Manor House Research Articles

Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism

Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism

LIEZĒRE RUNESTONE

A stone with runic inscriptions was discovered in Liezēre in Madona Region in 2012. This is a granite stone with runic signs carved in a snake-like pattern (0.7 m long and 0.5 m broad) on one side of the stone that has been previously flattened. Carvings are inscribed in accordance with the classical principles of making runestones. The Swedish runologist Dr. Magnus Källström has established that the stone contains runes from two runic writing systems that are not related to each other and also differ chronologically. Hence the runes cannot be original: they represent an imitation of a later period. If the runes are read in a sequence as a text (ailssaidlr ˚ assmadë ˚ s ˚ ld(r) ˚ mass ˚ ëbë(r)t), it makes no sense in Old Scandinavian languages. Next to the Liezēre runestone a trial excavation was made within an area of 1 x 1.5 m. Up to the depth of 0.55 m, there was a cultural layer of the period of the manor and later, but deeper – a cultural layer of a settlement dating back to the middle of the 1st millennium AD. No evidence was found that this could have been the original place of the stone. The cultural layer of the settlement could be related to the Lake Settlement Liezēre. The Liezēre runestone is of a later period, probably an imitation of the 19th century; it could have been carved as a park decoration of Liezēre manor house (owned by Schoultz von Ascheraden). The stone bears no archaeological value; however, it is significant from the cultural, historical and artistic points of view. This is the only professionally carved imitation of this type of runestones in Latvia.

Nonneklostret i Hundslund

Hundslund prioryThe history of its medieval buildingsThe Benedictine priory of Hundslund is situated in Vendsyssel, northern Jutland. It flourished from its establishment in around 1200 until the Reformation, after which it became transformed into a manor house, Dronninglund Slot. This transformation secured parts of the medieval complex, which are consequently preserved to the present day (figs. 1-4).The medieval complex consisted of a church and several buildings constructed at different times. The oldest part of the complex is the brick church, constructed around 1200 in a distinct Romanesque style similar to the nearby diocese church at Børglum and a small group of local parish churches. Some monastic buildings must have existed in conjunction with the church, but these have left almost no trace in the archaeological record (figs. 5-9).A building boom occurred in the latter part of the 15th century, and the church was subject to several building projects. The walls were raised and the church was vaulted, a tower was built on the west side of the nave and a large monastic wing was constructed. After a short break, rebuilding resumed in the early 16th century, when two transepts were added to the church as well as a porch, and a new west wing of monastic buildings was constructed. In addition to the dateable construction works, a major canal was constructed at the priory in the late medieval period, as well as some smaller buildings on the priory area (figs. 10-20).The priory church had a dual function, serving both the priory’s nuns and the local parish. This meant that the church and the monastic complex had to have a layout which secured the integrity of the monastic clause. Especially during the later Middle Ages, when there was a building boom, this may have been difficult to ensure, as the natural topography also imposed some limits with respect to where the monastic buildings could be constructed. This resulted in a somewhat unique structure, whereby the monastic buildings lay to the far west of the church, instead of directly adjoining it. It was consequently not possible to achieve a traditional monastic layout with adjoining buildings and cloister walks (fig. 21a-c).

Laidu Manor House School. Assessment of Cultural Heritage Assets upon Closing of the School

The architecture of Courland manor houses is rich in classical monuments. Many of them form impressive building ensembles. The use of the buildings varies, historically – schools, parish boards, farm administrations, nowadays – guesthouses, private properties and still schools. One such site is in Laidi, where the existence of a school is problematic.

Мавританські мотиви у творчості академіка архітектури О. М. Бекетова

In the 18th – early 19th century, in the architecture of Europe, the fashion for Orientalism began to appear, but this process started to gain real strength in the second half of the 19th century during the spread of the so-called neo-styles. The certain creative tribute to the enthusiasm for oriental motives was given by the most famous Kharkiv architect – academician of architecture O. M. Beketov. In 1895–1910 he designed and built on his yard space in the village of Profesorskyi Kutochok (now a district of the Crimean city of Alushta) the complex of summer cottages by the sea in the eclectic style, but with the clear preference for the architectural forms of the oriental look. The center of its composition was the two-storey six-room manor house with the asymmetrical balcony (oriental-type veranda), open terrace, two loggias and compact interior plan system. In the same spirit, for his brother-in-law D. O. Alchevskyi, the artist made the project of the two-storey city mansion with the corridor-suite plan system, which was built in 1896–1897 in Kharkiv on Sadovo-Kulikivska Str., 7 (now Darvina Str., 13). Based on the historical and art history analysis, it can be confidently asserted that the buildings of O. M. Beketov’s dacha in Alushta and the city mansion of D. O. Alchevskyi in Kharkiv were built together using the techniques and forms of Moorish architecture of the 8th–13th centuries and Crimean Tatar architecture of the 14th–18th centuries. It is important that in the process of their design and construction, O. M. Beketov was able to create graceful, charming, almost fabulous architectural images in the best traditions of Morisca. The author creatively applied the plasticity of the architectural elements of the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain, the Giralda minaret in Seville, the Palacio de Pena in Sintra, Portugal, which bizarrely and, at the same time, organically harmonized with Iraqi, Crimean Tatar and purely European architectural forms. In addition, in his creations, O. M. Beketov significantly strengthened the eclecticism characteristic of Moorish architecture with elements of Art Nouveau, only adding modernity and extraordinary expressiveness to the architectural image of houses. The design and construction of these buildings for their time was carried out at the highest level, which makes it possible to confidently include them in the circle of the best old mansions of Alushta and Kharkiv. In addition, O. M. Beketov’s dacha is one of the important architectural dominants of Profesorskyi Kutochok, and D. O. Alchevskyi’s mansion, from the urban planning point of view, very successfully closes the perspective of Kulykovskyi Descent in Kharkiv. Both buildings are monuments of architecture, perform weighty urban planning functions, and need protection and periodic restoration.

Timber and time: The Vyne roofs

SUMMARY While the social and building history of the manor house known as The Vyne are well documented, much less is known about the historic roof structures, and the carpentry and construction techniques used there. Archaeological recording and analysis, including tree-ring dating, of the main areas of the roof complex revealed phases of development, together with features and construction techniques of particular interest. Elements of the early 16th-century roofs survive and demonstrate advances in building techniques and quality of materials. The reuse of early oak timber in later roofs contributes to our knowledge of the earlier buildings on the site and available timber resources.

FEATURES OF THE DESIGN OF A SAFE INTERIOR SPACE FOR CHILDREN'S LIVING

The article explores and reveals the most important aspects of designing an interior living environment using the example of a children's room, taking into account ergonomic, anthropometric, aesthetic, and psychophysiological standards and requirements to create a safe developmental space for a preschool child. The problem of the influence of space on the child's psychophysiological development is highlighted, and the peculiarities of the formation of a modern living environment for the child are systematized.
 The stages of interior design, furnishing, and equipment of a children's room in a residential cell (apartment, manor house), as well as methods, means, and methods of forming a safe developmental environment for a child, which take into account functional, compositional, natural, physiological, psychological, environmental and ergonomic requirements. Recommendations are provided for designing the interior of a children's room in the structure of a modern home.

Beckett's Big House:Watt, Waste, and the Fiction of Irish Autonomy

AbstractHow can an economic model designed to eliminate waste produce nothing but? The answer, according to Samuel Beckett's Watt, can be found in the system of economic relations presupposed by the Anglo-Irish Big House novels that emerged after the 1800 Acts of Union. These novels, which contrasted the profligacy and neglect of absentee English landlords with the idealized social harmony and economic self-sufficiency of the homegrown Protestant Ascendency, allowed an Anglo-Irish readership to imagine a self-sustaining body politic, invulnerable to an unevenly developed empire's devastating cycles of scarcity and waste. The Big House in Watt is the estate of Mr. Knott, to which apparently “nothing could be added . . . and from it nothing taken away.” As his servant Watt discovers, however, the high quality of life inside the home is ensured by the continual production and export of detritus: human waste, leftover food, and pointless activity. The even-keeled manor house, moreover, lays waste to an ever-expanding network of territory and labor to feed itself. Drawing attention to the novelist's engagement with contemporary Irish economic policy, this essay shows how Beckett exploits the weaknesses of this model of national political economy to dismantle the form of the novel itself: Watt produces its own unassimilable waste in the form of aimless digressions and addenda. Rather than discard the exhausted form, as critical tradition would have it, Beckett releases his Big House novel to explore the exogenous play of wasteful contradictions and to overturn the genre's ideal equilibrium.

Działalność organizacyjna i społeczna ziemianina Franciszka Łubieńskiego

Franciszek Marian Adam Łubieński (1859-1915) appeared in the land of Stryszów in 1886, after marrying Rozalia née Gorczyńska. He subsequently changed the image of a landowner living in the local manor house, which developed over the centuries in the eyes of Stryszów citizens. Łubieński abandoned his university career, devoting himself to his family and rural community, for which he tried to build a new school building, initiated the establishment of Kółko Rolnicze (Agricultural Circle), and provided new jobs. His commitment and pro-social activities were shared by his wife Rozalia, and with time also each of their children. From 1886, the manor house in Stryszów was a meeting place for the owners of the village with peasants, who increasingly being invited there as members of local theater, women’s and Catholic communities.

First Tonsures in England in the First Half of the Fourteenth Century

Boys who were tonsured by their bishop acquired clerical status. Bishops might confer the tonsure at or near a general ordination but also on their progress around their diocese or when resident at one of their manor houses. Candidates had to be ‘literate’, possessing a certain level of Latin, free (or manumitted), legitimate (or dispensed) and ‘suitable’. There is evidence of local selection and candidates were examined before being tonsured. Tonsuring could be the first stage in progress to the priesthood, but many did not proceed beyond the first tonsure and others progressed only to ordination as acolyte.

Choreography as a tool to understand architectural situatedness: a mediating intervention at Hiedanranta industrial heritage site, Finland

This contribution takes the notion of situated experience as a starting point for explorations in practices of moving and making. Striving to privilege embodied experience and situated meanings, this contribution presents an experimental educational project at a former industrial site in Finland. The on-site intervention has been developed by the Master of Architecture research and design studio ‘Transdisciplinary Encounter: Choreographing Architectural Values’ by combining philosophical reflections on the experience of place and situation with a practical perspective. Twenty-four students from the studio based at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) worked in a context that encompassed a former pulp factory and a manor house in Tampere, Finland. Engaging this urban site in the direct vicinity of forests and lakes, and foregrounding our bodies’ capacity to ‘make space’, the studio explored research and making methods derived from the field of dance and choreography, particularly focusing on the relationship between movement and ‘situatedness’.

Reformy prawne stosunków agrarnych w Księstwie Warszawskim w latach 1807–1809

The article analyses the reforms of agrarian relations, which were carried out during the first years of the Duchy of Warsaw, created as a result of the peace treaties of 1807. The legal status of peasants was at that time initially regulated in a general way by the provisions of the Constitution granted by Napoleon Bonaparte on 22 July 1807. These provisions were then made more specific with the promulgation of the Decree of 21 December 1807, which brought about the abolition of serfdom and allowed peasants to move within the territory of the Duchy. According to the Decree, the land was the property of the lord and a peasant leaving the village should return the land to the lord along with the crops, the buildings and the livestock. This meant that after the Decree came into force, there was a possibility of unlimited eviction of peasants, as well as increasing serfdom burdens. It should be noted, however, that due to the considerable depopulation of the country at that time and the emerging difficulties in providing manpower for the manor house, eviction was used relatively rarely. Nevertheless, later on, the reform carried out by this Decree was said to “remove peasant’s boots along with his shackles”. In this article, the author analyses the provisions of this Decree in the context of regulations resulting from the Constitution of the Duchy, Napoleonic Code and the Decree of 23 February 1809 introducing a temporary organisation of rural communes. The reflections on peasant reforms in this period were supplemented by an analysis of the socio-economic situation in the lands forming the Duchy and selected statements that appeared in the relevant literature on the peasant question from the past till the present.

Searching for the Dostoevsky House (Notes on the Failed Sensation)

The article presents the facts that contradict A. S. Syrovatko’s statement, which claims that the current territory of the Museum is not related to the Dostoevsky estate (The Unknown Dostoevsky. 2021. No. 4). When studied objectively, the objects found during the excavations do not contradict the presence of “traces of Dostoevsky.” The so-called memorial period of estate ownership by the writer’s parents, which lasted only seven years, was unable to leave too many traces, and the objects found by archaeologists in the 18th — early 19th centuries could have been used by the Dostoevsky family up to 1830s. Additional arguments are introduced to resolve the dispute: the result of the dendrological examination and written sources (previously known and recently discovered), namely, boundary plans, memoirs and diaries of A. M. Dostoevsky, family correspondence. The proposed comprehensive approach and a comparison of all the currently available sources, allows us to attribute the location of the Dostoevsky manor house to the preserved wing where the museum was recently opened. In connection with the problem of identification of the museum house, the hypotheses of other authors are considered (T. N. Dementieva and L. A. Tarasova, L. A. Voronkina) about the cardinal changes that took place in the architecture of the manor Darovoe at different times. Sources indicate, on the contrary, a certain continuity in the development of the estate under all three of its owners: the Khotyaintsev, Dostoevsky and Ivanov families. The key factor is the location of two “mounds” under the lime trees as “green canteens” tied to the manor house, and on the other side, the border between the landowner’s estate and peasant homesteads remained unchanged (as confirmed by archival documents and the boundary wall and moat preserved). Conservative localization is characteristic of the life in a noble estate, once and forever inscribed in the surrounding landscape. Taking into account the experience of their predecessors, the Dostoevskys and Ivanovs did not make radical changes to the space inhabited before them, and their house did not change its location.

THE KOLGA MANOR ‘CHAPEL’ THAT ISN’T A CHAPEL

In the Estonian context, Kolga is a truly a gigantic manor, which wasowned by the powerful noble families of De la Gardie and Stenbock.The focus of this article is the interior of the two-storey-high spacein the northern avant-corps of the Kolga manor house, called the‘chapel’, which has survived almost untouched. A brief survey isalso provided of the fragments of the finishing details that havebeen preserved in the other rooms of the manor house. The articleis based on research dealing with the building’s interior finishing(in 2014) and archaeology (in 2021), which has been conducted bythe Estonian Academy of Art, and on information obtained in thecourse of the on-going conservation.What has the recent research and ongoing conservation work addedto the interpretation of the interior in Kolga Manor’s northern avantcorps?As is known from previous studies, the northern avant-corpsroom’s décor probably dates back to the period of a Neoclassicalreconstruction in the early 19th century. Only the building sectionitself dates back to the earlier Baroque period, which also explainsthe existence of previous finishing layers under the current one. TheNeoclassical approach transformed it into a two-storey space andmasterfully added an illusory design. However, the room, which fora long time has been called the ‘(home) church’ or ‘chapel’, probablyhad a secular function and was used as a ballroom or music hall.

Climate Change Mitigation and Preservation of the Cultural Heritage—A Story of the Municipal Park in Rumia, Poland

Climate change may affect cultural heritage in at least two ways: direct physical effects on the site, building, or structure and effects on social structures. Creating urban parks with therapeutic landscapes can mitigate some of these detrimental effects. This paper presents the revitalization of the former water forge, located in the center of Rumia, near the Tri-City agglomeration. The study focused on the history of the site and the historic manor house called “Dwór pod Lipami” and the preservation efforts. The social engagement, which led to the development of the landscape park and the construction of a talent playground, was an essential factor in the renewal process. The second part of the work presents an assessment of the therapeutic and recreational values of the new urban park using the Universal Standard for Health-Promoting Places, Community Park Audit Tool (CPAT), and mapping the users’ preferences. This operation of urban renewal resulted in creating a popular park that helps promote the health and well-being of the local community.

The Bethlen Castle in Criş (Mureş County): Overview of the Archaeological Excavations and a Short Revisited Early History of the Estate.1

The present article discusses the early history and evolution of the Bethlen castle in Criş and the constructions undertaken by the members of the Bethlen family, based on the preserved written sources and the results of the archaeological investigations. The literature connects the very first constructions in Criş to Mark Bethlen; however, the written sources and the excavations indicate the existence of a much earlier settlement, dated approximately to the 12th and 13th centuries, about which little is known. Written documents mentioned an already existing manor house in 1435, and in 1482 the sons of Mark Bethlen divided their father’s house between themselves. Based on the written sources, in the beginning of the 16th century there already existed three manor houses in Criş, one that belonged to Gregory Bethlen, another to Bernard Bethlen, and a third (built from wood) to Nicholas Bethlen. For now, the re-evaluation of the results of the older and newer excavation results is crucial in understanding the early constructions, which are hard to identify in the archaeological record since the site of the castle had been continuously used through the ages.

The Bethlen castle in the light of written sources and the latest excavations

Probably one of the most beautiful Renaissance castles in Transylvania, attracting numerous visitors every year, it is situated in Criș/Keresd4 (Kreisch in German), on one of the ancient properties of the Bethlen family. A considerable amount of educational writings, art historical analyses, and historical works discuss the history of the castle and the Bethlen family. However, there is hardly any scientific work synthesizing the relatively rich set of available written sources, the results of the previous excavations, and the conclusions that can be drawn from the still-standing building parts. Although archaeological excavations have been carried out on the castle’s territory, relatively little is known about the preceding manor or manor houses. It must be highlighted that the results of the earlier archaeological excavations and wall surveys are difficult to summarize because of a lack of documentation and never-completed publications; however, the historical and architectural importance of the building complex makes it necessary for us to survey the previous work and present a current state of research before starting new investigations. Therefore, this study aims to briefly summarize the results of the historical research and previous archaeological excavations and to formulate the research questions to be addressed by the new archaeological research project that has started in 2020, as well as the ones that may arise during a complex (historical, archaeological, art historical and architectural) investigation of the castle.

Sampled Letters of Elisabeth Koren in Translation

Sampled Letters of Elisabeth Koren in Translation Øyvind T. Gulliksen (bio) and Orm Øverland Letter 35 “I have to boil the pigs’ heads for my pickled pork out in the yard.” The Vicarage, Little Iowa18 December 5, 1856 Dear Mother,19 This letter should be in the Manor House by Christmas.20 At least this was my plan, but in spite of my best intentions I have been unable to write as soon as I wished. The entire house was busy with the slaughter of our pigs and plastering our walls and then cleaning up afterwards. Now this has all been done and as I sit here, I am glad to feel how much warmer the house now is. Today, with a strong wind blowing from the Northwest, this is quite noticeable. This time Vilhelm was at home during the plastering, something he has always been able to avoid, and he insisted that this should be the last time we would have such [End Page 114] reparations. I sincerely hope that this is true and that we by next winter will be able to have at least our entire living room properly rough-cast or—and this is said to cost no more—have all walls covered with canvas and then painted or papered. Having plaster between the logs is such a mess. You can hardly believe what it all looks like and this must be repeated every fall. What has made the house warmer than it has ever been is that we have had the walls whitewashed. This is a significant improvement, and it fills in all cracks and holes. I liked it better the way it was before with the darkened and gray-striped oak logs, but I don’t really care as long as this is warmer. The whitewash is also said to be a good protection against bedbugs, and this should also be taken into account. Moreover, we have also done repairs on the cement floor making it much warmer. All in all, it is much better than last year so I hope that we will not suffer even if the winter is just as harsh. Well, I am quite happy that we are done with repairs of our house as well as with the slaughter of our pigs. The one interfered with the other, which is quite a problem in quarters as close as ours. But we cannot ask the laborers to come later; we must simply accept them gratefully when it is convenient for them. The amount of pork that we salt also gives us a lot of work, especially when I have such good help from Henriette.21 Pork sausage is the best hot lunch I can serve Vilhelm, so I have made a large store of these.22 I wish I had some sort of cooking shed so I could cook indoors! I must boil the pigs’ heads for my head cheese in the yard, and this is not so convenient in winter.23 I had a couple of pigs’ feet smoked, but when Vilhelm pronounced them a great improvement, it didn’t matter much at all. Soap and whatever else needs a large pot must be boiled in the yard. Yesterday my new cow had a calf so today Henriette has enjoyed kalvedans.24 She also had great fun coming into the cow barn to see Anne give drink to the calf. It is a bull calf. We will let it live and see what happens to the other cow that is expecting a calf in a few days. I have been unlucky with my chickens recently. I lost about twenty and—sadly—one was among the different breed of chickens that I had been given. But most were young males from last summer that I had planned to make use of this winter. The culprit is a little animal that digs under the ground and sucks the blood from them and lets them lie dead. He gets at the chickens because they sit on the ground instead [End Page 115] of standing up. One night he killed eight but now he has not been here for a while so...

Medieval Everydays: A Creative Microhistory

This article explores the medieval ‘everyday’ through archaeological, microhistorical and creative techniques. Following one day in the lives of a medieval lady of the manor and her family and servants in Faccombe Netherton, Hampshire, in 1198, the article uses excavation, material culture and contemporary texts to find the intersections between the quotidian and the extraordinary. As a result, we see lives of the less well-known in the period and explore the many lived experiences of a manor house. Ultimately the article weaves together the multiplicity of ‘everyday’ experiences and demonstrates the usefulness of embedding creativity and fiction into historical writing.

Jieznas manor house: from Italian villa to French château

Jieznas manor house: from Italian villa to French château