Sonsbeek

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

The PARK of Sonsbeek is laid out in landscape style and in its present form dates principally from the nineteen-twenties of the 19th century. The layout is characterised by paths with winding courses and by a particularly finely worked-out system of sight lines over meadows and pond areas in the stream valley, framed by woodland edges and tree groups. The built elements in the park, but also parts of the surrounding urban development form alternating focal points in the scenes. In the immediate vicinity of the main building, on the northeast side, relics of the 18th-century formal avenue structure are still present.

The park consists principally of two parts: a more open park area around the stream valley on the west side and a wooded, denser park area on the slopes on the east side.

The main entrance to the park lies on the Apeldoornseweg. This is formed by a semicircular forecourt, behind which lie two porter's lodges with the entrance between them (see section 4 for this). From the entrance a path leads directly to the nearby house Sonsbeek (see section 1 for this). From the house a fan of vistas has been created in the form of scenes separated by tree and planting groups. The urban fronts along the Zijpendaalseweg and the Sonsbeekweg play an important role in these vistas. Conversely, along the same sight lines from the surroundings there is an ever-changing view of the house Sonsbeek.

The wooded park area on the east side consists largely of mixed deciduous woodland. The winding paths are accompanied in several places by avenue planting. This park area is very undulating. Different slopes are steep. In this section there are various ornamental objects. On the axis in front of the house lies the deer enclosure from the nineteen-twenties of the 19th century, with at the top of the slope behind the open space the early 20th-century deer lodge in chalet style (see section 13 for this). The top of the slope is called the Apostelenberg; here lindens are planted in a circle. Simple steps have been made in the slope for climbing the hills. A little further in a northerly direction stands the Belvédère of 1821 (see section 12 for this); to its west lies the Ronde Weide, where in the time of Van Heeckeren black sheep grazed as a romantic feature and surprise element in the woodland. To the west of the house are the remains of the old kitchen garden (see section 11 for this).

The western park section around the St. Jansbeek contains the more striking elements of the landscape layout. A series of ponds is fed with water that comes principally from Zijpendaal by means of a culvert and a waterfall. Besides this functional connection there exists in the main valley also an important visual connection between Sonsbeek and Zijpendaal along a sight axis. Within the park lie two side valleys. In the most northerly side valley lies the Parkweg. This valley is a largely open space surrounded by woodland banks. At the bottom of this side valley originates a short watercourse with a small waterfall, further downstream opening into the Grote Vijver. Where this side valley adjoins the main valley stands the farmhouse on the Parkweg (see section 8 for this). The second, more southerly side valley lies entirely in the woodland. Here too there is a watercourse which opens into the Koude Vijver. Between the Koude Vijver and the course of the St. Jansbeek lies a spring woodland.

At the top of the St. Jansbeek valley lies the Grote Vijver (excavated in 1806) with an island within it. Around this pond and further into the stream valley stand trees in larger and smaller groups. From the Grote Vijver emerges the Grote Waterval with grotto. For this purpose the Geldersche Molen was demolished in 1826 (see component 14 for this). After a small bend in the waterway there is a bridge: the Hangbrug (see component 15 for this), immediately followed by the Kleine Waterval (see component 14 for this). The subsequently winding stream section has a tributary through which a peninsula is formed. A little further on lies the Zwanenburg (see component 15 for this). After this bridge the waterway widens into the Fonteinvijver, which besides the fountain from the 1820s also contains an island. Concurrent with the widening of the waterway, the valley space also widens and the forest edges recede, creating a large open space: the Grote Weide. The St. Jansbeek runs past two water mills (see components 5, 6 and 7 for this), framed by tree groups through this open space. Higher up on the slope, separate from the system of water features described above, lies the Karpervijver between tree groups to the southwest of the house.

Due to the considerable height differences in the park, drainage systems have been laid in several places to discharge excess water from the higher-lying park sections (northern and northeastern part) towards the St. Jansbeek stream valley. In some cases simple narrow gutters were dug (see component 14 for this).

Until the beginning of the 20th century, two utility buildings could be found on a hilltop at the lane between the Ronde Wei and the Grote Vijver: an ice house and a water tower. Of both, only a brick ring and a floor are still visible in the ground.

In the park there are various types of historic fencing, placed along the outer edges and along meadows and forest edges. The wrought-iron fences (particularly along the Apeldoornseweg) remain in their original state. They are simple wrought-iron fences with square fence posts with cinched termination and round bars with pointed tops. The posts are braced backwards by means of curved supports. The fences have a horizontal rail at the top and bottom.

In various places there are rustic wooden fences, formed from rough tree branches. The meadow dividers, consisting of tall rounded-top hardstone and oak posts with horizontal wooden rails, likewise date back to the beginning of the 19th century. These fences already appear in old, early 19th-century depictions of the park. Comparable fences are to be found at the country estate Enghuizen near Hummelo - also Van Heeckeren property. In later years many hardstone posts were replaced by specimens in basalt lava, concrete or hardwood.

Appraisal

The GARDEN AND PARK LAYOUT belonging to the historic country estate Sonsbeek is of general cultural-historical and garden-historical importance:

- because of its age;

- because of its integrity;

- because of the quality of the design in which skillful use was made of the terrain conditions and existing structures;

- as a fine example of a landscape layout from the beginning of the 19th century in connection with the main building rebuilt at the same time;

- because of the characteristic alternation of open and closed spaces;

- because of the views from and towards the main building over the ponds and towards the valley of the brook;

- because of the characteristic path pattern;

- because of the remarkable water works;

- because of the visual-spatial context in which the buildings have been deliberately positioned.