Bogstad Manor History

Bogstad Manor History

In the middle ages the estate belonged to the catholic church. After the reformation in 1536 it became crown property. It was not until 1649 that the estate became private property, the first owner being Morten Lauritzen Ugla who had made his fortune in the timber trade. The Bogstad estate since then belonged to the same family until 1955, when it was donated to the public.

When Morten Lauritzen Ugla died in 1665, Bogstad and most of the estate was transferred to his son-in-law Peder Nielsen Leuch, who also had made a fortune in the timber trade. He expanded the estate, which in time was inherited by his son Morten Leuch. And after his death in 1717 by the widow Karen Leuch.

When Karen Leuch died in 1759, the estate was taken over by her grandson Morten Pedersen Leuch the younger. He demolished the old building and erected a new, more noble and modern one.

This building, finished in 1762, stands as the nucleus of the existing main building at Bogstad. Morten Pedersen Leuch died childless in 1768 at the age of 36, and some years later his widow, and cousin, Mathia Leuch married Bernt Anker. They sold Bogstad to Bernt’s brother Peder Anker. Their grandmother was the daughter of Morten Leuch the elder.

More Bogstad Manor History

Peder Anker married Anna Elisabeth Cold, who had lived in the house with Morten and Mathia Leuch as a daughter. Whilst the previous owners had used Bogstad only as a country retreat, the Ankers took up permanent residence from 1773.

With Peder Anker a new chapter in Bogstad Manor History began. He extended the estate and bought Bærum Ironworks as well as Hakadal and Moss Ironworks. He also extended the farming activities at Bogstad, and was among the first in the Christiania region to grow potatoes in a large scale.

Peder Anker also made important additions to the main building, bringing it – in all aspects of significance – up to the appearance it has today. Linked to the facade of Morten Leuch’s house two large wings were build and the entire house was united under a high mansard roof.

In the main storey one of the wings was entirely reserved for a magnificent banqueting hall, and in the rooms facing the park the doors were placed around one main axis (“enfilade”) allowing an uninterupted view through all the rooms throughout the entire building, nearly 55 m.

Peder Anker’s only daughter, Karen, married Count Herman Wedel Jarlsberg, and thus became Countess Karen Wedel Jarlsberg. They inherited Bogstad after Peder Anker’s death in 1824.

Bogstad Manor History - The Interiors

The Hall (room 1) acquired its present shape in 1916. The furniture is from the 17th and 18th centuries. Cupboards are Dutch. Fountain and three dishes are from Herrebøe Fayence Factory near Halden, about 1760. Portraits, oil on canvas, portraying members of the Leuch; Anker, Wedel Jarlsberg families and others. Over the fireplace (made of Swedish marble), the coat of arms of the Wedel Jarlsberg family, over the centre door Leuch’s coat of arms, and over the right corner Anker’s coat of arms.

The Blue Cabinet (room 2) has furnishing from about 1820 in the Regency style. Paintings by foreign masters from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Above the sofa portrait of King Charles XIII of Sweden, a gift to Peder Anker. The crystal candelabra is English approx. 1770. The carpet is from mid 1800.

The Banqueting Hall (room 3) was added by Peder Anker about 1780. The paintings are largely by 18th century Italian masters. Symmetrically hung in the continental tradition, they constitute a complete and somewhat unusual collection. Furniture Louis XVI. about 1780, made in Norway. The figures on the columns are from the 19th century, copies of antique Greek sculptures.

The Red Cabinet (room 4). An attractive room from Peder Anker’s time, the Red Cabinet has retained its 18th century atmosphere. The drawings are by 17th and 18th century masters. The porcelain (Meissen) from the last half of the 18th century, is part of a large service of Peder Anker’s. The large urn in the niche is Royal Copenhagen.

The Garden Room (room 5). The Leuch family’s largest room is located in the middle of the building at right angles to the axis running from the clock tower down to the water, where a charming little summer house was once the terminal point. The furniture is mid 19th century and consists of copies made ca. 1850 of pieces belonging to the Anker family around 1770.

The chandeliers probably English. Portrait over the fireplace portrays Peder Anker and his wife, Anna Elisabeth Coll, with their daughter Karen, later to become Countess Wedel Jarlsberg.

The portrait is made by the Danish court painter Jens Juel. The four large canvases, mid 18th century, are the works of the brothers Antonio and Francesco Guardi of Venice, and reveal how closely the Ankers kept up with contemporary trends in European art.

Over the fireplace a portrait of Peter Anker painted in London about 1770, probably by Reynolds.

The dining room (room 6). The shape of the room is from Leuch’s time, the decorations from Anker’s. The Louis XVI style chairs are Norwegian. Some of the silver in the recess was the property of the Leuch family, some of it belonged to the Ankers.

The porcelain and glassware are English and German (Meissen). The paintings, from about 1820, are the works of the Danish painter C. Vogt and depict other properties belonging to Anker and Wedel Jarlsberg.

Bedroom (room 7) is from Peder Anker’s time. The bed is Regency about 1810, the chairs Norwegian rococo about 1750. The parquet flooring from 1916. Whilst the other rooms have retained their original furnishing, the furniture in this room and in the two adjacent bedrooms (rooms 8 and 9) has been moved from bedrooms in the mansard storey.

The bedroom (room 8) is possibly originally Peder Anker’s library which in 1889 was moved up into the mansard storey. A number of royal persons from the Bernadotte family have slept in this bed at Bogstad.

The chairs and the settee are Chippendale about 1760, probably English. Water colours and the painting in the crowned frame are the works of the Swedish-Norwegian princesses and princes, and were donated to the owners of Bogstad.

Bedroom (room 9). Furniture early Victorian, about 1850 from Hamburg. Photos of the Wedel Jarlsberg and Meyer families.

Kitchen (room 10). Probably from Leuch’s time, about 1760. Was in use until 1946. Pewter and copper partly from Peder Anker’s time. English chairs, made of various kinds of wood. Windsor style. Clock from 18th century, mechanism by clockmaker Meredith, London.