Beverweert

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

Description of component 2: HISTORIC GARDEN AND PARK LAYOUT.

The most important historic component in the park and garden layout is the river Kromme Rijn, on which the castle is situated. On the steward's maps of 1631 and 1710 the castle is surrounded by a moat, which connects with the river. Originally until 1828 there was a forecastle with gatehouse buildings at the moat to the east of the castle; via a double stone arch bridge and drawbridge one reached the castle; the gatehouse consisted of a tower with passage and a square tower next to it; in 1631 the moat also ran to the northeast of the castle around two rectangular plots with towers at the corners; in an image from 1698 (and in one from 1745 by Jan de Beijer) to the north of the castle there is a garden with parterres de broderie, in which statues, orange trees in pots, and obelisks are located; in 1710 the island was no longer surrounded by a moat, but connected with the wall and only bordering the moat on one side; furthermore more or less rectangular watercourses connected with the river, and the section characterized by the garden layout formed a rectangle with the short side towards the river. Whereas the garden layout in 1631 was shown with four rectangular plots at the river (with the castle in one plot) and a vegetable garden on the east side, in 1710 the eastern part was planted in two elongated plots with a lane in the middle (just as today in connection with the Langbroekerwetering); to the northwest and south of the castle lay large elongated parterres de broderie. Moreover, around the 17th-century rectangle with the garden layout rectangular forest plots were also indicated in the south and on the other side of the river in the west.

After the middle of the nineteenth century the layout of the park was transformed in landscape style. Around the castle a refined park layout in landscape style came into being with solitary trees, groups of trees and wooded areas, meandering watercourses and lanes with vistas towards the outer park. The castle stands on an island, where the former moat runs around it as a pond; to the east of the castle stands a multi-stemmed lime tree; to the north of the castle there is a clump of three trees: two horse chestnuts and an oak; to the south of the castle, but closer, stands a group of four trees, an oak, a maple and two tulip trees; on the northwest and northeast corner of the island stand solitarily placed plane trees. All the trees mentioned date from the nineteenth century.

The layout of the outer park was modified less intensively as a continuation of the inner park. Wooded areas, in which remnants of meandering paths, solitaries and groups of trees still remain, also have value as backdrops to the views from the inner park.

The main sight lines from the castle are: in a southwesterly direction through the wood along the Beverweertseweg to the village of Werkhoven and to the mill and church towers located there, in a southerly direction over the river Kromme Rijn and the arable land, in an easterly direction over the lawns towards the Laan, and in a northerly direction over the pond and the park towards the arable land and the wood to the north of the other part of the Beverweertseweg.

The lane structure which is characteristic of the layout of the historic country estate has undergone changes over time. Presumably the most important and oldest access was from the thirteenth-century Beverweertseweg; this begins at the (later) Graaf van Lynden van Sandenburgweg and runs with a curve in a northerly direction (for part of its length parallel to the river) then emerges on the Molenhoeflaan, turns northwards there, and continues further after a right-angled bend both towards the farm Rijnveld, and towards the intersection of the Laan and the Jachtrustlaan.

The Beverweertseweg is in the vicinity of the castle planted with oaks (to the right of the road in double row); further on to the left lies a wooded plot with various tree species. After the left and right bend beeches; along the water stand oaks and horse chestnuts. Most of the trees date from the 19th century.

After the three-way junction (and a bridge over the Kromme Rijn) follows on the right a wooded plot; the Beverweertseweg splits into two parts: a non-public road leads to the farm Rijnveld; this lane is planted doubly with beeches; to the right of this road a plot with osier wood. At the intersection (at the cast-iron garden ornament) the double lane planting of beeches changes to singly planted oaks.

In this section of the country estate there are several old paths; there are two paths from the Beverweertseweg in an easterly direction with a straight course - approximately parallel to the Laan - and, connected with the most southern path, four meandering paths that run more or less north-south, which in turn connect to a meandering path from west to east. To the west of this part of the Beverweertseweg runs to the south a meandering path to a grave monument, and to the north a straight path, which connects to this meandering path.

The public Beverweertseweg continues in an easterly direction along the fence around the inner park; the inner park lies to the right, and a wooded plot to the left; there the Beverweertseweg connects with a curve to the four-way intersection of the more or less straight public Jachtrustlaan, the non-public straight Laan, and the meandering drive to the castle.

The Molenhoeflaan was laid out in the sixteenth century; along this road now stands young planting of brown and green beeches.

In images from 1710 the current Laan is shown from the east, already at that time with lane planting. The Laan widened to an oval (at the current Jachtrustlaan), where at that time a straight narrow drive began through the park to the castle; now this drive is more or less meandering. There is also a branch to the coach house.

The planting of the drive consists of old oaks with large rhododendron groups beneath them.

On the lawn edge stand many old horse chestnuts.

The Laan from the castle in the first section is planted doubly with old oaks (to where the pastures begin), then follow lime trees.

The Voorlaan is planted with beeches.

NB. The vast majority of the country estate lies on the territory of the municipality of Bunnik. The eastern part of the park lies on the territory of the municipality of Utrechtse Heuvelrug. This concerns in the latter case the eastern part of the drive from the Langbroekerdijk, flanked by strips of park wood and vistas on the pasture area, with the components Huis Voorlaan (14) and a set of gate posts (5).

Valuation

The HISTORIC GARDEN AND PARK LAYOUT of Kasteel Beverweert is of general cultural-historical importance:

- because of the refined layout in landscape style of the inner park, laid out after the middle of the nineteenth century;

- because of the architectural relationship of the inner park and the outer park;

- as a well-preserved example of a layout transformed into a landscape park around a medieval Utrecht castle whose origin still recognizable in the field dates back to the Middle Ages;

- because of the integrity and the high ensemble values.