De Wijde Landen - Ruimzicht

The country estate De Wijde Landen originated from the former coach house of Spaensweerd, which was located in the overpark (or across Bronckhorsterweg). When Spaensweerd was sold in 1812, the overpark with the coach house was probably sold separately. A country house was possibly built between 1812 and 1819 on the site of the old coach house. In 1819, the country house was owned by Jan Carel baron van Eck, a member of the States of Gelderland. The current house was probably built shortly after 1855. In 1883, the estate, then called Ruimzicht, was publicly sold by the heirs of Mrs Wijers-Posthuma: 'the Ruimzicht estate, half an hour from the town of Zutphen on the Kanonsdijk, consisting of the lord's house for summer residence with farmhouse, stables, grounds for amusement with cupola, orchard, arable land and meadows'. The whole property was over 15 hectares. Special mention was made that it was very heavy clay soil suitable for the construction of a brickworks. The buyer was tea merchant P.H.A.P. Lepeltak Kieft, who sold the estate to Frederick Bogaardt around 1890. The latter later became the owner of Groot Engelenburg. Between 1909 and 1961, the country estate was owned by the Colenbrander family. Possibly the name was then changed to Wijde Landen.