Modern Times at the Manor

1920s

Modern Times at the Manor profiles the final Count at Gammel Estrup, Christen Scheel (1853-1926), who moved into the manor house in 1918.

Christen Scheel took over Gammel Estrup at a time when manors were undergoing major changes. In the early days of the 20th century, society was on the threshold of the modern age, and industrialisation knew no bounds. Many manors led the way when it came to the development of agriculture and industry, and it was often at the manor that modern initiatives were introduced in local areas.

When Christen, Count Scheel, his wife and two of his 11 children moved into Gammel Estrup, they fitted it out with modern, technological inventions such as a gramophone, a telephone and a variety of electrical appliances mixed with heirlooms, artefacts and furniture from previous generations.

Modern Times at the Manor features the Count’s Drawing Room, which was the family’s everyday living room, The Smoking Room, where the count could retire with a good cigar, The Passage and The Studio, where visitors can take their own photographs.