History – Little house on the ocean shore

Sanna Pelliccioni’s painting in Lillan

8.11.2017

img_3874-1 — At the beginning, there was this quite a murky corner in the upstairs bedroom.

In the beginning of my ownership of Lillan I of course got checked the conduits of it. The chimney did not work well. The chimney sweeper came to help. He found out that jackdaws had at some point made their nest in the chimney. Because the pipe is old and curvy, he could not get the nest out the easy way. He had to make a hole in the corner to get the chimneys clean. Thus, the grey spot after building the wall back.

Time went by and one day an artist stayed at Lillan during her display arrangements. I really do like her style and ideology behind her art. Even wrote a post of her joyful illustrations.

We became friends.

One day, she posted this picture on her Facebook wall. She had visited an old Italian cloister and there had been these centuries old paintings.

I came up with an idea – and Sanna was happy to play along.

The chimney wall of the Lillan upstairs bedroom got fixed and everything was ready for her to work her artistic magic there.

When I saw the first lines she had drawn there I knew I had made the right decision: this would be so perfect! So Lillan style. So much more than just a cover for a chimney corner.

All those amazing, vivid and yet fragile details. In perfect harmony with Lillan atmosphere.

Now, you can spend your time at Lillan in the shade of these wonderfully eloquent branches.

Or almost hear the water spatter at the fountain, with the bird just watching you, estimating if it would dare to take a bath even though you are there.

Thank you Sanna. You are such a great talent. I’m so proud to have this painting by you in Lillan.

Lillan has stayed on its place nearly 300 years. I expect it to stay there at least next 300 years, now with your art on its wall.

#Finland #Archipelago #LillanHousing #VisitLillan #VisitKimitoon #SannaPelliccioni

#旅行 #旅游 #友達 #さま #여행

It was wonderful to meet!

13.9.2017

Reading here the greetings from the Open Doors at Lillan. Not everyone left their message there but still I counted 95 names from the book! How lovely is that ❤

The first visitors came already before noon when the happening began and last ones left after 4pm when the Open Doors -happening ended. So wonderful to read all the comments:

Ihana tupa! Wonderful cottage!

Ihana nähdä Taalintehtaan toiseksi vanhin koti; ihanasti olet Sari sisustanut, vanhaa kunnioittaen, nykyaikaan sopiva 🙂
Lovely to see Dalsbruk’s second oldest home; beautifully you Sari have designed, respecting the old, suitable for modern age 🙂

Oli kauniit huoneet ❤ Rooms were beautiful ❤

Kaunista täällä! Beautiful here!

Even though the artist had painted Lillan house red in the map, many and many and many found the small yellow Lillan. So many wonderful discussions, longer and shorter, in those four hours!

But for me, the best of the happening was to hear parts of Lillan history. Who had lived there, what it looked like in those decades, how the life was back then.

And here was the greatest price for this event: a family that used to live in Lillan in years 1966-1974 had bought some photos from those days with them!

The Boy of Friman family on his first school day at Lillan stairs

The hand that I hold very warmly. Thank you Mrs. Friman ❤

Open Doors at Lillan

6.9.2017

At the September Open Sunday 10th of September 2017 there is also an Open Doors happening at Dalsbruk. There are several old houses with their personal names attending, telling their part of Dalsbruk’s history for some centuries.

Old houses all have their own stories. Present owners are there to tell what they know and maybe even to hear more about the history of the houses.

And the names of the houses at Dalsbruk, then. Not were houses known by their location but by their names. In Sibirien (Siberia) it was almost always quite cold since it is located on a high bank by the sea. And Kärringslänktan (Hags’ yearning) there used to live the factory’s men still without wife and family.

The event was inspired by the book “Från Honolulu till Sibirien”, collected by the Dalsbruk village union.

img_3128-1 — I’ll take this book with me to the Open Doors at Lillan.

Lillan will attend, of course. It is one of the oldest houses still left in Dalsbruk. About its name I’ve already told in this post.

img_3129-1 — Picture of Lillan from 1920’s from the book

Other houses to attend and see are

Marmorpalatset (2 apartments and garden)
Nybyggningen (2 apartments)
Övre Kajlins (1 apartment + garden)
Stenkakola garden
Worker’s apartments in Bruksmuseums area

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Link to the event (in Facebook) here. Event is arranged by Saariston Kulttuuriseurue – Skärgårdens Kultursällskap.

A house by the sea shore?

18.8.2017

The title on the Lillan home page, "little house on the ocean shore" has brought up some discussion.

Many of my very well English speaking friends have told me the Baltic Sea to be a sea, not an ocean.

They have also noticed that since Lillan is not located directly on the shore, I should use BY instead. To tell the massive 40 meters distance from the shore.

I know my English is not always impeccable. Thus I truly appreciate all comments to improve my language and to use the correct words.

But about the subject line. I have thought it through, even very much so.

I know the view you have from Lillan is definitely not an ocean one, hardly even sea since there are so many islands on the archipelago area.

But still. It is water connected to all oceans of this globe. I love the idea that by the tiny sea in front of Lillan you can have access to any continent of our world.

Once I had this dream I took off from Lillan shore with a beautiful wooden sailing boat to visit the world's most wonderful place. It was almost at the other side of the globe. Maybe that dream can fulfill some day.

About the preposition then. Lillan was set on its nowadays place year 1730 when it was relocated from the island Hitis where it was built some tens of years before.

At year 1730 it was ON a sea shore. In those almost 300 years the land has arisen (yes, ice age effects here still) and there has even been some landfill in front of Lillan. Thus today the more correct preposition would be by.

Lillan's official name is Lilla Strandbyggnaden, the small beach building. Because then it was at the beach.

Somehow I just wanted the history of the house to show even on the headlines. I truly apologize if someone feels therefore being mislead.

So. For me, Lillan is truly a house on the ocean shore ❤

Picturesque Antiquity

19.7.2017

Got recommended to visit a lovely place at Perniö: Säterin Antiikki. Well, those recommendations were worth listening: It took less than an hour’s drive from Lillan and there was really a treasure in the end of that rainbow. (Do click the pictures to see them larger – things in them are worth it!)

The charming attic of a barn house renovated into the antique sales use intrigued my imagination. So captivating – you could almost hear the stories these old items had to tell.

Wonderful, old things, beautifully displayed. The prices weren’t that bad, either. What enthralled me most was the history even the smallest things indirectly hinted. For instance the old pharmacy tags. Colic drops, sure. But a white potion? And dysentery drops. World has changed and these relics of the past tell it best.

The charming old couple living in the Lintilä mansion were kind enough to tell me about the history of the estate. It goes back to the beginning of the 1600th century. At year 1510 the first owner of (then written) Lindilä, Klaus Henrik’s son, gave it to his widowed relative Cecilia Jakob’s daughter. Noblemans, Coronels and other vivid persons entwined in the history, almost like from a fairytale. You can sense that long lane there.

Went in the steeper route but came back the easier way. (And yes, surely had my mini assistant trio along. After all, we even had a swimming dip nearby, wonderful little lake hinted by the owners. My firstborn was kind enough to lend his helping hand with the footage.)

We got a tour on the estates. The chapel on the premise is an old granary renovated.

And the garden of the mansion then, oh my. Old flora, beautifully taken care of.

No wonder there had been a lot of visitors at the open gardens’ day.

Wanted of course something as a memento to Lillan as well. Got intrigued by the old graphic prints from the 1900th century. Especially one by William Henry Bartlett called me. I know it says Cove Harbour but I always read it as ‘Love Harbour’. What could better fit Lillan?

But the picture looked a bit lonely on the wall. So I companied it with the front leaf of and old steal industry magazine found from the Lillan attic.

I love the idea that when looked from a right perspective, they both are again connected with the ocean. The boy catching fish from 1958 and the Port De Cove from 1859.

And they both suite quite well the Master Bedroom atmosphere as well, don’t you think?

Thank you Säterin Antiikki, Liisa and Sakari. We’ll come back, definitely.

Historical pictures

1.3.2017

Got copies of two old photos of Lillan from Dalsbruks Bruksmuseum. Well, all is relative – if Lillan has stood on its ground almost 300 years, these pictures are quite young ❤

They even used the other of the photos for this lovely book’s cover. Thank you Sagalund!

(The house behind Lillan was called Råttfällan. They used to give names to houses and places in Dalsbruk – I’ll tell more about that in a new blog post ❤ )

Little house on the ocean shore

Charming seaside cottage

Category: History