Life on a Country Estate

Do you ever dream of a second home to retreat to from time to time? For most of us, this isn’t a possibility, but in Prince Frederick’s time, it was quite common for wealthy people to own several homes. The houses in the countryside—the so-called country estates—were the ideal place to escape the heat and hustle and bustle of the city.

A country estate is a luxurious vacation home surrounded by a large park. It consisted of the main building and various outbuildings, including separate servants’ quarters, stables, and a coach house. Sometimes a country estate also had a bathhouse, as well as kitchen gardens, orchards, water features, and walking paths. One of Prince Frederick’s second homes was Huize De Paauw. He would go there with his family to relax, and he regularly welcomed his family and members of high society as guests.

A farm as a hobby

Did you know that farms are often part of a country estate as well? Farms are also found on Prince Frederick’s estates. The prince leased the farms and, in this way, generated income from them. An added benefit was that the cows and horses in the meadows gave the landscape an idyllic appearance. Farms also produced a variety of products, such as cheese, milk, and meat. Prince Frederick did not need any of this income, but farms are part of country life. In addition, the farm could be seen as an attractive feature of the landscape. This was also typical of the Dutch merchant mentality because it beautifully combined pleasure and practicality.

An army of attendants

Prince Frederick and his guests were pampered by an army of staff, and servants took care of everything for them. 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 on vacation: a lot of hard work went on behind the scenes! 

A clear hierarchy

How hard someone 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 summoned; in the meantime, they drew, played chess, and embroidered. The cook, head gardener, senior coachman (manager of the stables), and lord chamberlain (manager of the household) supervised the servants. The lower-ranking attendants, therefore, did most of the heavy physical labor.

Living on a country estate

Many servants lived on the country estate full-time or part-time. Lower-ranking servants slept in small rooms in the main building or at their homes in the village. The ladies-in-waiting and chamberlains had their own quarters in the country house or lived partly in their own city or country homes. The head gardener and gatekeeper lived with their families in official lodgings. These were located on the country estate and were quite impressive. One of the De Paauw family’s gatekeeper’s residences even included a teahouse as part of the structure.

When the boss was away…

Prince Frederik did not always live 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 traveled to his estate Muskau, which is currently located on the Polish-German border. Some of the staff and servants traveled with him, but by no means everyone. At his various estates, the prince employed gardeners and foresters who managed his properties when he was not there himself. These people ensured that the buildings and the park were well maintained.

In the background

Servants had to remain in the background. Huize De Paauw illustrates these relationships well: the main staircase was reserved exclusively for the prince and his guests, while servants had their own stairs on the side of the building. As a result, most of the servants did not come into contact with Prince Frederick very often. Some owners of country estates found the sight of their employees in their park so unsightly that the servants had to hide when the estate owners arrived! 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 piqued your curiosity about Prince Frederick’s country estates? Why not come visit them! De Paauw and many of the official buildings can still be admired from the outside. And once the renovation is complete, it will once again be possible to tour the interior of De Paauw.