A house with a history
From 1850 to 2016
Svanebäcks gård, where the house that we rent is the
farmhouse, has a history that dates back to the 16th century. It is plotted on
very old maps of the area.
The farmhouse was built somewhere around 1850 by the farmer
Per Andersson (whose ancestors had owned the farm since the 17th century) and
his wife Elna Olsdotter. We have been able to establish the year of construction
by letting a dendrochronologist at the University of Lund analyze the rings of
some of the beams in the house.
Since Elna brought a great deal of money to the marriage the
couple could buy wood of really good quality, namely slow-growing
pine from the Swedish island of Gotland.
In 1877 Per Andersson applied for a change of name for the
farm that so far had been called Svinabäcks gård (the farm of "the brook of
pigs"). The new name would be Svanebäcks gård (the farm of "the brook of
swans").
The pictures below was taken in 1913. By then Per Anderssons son, Anders Ludwig Andersson, and his wife Matilda had taken over the farm. The photographer was their son-in-law, Arthur Rube.
Anders Ludwig and Matilda Andersson (seated) and their three children.
Anders Ludwig and Matilda and their children pose at the gable of the house. The gate was changed one year later, in 1914.
Picture taken from one of the farms fields, north of the house.
The kitchen at Svanebäcks gård in the year of 1913.
The room called "salen" (the hall in Swedish). They really liked to decorate in 1913...
Salen (the hall) from another angle.