A surprise: an 18th-century Italian villa in Sweden transforms Stora Torp

A surprise: an 18th-century Italian villa in Sweden transforms Stora Torp

Stora Torp, a manor on the outskirts of Göteborg, was first known as Torpit or Torpett in the 1550s. It was a large estate under Sten Eriksson Leijonhufvud's estate Kärra, now Kärralund. Herman Wrangel owned Stora Torp and Lärjeholm in the 1700s. In the year 1625, Stora Torp is mentioned in a record. The manor house of Stora Torp in the 1700s was built in wood, two stories high. The house at Stora Torp had a large garden and several economic buildings in the 1700s. Stora Torp was bought by the Prytz family in the 1700s.

Stora Torp gained a 'new Caractärsbyggning', a red-painted, Italian-style house with a tiled roof, in 1783. The facade of the manor house was completely redesigned in the 1860s. A veranda, two gable-faced parts, and a tower were added to the main facade of the manor house in the 1860s. The manor house, originally built of wood, was rebuilt of stone in the 1870s. In 1865, the estate was bought by Oscar Ekman. Tragically, the wooden villa burned down in 1871 and was replaced by a new stone structure.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons