The Hillock

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

The VILLA "The Hillock" was built in 1918-1919 as a country house for the manufacturer G.W. Bloemendaal from Wormerveer. The architect of the house, designed in English country house style, is unknown. Characteristic features of this large country house include, among others, the varied roof form with extensions and a composite thatched roof; the striking chimneys; bay windows, balconies and terraces as transitions between house and garden; the variety of window types; the free layout of the floor plan with a large number of rooms of different sizes, each with a specific function. The building is situated just northeast of the built-up area of Doorwerth, and is located in the midst of a large park north of the Utrechtseweg. The house stands on a slight elevation in the terrain. The living rooms are situated on the view side. From the Utrechtseweg, a winding drive leads to the main entrance in the front facade. The front facade forms a broad front facing an unpaved forecourt. A branch of the drive leads to the service entrance in the left side facade. On the entrance sides the house is 'enclosed' in a border of rhododendrons. On the other sides, tiered terraces provide a transition to the more open and lower-lying park. The outbuildings fall outside the protection.

Description

Large VILLA of two storeys and attic storey on composite ground plan. The irregular building volume consists of a more or less rectangular main building with projecting risalits and wings. The composite hipped roof is thatched and has eaves of different size and ridge height at the locations of the extensions. The height of the ridges is unequal. The ridge direction of the main building runs parallel to the front facade and is crowned in the middle by a roof turret (four-sided, thatched hipped roof, weathervane with decorative bracket). Four sturdy chimneys dominate the silhouette. The chimneys each consist of two or three diagonally coupled flue passages with brick-built top. The chimney of the gentleman's room (to the right of the main entrance) forms part of a stepped gable with saddle-back tiles. In the thatched roof, at the level of the attic storey, eight dormer windows are incorporated. The brick facades are laid in stretcher bond. The recessed wall openings are closed by lintels and are provided with small brick drip edges. The window openings, which vary in size, are fitted with single, two-, three- or four-part frames with fixed, casement and/or bottom-hung sashes. The arrangement of the facades is irregular. Three wings have a bay window extending over two storeys at the short end. All windows as well as the garden, terrace and balcony doors are provided with transparent leaded glass. The main entrance is located in a Tudor-arched portico in the front facade. Above the portico is a tableau set into the brickwork with the inscription "THE HILLOCK" and a relief representation of a coat of arms with tree (?) supported by two squirrels. The service entrance is located in the left side facade. The balcony in the right side facade and the flanking bedroom are pargeted. The underlying terrace has a floor of yellow and red bricks laid in a chequer pattern. The bay windows, balconies and terraces, separated by brick WALLS, on the northwest and southwest sides strengthen the relationship between the house and the garden. The service rooms are housed in the southeastern wing of the house.

The building has a SPATIAL LAYOUT derived from the English country house, which here is characterized by a free floor plan with separate service and living sections and a large differentiation of rooms of different sizes with different functions. In the middle of the house are the circulation spaces: vestibule combined with cloakroom and stairwell (main staircase destroyed in World War II). To the right of these, facing the park (northwest) are the living rooms: drawing room for the lady (so-called Sunroom), the hall combined with library and the gentleman's room. These rooms are now, in deviation from the original situation, in open communication with each other. On the other side of the circulation spaces are the dining room (on the southwest), the pantry and the kitchen rooms. On the upper floor are the bedrooms, sanitary facilities and servants' quarters. The service section has its own stair and entrance. The house possesses a large number of original INTERIOR ELEMENTS, such as floors of marble and parquet, wall panelling with built-in cupboards (oak in the hall and gentleman's room, mahogany in the dining room), oak panel doors, beamed or profiled coffered ceilings, various fireplace features (brick-built or marble mantels with open fireplaces and timber surrounds; recessed fireplace niches in the hall and gentleman's room). The small library room has a floor-to-ceiling bookcase with a plinth of wooden grilles and panels in neo-Gothic style, upright supports in the form of slender bundle pillars and a concluding arched frieze. The kitchen has been modernized. The bedroom above the gentleman's room is provided with a barrel vault.

Evaluation

VILLA "The Hillock" from 1918-1919.

- Of architectural-historical value as a representative, rare and as regards the exterior virtually intact example of a large country house in English country house style. The house is significant because of the high-quality (aesthetic) qualities of the design, as these are expressed in the varied roof form characteristic of this building type, the picturesque silhouette with the dominating chimneys, the relationship with the surroundings in the form of bay windows, balconies and terraces, the free floor plan with separate service and living sections and a large differentiation of rooms/functions. The building has a partly modified but nevertheless remarkable interior with a large number of original elements, such as various fireplace features and a library in neo-Gothic style.

- Of urban design value because of the striking situation on a hill in the heart of an estate that forms part of a pattern of development characteristic of the period 1850-1940 in the municipality of Renkum, consisting of a ribbon of scattered villas along the Utrechtseweg: the elongated 'backbone' that links the villages of Renkum, Heelsum, Doorwerth and Oosterbeek to one another.

- Of cultural-historical value as a particular expression of a socio-economic development characteristic of the municipality of Renkum between 1850 and 1940, namely the immigration of (newly) wealthy residents to attractive rural areas in the vicinity of a city; in this case a villa in the undulating and wooded area of the southern Veluwezoom near Arnhem. The building is furthermore significant for the typological development of the country house in the Netherlands during the interwar period.