19 October/20 October 2019 ★ FTWeekend 19
that Gunillaberg’s previous owner
had spent years breeding he smallestt
animalpossible.
Taking the path to the main house,
borderedwithwildflowers,oneencoun-
tersmyriaddomestic breeds. A rickety
bridge of lashed logs allows sheep,
in every shade of brown, entry to
a large wooden barn whilepot-
bellied pigs snuffle enthusiastically in
the dust. On the other side, Goinge
goats, another old Swedish breed,
crack their orns together amidh
scores of poultry. Thisscene is com-
pleted by a group of powerful Ardennes
draft horses. The broad backs
and defined muscles reveal their
working origins, but as Andersen says,
“these horses are entirely for adorn-
mentanddelight”.
Some maydislike the idea of
“adorning”ahomewithlivingcreatures
The glass house where concerts are staged— Phillip Huynh(Clockwise from
above) Lilies
bloom in the
meadow; Tage
feeding his cows;
floral
arrangements
by Tage, picked
from the garden,
in the manor
Photographs by Phillip Huynhnaturalism. This deliberate ontrast isc
centraltoAndersen’screativeethos,one
that values innovationwhile respecting
the history and feeling of place. Across
the estate he has retained old features
wherever possible and utilisesnatural
materials, albeitwith a playful, modern
twist. This can be seen even in the fenc-
ing, where18th-century stoneposts are
toppedwithwoodencubes.
In recent years Andersen has com-
pleted a new glass house o storet
his large collection of camellias and to
serve as a performance space forclassi-
cal music, theatre and balletin the
summer months. Andersen describes
this glass house as his “grandest
achievement”, but these events bring
revenuetoaprecariousventure.
Andersen buries his head in his hands
when remembering the drought of
2018, which led many Scandinavian
farmers to slaughter animals because of
the lack of hay to feed themthrough the
winter. Fortunately none perished at
Gunillaberg, but the costs of buying suf-
ficientfeedwashigh.
Although Andersen is thecreative
force he has a number of supporting
hands, most important is husbandh
Monz, who manages the long-estab-
lished floristry business in Copenhagen
which helps sustain the estate. The flo-
ristry shop shares the same theatrical
aestheticasthemanor.
Andersen is right to say that Gunilla-
berg is “unlike any farm you have seen”
and it is inspiring to see one man’s
eccentricvisionsofulfilled.but the sincerity with which Andersen
cares for his animals is compelling.
At 72, he rises every morning at
4.30am to spend two hours checking
each of his beloved beasts before head-
ing to the kitchen to preparebatches
of karamelkrans pastries,caramel-
soaked laky rounds that are sold inf
the café. He alsoprepares lunch for up
to60 isitorsaday.v
The café, housed within a simple
metal frame covered in painted plastic
sheeting, contrastswith the yellow,
wooden main house and doubles
up as ashelter for tender potted
plants. Andersen clearly enjoys theabundance of half-hardy plants
such as agapanthus, cup-and-saucer
vine(Cobaeascandens),PassionFlower
and Abutilon which are used to great
effectincustom-builtplanters,butneed
specialcaretogetthemthroughthecold
monthsoftheSwedishwinter.
At Gunillaberg there are very few
ornamental plants in the ground, with
the exception of one remarkable
portion of birch woodland. For ashort
period in summer it erupts with
thousands of lilies — pink, white and
gold, challenging the wood’s easyAndersen’s creative ethos
values innovationwhile
respecting the history andfeeling of place
House Home
OCTOBER 19 2019 Section:Weekend Time: 16/10/2019- 17:40 User:elizabeth.robinson Page Name:RES19, Part,Page,Edition:REU, 19, 1