Restaurant Allemansgeest

Allemansgeest, a place with History

The history of our Allemansgeest location is closely linked to that of Buitenplaats Berbice, a historic country estate located on the Leidseweg in Voorschoten.

In 1369 the location of the current country estate Berbice was known as Almansgeest, named after IJsbrant Almanszoon, the owner of the land with the house on it. During the siege of Leiden (1573-1574) this farm was destroyed. It was rebuilt in 1582 and is still recognizable in the Corneliahoeve.

When the first, modest country house was built is unclear. Adriana van Groenendijk, the widow of Leiden textile trader Allard Poelaert, may have initiated this. After her death in 1688, it came into the possession of her daughter Sara and son-in-law Pieter de la Court van der Voort, a renowned gardener. He is responsible for the construction of the orangery and the fruit walls. In the mid-18th century, the park was expanded from approximately four to approximately eight hectares in size and the name Almansgeest was changed to Allemangeest. Also in 1753 the farm annex inn Rust-Wat aan de Vliet was purchased.

This farmhouse located at a junction of historic waterways and country roads, was earlier in the 17th century called "The Inn of outs genaemt de scheepmakerije". Here was a branch of the Vliet and a ferry to go via the Hoflaan to Zoeterwoude.

According to an act of 21 June 1822, the then new owner of Allemansgeest, Hendrik Staal (1782-1824), gave the estate a different name: Berbice, after the colony of Berbice (now belonging to Guyana). In 1829, the farm Allemansgeest and the country estate Berbice came into different hands, so that the connection between the two names was also formally loosened and the farm retained its name Allemansgeest, even after it was given a catering function again from the beginning of the twentieth century.

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