Visiting grand houses: A pavilion by the sea.

Hello my friends,

I do not have a grand country house or royal palace this time to show you. But a former royal pavilion. Once, in the early 1800's it stood alone in the dunes. Like you can see in the watercolour below. Nowadays it is built in on all three (land) sides by the urban sprawl of Scheveningen. A former  independant fishing village but since over a century annexed by The Hague and acts as its seaside resort. 

But when the pavilion was built in 1827, it was still surrounded by dunes. Why was it built? King William I (son of stadhouder William V who fled for the revolutionaries) ordered it built as a birthday present for his wife (Wilhelmina). The Queen needed the benefits of fresh sea air for her health and used the pavilion to draw and paint, or take walks on the beach and in the dunes. 

At the start of the 20th century it was in danger of being demolished. But it was acquired by Sociëteit De Witte (founded in 1782. Could CarelPolyanderhave been a member?), a private members club which, up to today, use the pavilion in the summer months to welcome their members to the building and the terraces. 

In the Netherlands some people say it is better to have friends with a boat than to own a boat yourselves. In my case it is good to have friends who are a member of De Witte than to be a member myself. Lol! 

A good friend of mine invited me for a lunch in the pavilion last week. Usually we don't pose or take pictures on these premises. It is actualy not done, but sometimes allowances must be made. To whom may be interested, I am the one on the right. Male members and their guests are expected to wear a jacket and a tie at all times. So we follow protocol even though it was a scorcher with 32 degrees Celsius ( 89,6 degrees fahrenheit) in the shade. Luckily there was a mild sea breeze. (Straw) hats are optional but basebal caps are strictly forbidden. 

To be honest, our picture could be a still from Hercule Poirot and the "Murder on the Nile" (either film with David Suchet or Peter Ustinov, nót that Brannagh version) Don't you think? My role would probably be that of that charming but clueless booby, Captain Hastings. "I say, Poirot!"😅

Because of my member friends I can enjoy all the luxuries and amenities of De Witte when they invite me as a guest. So I have been here several times before, and the club building in the old city center of The Hague is also very grand and beautiful. But today is about the pavilion.

This lunch was a great opportunity to take some pictures for you guys. Because as luck would have it, although there were a lot of members present at that moment, they were all outside on the terraces on the sea side. Leaving the octogonal diningroom empty for me to photograph. 

This is the main room of the three rooms on this floor (the downstairs floor houses the kitchen, toilets and other rooms). When the queen came here to rest and benefit from the clean sea air, this 6 meter (almost 20 feet) high diningroom was the salon. 

The neo-classical stucco decor is stunning! It has a nautical theme as you can see. Sea horses, dolphins, shells, tridents and corals are all around.

The 'pilasters' dividing the walls into sections for instance are composed out of many different kinds of shells, cockles, barnacles, pieces of coral and starfish. All playfully arranged. 

The stucco medallion shows the 12 signs of the zodiac. They are surrounded by more stucco shells and corals. The bronze colour of the background on the walls and the signs of the zodiac sets of the stucco decorations very well. I do not think is the original background colour. Somewhere in the light blue's would be more likely perhaps, but I do not know. 

On the side of the marble front hall two large 4 meter high niches open up the wall. These are now filled with large vases with (silk) flower arrangements. Would there have stood statues here? These niches are marbled just likte the door surrounds. 

The two identical rooms left and right of the hall and the octogonal salon are quite plain in contrast. These side rooms are used as a private diningroom for larger parties or for the overflow of dining guests from the main room on one side, and a bar on the other side. This room was also deserted as you can see. everyone, like us, was on the sunny terrace. And since the pavilion is built on top of a dune, you have great and unobstructed view on the boulevard, the beach and the North Sea below. 

It was a lovely lunch! I leave you with this period picture of the pavilion where a family strolling the dunes, watches the queen stepping into the waiting carriage to bring her back to the palace in The Hague after a day at the beach.

Needles to say no horse drawn carriage was waiting for us. We just drove back by car. Since this pavilion is from 1827 it is not a direct ispiration for Huis ter Swinnendael since I want to locate it in 1806. However the nea classical decor is not particularly 19th century in style. Most symbols used were also fashionable in the late 1800's. So this may be the inspiration for one of the modernised interiors. 

This does not change the fact however that this is a pretty building none the less. 

Huibrecht