Dune farm De Brabantse Landbouw

Here is dune farm De Brabantse Landbouw, it was once the largest farm in Castricum. The building was built in 1770 by order of the Amsterdammer Andries Deutz van Assendelft. There used to be a barn behind it, now only the front house still exists. The farm included a stable for more than 30 cows, which was arranged in such a way that the cows stood with their heads facing each other, so that they could walk along a middle corridor in between. The cattle were grazed in the dune grasslands during the day and brought back in at night. The manure produced at night was mixed with straw, increasing the amount. The farm owes its name to this Brabant way of farming.

The manure was badly needed on the 13 ha arable land. In addition, cereals such as wheat, rye, oats and barley were also grown legumes and potatoes. There was a stable for 8 horses, there were calf pens, a section where cheese was made and a large square for hay and seed storage and a 'dorsch' of about 15 by 8 meters where the grown grain was worked. At some distance, south of the farm, stood the shepherd's house, which included a sheepfold of fifty by fifteen meters. The same cage had been built some distance north of the farm. Every day two shepherds with their flock of 300 sheep went into the sea dunes that lay behind the meadows.

The first tenant was Evert Asjes, the great-grandfather of the famous Albert Asjes. When Hendrik Docter moved into De Brabantse Landbouw as a tenant farmer in 1853, the company had already shrunk somewhat. His son Dirk became the new tenant. After 1900 no hay was extracted around the dunes and in 1917 Dirk Docter left the farm. The last tenant was Bank Beentjes (Bank and Marij) who lived there with his family for several years. But in 1921 the company was dissolved for good.

In 1923 the house was renovated for Cees Schoen. And from 1934 to 1938 it still served as a summer house for prof. dr. A.H. de Hartog, father of the writer Jan de Hartog. Today, the front house is a service home of the P.W.N.

Voor liefhebbers