Ironing, linen and textiles in Honselersdijk
The story of Honselersdijk turns on a single building that no longer stands: Paleis Honselaarsdijk, built between 1621 and 1647 at the commission of Frederik Hendrik of Orange, Stadtholder of Holland. It was one of the largest palaces of the Republic, with baroque gardens that were held up as a model across Europe — and a household with a linen room that was a match for that of the Binnenhof.
That linen room had its own 'linen mistress' and at least four subordinates who managed nothing but the table, bed and personal linen of the princely family. For every state banquet, dozens of damask napkins and tablecloths were unpacked, shaped with warm flatirons, folded on long tables, and handed over to footmen who had to lay them out, in order, in the dining hall. A business inventory from 1650 records that the personal linen alone of Frederik Hendrik's widow Amalia van Solms comprised 184 chemises, 212 sleeve pieces, 88 collars and 132 pairs of stockings.
The palace was demolished in 1815; the village of Honselersdijk remained. It is now a horticultural village with the great ABC-Westland auction cluster next door, and with many Westland families working in that cluster. The court ceremony is gone; the ironed shirt has stayed.
Since 2013 we have been driving out from our laundry on the Henricuskade on fixed mornings through Honselersdijk. Collect the laundry bag, wash, iron, return — the same delivery driver, every week, on the same day.
How does Strijkservice Haaglanden work in Honselersdijk?
For residents of Honselersdijk our service works exactly as in the rest of Haaglanden: on a fixed day of the week our driver comes by, picks up your laundry bag and brings your laundry back clean and crisply ironed. No appointment needed — your routine is set.
You get one regular driver and a fixed pickup rhythm so you always know what to expect. No carrying, no full drying racks in the living room, no evenings at the ironing board.
Everything is handled in our own laundry on Henricuskade in The Hague. Shirts, blouses, table linen, bed and bath textiles — we iron it the way it should go back into the cupboard at home, neatly folded and ready to use.