuwarden and the wider surrounding area who stamps his designs for the wealthy with a clearly marked character of the excessively decorative Neo-Renaissance. This is especially seen in the mansions and villas, but Kramer also designed a number of farmsteads in that period; he knew the genre.

The farmstead consisting of barn, short neck section and front house with a few outbuildings does not correspond to the tradition of farmstead construction; the front house has been treated as an urban villa. The barn had to be substantially reduced during the Second World War, because the occupier developed a fighter base on the nearby Leeuwarden airfield. After the operation lost its original function, the barn and outbuildings were taken into use for storage. None of them are any longer in original condition. They therefore fall outside the protection. The protection applies only to the FRONT HOUSE and the GATE. An identical monumental gate several hundred metres further north is separately protected.

Description

EXTERIOR: Block-shaped front house of generous dimensions, five broad window bays wide and well over four bays deep. The dwelling has only one complete storey, but it is lofty thanks to the spacious proportions and a substantial basement. The grandeur is substantially enhanced by the excessive embellishments in Neo-Renaissance style which have especially adorned the front facade, but which have not bypassed the side gables either. The basement is heavy; at the front the entire plinth is clad with grey natural stone slabs which are articulated in the window rhythm into bays with consoles that are detailed in black paint. The consoles beneath the window frames are fluted. Against the side gables undetailed natural stone slabs provided with round grilles at half height, by way of a plinth strip. On all corners a panel-shaped filling. In all gables throughout their full width continuous sill-lines on which the vertical elements are placed. On the corners toothed-shaped corner blocks of artificial stone with alternating hollow and convex fields. In the centre of the front facade the slightly projecting entrance section, flanked by plastered double pilasters with mascarons on the bases, fluted shafts and composite capitals with flower baskets in the centre. Between the pilasters the porch, enclosed in stucco by a half-round profiled moulding resting on satyrs' heads with a cymatium and internally plastered with fields formed by profiled mouldings; the ceiling provided with a central ornament. The double, sculptured door with lights and half-round fanlight is likewise profiled and framed.

In front and side gables framed window frames; in the side gables some blind niches matching the rhythm and congruent. The sash windows and niches possess ornamental plaster framings which are covered by cornices containing cymatia. The gables are terminated by a cornice with compartments formed by profiles, shield-shaped ornaments on the corners and floral garlands above the entrance section, followed by fine toothed mouldings and profiled gutters.

The dwelling has a clearly defined, truncated hipped roof, covered with blue glazed Lucas IJsbrandspannen tiles and provided with four substantial corner chimneys with caps, where the original finials are missing. Above the entrance section a substantial roof gable; on the corners on bases standing double fluted half-columns with Corinthian capitals, cheeks with scrollwork and a cornice with consoles beneath a profiled drip moulding; two coupled, rounded-closed windows, enclosed by pilasters and profiled mouldings. In the middle of the northern roof slope equally substantial a chapel in different decorative form: cheeks on bases, cornice on consoles, inflected gable top with obelisks on the shoulders and a half-round tympanum with shell motif and crowning finial; two segment-shaped closed T-windows. In the southern roof slope two recently inserted roof windows.

Nothing remains of the garden layout, but at the entrance to the grounds the substantial iron entrance GATE is still present. The heavy cast iron piers are formed as fasces, bundles of rods held together by multi-membered convex bands and crowned by a multiply profiled finial. To the piers curved hinged gates and wing sections in a simple bar form between girders and reinforced by a diagonal connection.

INTERIOR: The internal principal structure consists of a centrally located corridor more than two metres wide with behind it a corridor at right angles leading to the northern door in the neck section. On either side lie the rooms. The corridor consists of a large hall with exceptionally exuberant ornamental plasterwork with at the rear on the north side a transverse arch with a couple of steps of an upper chamber above the cellar and at the rear a rounded arch doorway to the back part of the corridor. The hall is articulated and decorated with an Ionic pilaster order, wall panels with large, shield-shaped plaster ornaments of substantial relief, a high wainscot filled with faceted tiles with a light blue marble motif and a plastered ceiling with multiple, very exuberant mouldings and central ornaments. The doorway to the second part of the corridor is likewise elaborately framed by stuccowork and provided with a double glazed door with radiating lights with much ornament and medallions with horses. The second part of the corridor is likewise but in a more restrained manner provided with ornamental plasterwork. The wainscoting here consists of plain, undecorated tiles with ornamental tiles in the spandrels. In the hall of the rear door on the north side this tiling is continued to the ceiling.

Judging by the beam ceilings, the southern part of the dwelling consisted of two rooms with an intervening alcove. These spaces are now brought together into a very large room. The ceiling consists of heavy cross beams and multiply framed intermediate panels; at the position of the former alcove somewhat heavier than elsewhere. Against the south wall in the ceiling traces that may be from lost fireplaces; now stands there a pseudo-historical and fairly flat but broad fireplace in Renaissance manner. In the former front room a framed, very broad panelled door, framed windows with window seats. The remaining rooms have lowered board ceilings. The front salon on the north side possesses a richly formed marble fireplace and framed windows with window seats; otherwise renewed. The upper chamber behind it likewise renewed, but with a framed window. The kitchen room lying behind that likewise renewed with a framed window with window seat.

EVALUATION

Front house and gate of the farmstead are of general cultural-historical, architectural-historical and landscape-historical importance because of:

- the exceptional socio-economic expression of the representation of wealth in cattle farming;

- the socio-cultural significance of the relationship with two likewise protected farmsteads nearby, under Jelsum, and two villas in Leeuwarden, all built on behalf of members of the Wassenaar family;

- the exceptional value of the aesthetic ambition of the design in rich Neo-Renaissance;

- the external integrity and internal reasonable degree of integrity of the front house and gate;

- the remarkable location in the landscape setting.