Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

The park at Svaneholm is a place, the history of which is very little known today and the need
for better knowledge has been the cause of this investigation. The essay is primarily limited to
the time from late 17th century up to the end of the 18th century and takes stand on profound
investigations in accessible map-and archive material. The results presented show a manor
hill, which during the course of a hundred years was subject to several changes and in big
parts consisted in other than park/garden.
Burman related to the manor hill containing a cowshed, a large dam and a parterre garden i
six quarters and it is plausible to think, that this establishment generally was built as produced
on the plate.
In the 18th century the construction is being changed, they go on building at the cowshed and
in 1707 there are totally 268 livestock on the farm. In 1723 the garden is represented in a
much bigger scale than on the plate from the 1680:s, but it is not possible to tell, whether it is
new or not.
Parts of the parterre garden is remaining during the whole of the 18th century, for the least
until it is being squared, but on two of the squares there was built a riding-ground
Moreover the cowshed burnt down and was only partially reconstructed.
The image given by the archive material is at the same time variegated. The inventory list on
garden tools from 1726 gives an image of gardening more directed to growing and path
shuffling, while the possibilities of keeping the parterres were fewer (e.g. there was no
watering-can). On the other hand the income from the garden was only a fraction of what it
was from the garden at Vittskövle, but still it gives an image of the garden construction from
the late 18th century with fruit trees, berry bushes and potato growing.
The 18th century manor hill was subjected to big changes during the 19th century and forward
and today only isolated remains are left from the farm and park of the 17th and 18th centuries.