Saturday, 9 July (continued):
Driving from Linköping towards the northern end of Lake Vättern, we caught a glimpse of an unusual church tower, and decided to stop and check it out.
It turned out to be an old church or chapel on the grounds of an old estate, Brunneby - where nowadays they have their own production of cider and jam, which they also sell in their own farm shop. We just went to have a look at the church, though.
I forgot to take a photo of a sign that explained its history, but from what I recall, it was built as a church, long ago; later de-consecrated, turned into a barn and just used for storage; but more recently restored and reconsecrated, to again be used as a church/chapel (probably only in summer, judging by its interior).
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| Brunneby Manor House |
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| The Church |
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| Traces of original murals on the walls inside |
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| The (lack of) ceiling left as when it was used as barn. |
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Our next stop was for lunch, at Hargebaden, a beach at the northern end of Lake Vättern, south-east of Askersund. It was a bit windy, so we ate indoors, but with views of the beach and lake. They served a good lunch (I had a Caesar salad) and the place was very far from crowded. (More people were arriving as we left, though.)
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From Askersund we continued north-west on minor roads. Another place we just happened to see a sign pointing to was this 17th century cottage and barn, which we also decided could be worth a closer look (and it was):
The Swedish text on the sign adds the interesting detail that the sun hits that hole on the front of the porch exactly at noon. So it worked like a kind of sun-dial for them.
The Brunnersby chapel certainly is unusual, and has a summer feel about it.
ReplyDeleteThanks to your brother for taking the picture of you at your lunch table!
The manor is elegant, and the log-built cottage really unusual. Did you go inside?
Meike, I handed over my camera or mobile to my brother now and then during this trip, to get myself in the picture :)
DeleteThe manor house at Brunneby is private and not open to the public.
The log cottage was not open except for the cellar door (the top two pictures in the collage). I think the large storage space right under the house was probably quite unusual for its time as well.
I love seeing old structures...the ways they were constructed when men had limited means and tools...like nails. Nothing better than stone and wood to stand for centuries! Love the little red building with a sod roof too!
ReplyDeleteBarbara, wooden houses and cottages were common here (still are, esp. in the countryside) but not all of them were as 'sturdy' and long-lasting as this one.
DeleteSeems a shame for the church to be used as a farm shed but good it's been restored back to what it was originally built for.
ReplyDeleteAmy it's not unusual for old churches to have gone through a lot of changes through the centuries. From church to barn and back to church again is probably not all that common, though.
ReplyDeleteI think that's terrific that a church has been reconsecrated and returned to its original purpose after living a different life. It must have been an impressive barn with that distinctive steeple and lovely windows or perhaps they also had to be reinstated?
ReplyDeletePauline, I'm afraid I have no details about that. I'd say the glass in the windows has probably been replaced, though. That stained glass art looks modern rather than old to me.
DeleteIt's the detail of the 'sundial' that caught my eye and fascinated me.
ReplyDeleteGraham I've never seen anything like that before either
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