Nederland: Velsen-Zuid, Buitenplaats Beeckestijn

Beeckestijn is an 18th century estate and one of the few entirely intact large country houses, which was created as summer residences for wealthy Amsterdam regents on the edge of the dunes in Kennemerland. The present building was created from a 17th century manor and had several alterations and extensions.

The most extensive expansion took place between 1716 and 1721, commissioned by Jan Trip jr. and Petronella van Hoorn. Among other things the 17th century façade was replaced by a Louis-XIV façade, with chequered pilasters and a richly decorated entrance.

For more than two centuries Beeckestijn remained in the ownership of the Boreel family, until it was acquired by the municipality of Velsen in 1952. During WW II the house was seriously damaged. It became uninhabitable and key interior elements disappeared; the restoration was completed in 1969.

The publicly accessible gardens of Beeckestijn are unique in the Netherlands, because it is the only location where one can simultaneously view two historically different styles. Just behind the manor a geometrically conceived part in the style of the French Baroque and adjacent a more natural English landscape park.

The manor is now owned by ‘Vereniging Hendrick de Keyser’ - an association for the preservation of historic houses in the Netherlands - and the garden and park by ‘Natuurmonumenten’ - a society for preservation of nature monuments in the Netherlands.