As a child, I often drove through Aerdenhout with my father on our way to visit family in Bentveld or to the beaches of Zandvoort. My father disliked traffic jams and avoided the main road to Zandvoort, which was frequently congested. Instead, he preferred winding backroads lined with towering, centuries-old trees. One of these roads, flanked by stately villas, is the Bentveldsweg. At the corner of Bentveldsweg and Zwarteweg - at the foot of a hill - something always caught my attention: a tall, elegant, somewhat forlorn tea pavilion, visible from the street. With its baroque ornaments, it was a peculiar yet intriguing sight amid the much newer architecture surrounding it. When I acquired this delicate pastel drawing by Anton L. Koster in November 2024, those childhood memories immediately resurfaced. I purchased the piece and delved into its fascinating history.
Anton Koster in Heemstede
Antonie Lodewijk Koster (1859–1937), a versatile Dutch artist, was evidently also struck by the charm of the tea pavilion. Koster, who studied in The Hague and was influenced by Impressionism during his travels through France, is best known for his paintings of flower bulb fields. This specialization earned him the nickname ‘Anton Tulp.’ In 1902, Koster moved to Haarlem and settled permanently in Heemstede in 1905, where he created this pastel.
The drawing depicts the stately national monument Bosch en Hoven. The bare trees suggest an autumn or early winter setting. With masterful, brush-like strokes, Koster brings the landscape to life in pastel chalk. The pale blue of the sky contrasts with the warm earth tones of the pavilion and the green hues of the background. The interplay of the trees' lines guides the viewer’s eye into the composition, while an elaborately detailed ornament in the lower right corner adds a decorative touch. But the observant viewer will notice something unusual: the tea pavilion is not in its original location.
The Bosch en Hoven Estate & a Midnight Relocation
The tea pavilion did not originally stand in Aerdenhout but rather on the Bosch en Hoven estate in Heemstede, situated along the Herenweg. This octagonal structure, with its baroque cornice and graceful domed roof, was built in the 18th century as a retreat for the estate’s gentry. It was embedded in the estate’s boundary wall - offering the best views both over the estate and beyond - and served as a prominent landmark along the main road. By the early 20th century, Bosch en Hoven had fallen into decline. In 1933, a fire destroyed the main house, which was subsequently demolished. The tea pavilion, however, escaped this fate: a few years earlier, in 1927, it had been sold to a new owner.
Mr. C.J. van Tienhoven, the owner of Villa ‘Klein Bentveld,’ decided that the pavilion deserved a place on his estate. Upon learning that it was slated for demolition to make way for road expansion, he spared no expense in having the historic structure carefully relocated - a major undertaking fraught with logistical challenges. The pavilion was meticulously dismantled, brick by brick, and moved. However, the domed roof - a literally weighty structure measuring over four meters in height and six meters in diameter - had to be transported in one piece. Its interior was adorned with delicate stucco work that needed to remain intact during the journey.
The royal supplier Rijnierse construction company from Overveen was tasked with the roof’s relocation. A wooden framework was built to secure it onto a large cart. Horses pulled the cart for four kilometers while dozens of men stabilized the load, ensuring it could pass safely through narrow lanes. To avoid obstructing traffic, the entire operation took place at night. The result was a remarkable nocturnal procession, a moment immortalized in a surviving photograph. By morning, the dome had reached its new destination, ready to be hoisted onto its structure.
Today, the nostalgic tea pavilion still stands in the garden of Villa ‘Klein Bentveld’ in Aerdenhout. It remains a silent witness to its own history - of grandeur and decay, of demolition and rebirth. As this pastel by Anton Koster reminds me: art has the power to transport us back to places and times we thought we had forgotten.
