Moss: Torderød gård

Torderød.
Farm from the 13th century.
Main building built in 1758 in Rocococo Style
by merchant Dawid Chrystie Senior.
Rebuilt in Empire style around 1825.
In the possession of the Chrystie family till 1904.

"Thordruga" means "The Dung".



Torderød Gård is situated at Jeløya ,
the island that is part of Moss.

The Chrystie family owned forests, sawmills,
ships - enabling them to export Norwegian
wood, and get rich.

The family lived in another house in the center
of Moss till around 1825.
For the first 50 years this huge house and the
garden were used during summer time as a
playground for grown ups!
Inside the house they danced in the ballrooms,
one upstairs, one downstairs,
men smoke in the Scottish Room,
women talked in the White Hall downstairs
or in the Red Hall upstairs,
meals were eaten in the big Dining Room.
Outside you could walk along the straight alleys
going north south and east west, or if you
looked to the east, you saw Moss and the sea
between the town and the island of Jeløya.

There was also an English natural style forest,
where supposedly you could flirt and climb
the little rock. You could walk over the specially
constructed brook on two small wooden bridges.

On the top of the rock was a little open temple
and further back an outside dancing floor
and an amphitheatre.
Unfortunately not all of this has been preserved.



The original baroque garden is being renovated.



A kitchen window.



One of the magnificent iron ovens,
made in Norway around two hundred years ago,
especially for this house.



A group of concerned citizens have organized
themselves into The Friends of Torderød Gård
and try to restore the former glory of the place.

The property belongs to the town of Moss.

The guided tour I took part in today was really
exciting and well done.
In my eyes, I saw it as a rally to add more active
members to the Friends of Torderød Gård.