Life on a country estate

Do you ever dream of a second home to withdraw to occasionally? For most of us, this is not in the cards, but in the time of Prince Frederick, it was quite normal for wealthy people to own several homes. The houses in the countryside, the so-called country estates, were the ideal place to escape from the heat and hubbub of the city.

A country estate is a luxurious holiday home surrounded by a large park. It consisted of the main building with various outbuildings, including separate servant quarters, stalls and a coach house. Sometimes a country home also had a bathhouse and there were kitchen gardens, orchards, water features and footpaths. One of Prince Frederick’s second homes was Huize De Paauw. Together with his family, he went there to relax and he regularly welcomed his family and members of high society as guests.

A farm as hobby

Did you know that farms are often part of a country estate too? Farms are also present on the estates of Prince Frederick. The prince leased the farms and, in this manner, gained income from them. An added benefit was that the cows and horses in the meadows gave the landscape an idyllic appearance. Farms also yielded a range of products such as cheese, milk and meat. Prince Frederick did not need any of these revenues, but farms are part of country life. In addition, the farm could be seen as an attractive element in the landscape. This was also typical of the Dutch merchant mentality because it beautifully combined pleasure and utility.

An army of attendants

Prince Frederick and his guests were pampered by an army of staff and servants took all of the work off their hands. Ladies in waiting and chamberlains kept the prince and his guests company. At the head of the prince’s household was the lord chamberlain, Count Van Limburg Stirum. Aides relayed messages, cooks prepared the meals and a lady’s maid for the women, and a valet for the men, took care of their personal grooming (clothes and hair). There were also chambermaids, washerwomen, grooms, drivers, kitchen assistants and gardeners. All these people were certainly not enjoying a holiday: a lot of hard work went on behind the scenes! 

A clear hierarchy

How hard somebody had to work depended on his or her position in the hierarchy. Ladies in waiting and chamberlains were usually drawn from the nobility and formed the entourage for the lady and lord of the house. Their days mainly consisted of endless waiting until they were called upon and in the intervening time, they drew, played chess and embroidered. The cook, head gardener, senior coachman (manager of the stables) and lord chamberlain (manager of the household) directed the servants. The lower-ranked attendants therefore did most of the heavy physical work.

Living on a country estate

Many attendants lived full-time or part-time on the country estate. Lower-ranking servants slept in little rooms in the main building or at their home in the village. The ladies in waiting and chamberlains had their own quarters in the country house or lived in part in their own city or country house. The head gardener and gatekeeper lived with their family in official lodgings. These stood on the country estate and had a fine appearance. One of the gatekeeper’s residences of the De Paauw even consisted in part of a teahouse.

When the boss was away…

Prince Frederik did not always reside at De Paauw. For part of the year, he lived in The Hague in his city palace on the Korte Voorhout, which is now Hotel de Prince Frederik. He also travelled to his estate Muskau, which currently lies on the Polish-German border. Some of the staff and servants travelled with him but by far not everyone. At the different estates, the prince employed gardeners and foresters who managed his properties when the prince was not there himself. These people ensured that the buildings and the park were well maintained.

In the background

Servants had to keep themselves in the background. Huize De Paauw illustrates these relationships well: the main staircase was only intended for the prince and his guests, servants had their own stairs at the side of the building. As a result, most of the attendants did not come into contact with Prince Frederick often. Some owners of country estates found the sight of their employees in their park so disfiguring that the servants had to hide themselves when the estate owners came! Prince Frederick did not go that far. He was known as a man who cared for his staff and servants.

Discover it for yourself!

Have these stories made you curious about the country estates of Prince Frederick? Why not come and visit them! De Paauw and many of the official buildings can still be admired from the outside. And after the renovation, it will also be possible to view the interior of De Paauw again.