Jac Vink donates a carriage
Jac Vink donates a Utrecht tent wagon (Utrechtse tentwagen) to the Folklore.
Last Saturday was the day: Jac Vink handed over the Utrecht tent wagon to Siem Huijberts (head of the carriages) of the Folklore. The wagon is ready to join the parade next season!
The Utrecht tent wagon has a number of features inherited from its predecessor, such as the steeply rising side boards and the high back: namely those of the 'speelwagen' (pleasure wagon), which was common among the larger farmers in the countryside. The Utrecht tent wagon was also fitted with elliptic springs, steel axles, lanterns and Collins/patent axles. The first versions had a canvas roof with roll-up side screens and an entrance at the front. Later versions were given small doors in the side walls, making it easier for passengers to get in. The hood of the carriage is black; the rest of the body is varnished in natural wood. The carriage was used a great deal in the countryside.
This tent wagon is one of the first examples. It is fitted with grease axles. These turn against the direction of the wheel in order to spread the grease in the axle properly and keep the wheels running smoothly. Later these became ball bearings. The carriage was bought in 1987 from Adriaan Donker of Hoogwoud. It was in very poor condition; in particular the upholstery had completely perished. The wheels had stood in water and were partly rotten. The original lanterns were still present.
One and a half wheels were renewed by Piet Voorthuizen in the Vreeburg smithy. The old layers of paint were removed by Jac Vink's painters, and they fully varnished and painted the carriage. Finally, Jac Vink personally applied the pinstriping on the metal undercarriage as decoration. After that the carriage was upholstered by Martin Plevier. On the inside with …. fabric and buttoned (capitonné). On the outside covered with leatherette.
Once the carriage had been fully restored, Jac Vink, the owner of the carriage, drove it for four years in the parade of the West Frisian Thursdays in Schagen, with a Friesian horse belonging to Klaas Bredeveld, then head of the horses. After that it stood indoors in his barn and was no longer used. In 2021 Jac Vink donated the carriage to the Westfriese Folklore.
