Queen Victoria takes in Tjolöholm – Norra Halland

The interest in fashion plays in film and television is almost unlimited. It is a sure thing to sit and dream, far from past times, surrounded by beautiful clothes. The last magic was noticed, in Tjolöholm, where they once again held an exhibition based on the movie costumes.

Over the past two years, costumes from the hit series Downton Abbey (or associated with it) have filled the castle rooms, an era that coincided with the construction of the castle and Blanche Dickson put his stamp on the company. This year, people are thinking differently.

This time we go back to the Victorian era, before the Dickson family moved to Sweden, says Karen Kviklund, cultural director at Tjolöholm Castle.

64 years on the throne

Queen Victoria made a wonderful impression, in the 64 years she sat as Queen on the British throne. A time also coincided with major changes in society, both technically and socially. For example, the railroad was breached when she was taking office, and about 400,000 people came to London to watch the coronation.

– It is not unreasonable to think that the Dickson family was among those who were on the plastic to witness the celebration, says Magdalena Casper, the castle’s curator.

He emigrated to Gothenburg

Although the time of Queen Victoria’s death in 1901 coincides with the time when Tjolöholm was still under construction, there are many connections between the castle and her life. During the Victorian era, the Dickson family began to build their fortune and then took the step to emigrate to Gothenburg.

Even if they were well off before, they really got rich after moving to Sweden. They established the James Dickson & Company House of Commerce, which traded in natural resources, wood and iron. Industrialization came earlier in England, and they knew there was good work to be done there, says Magdalena Casper.

World Exposition in London

Queen Victoria cannot be spoken of without mentioning Albert. He had a technical interest and was the driving force behind the Great Universal Exposition in London in 1851. The Queen opened the exhibition at the newly built Crystal Palace in Hyde Park. The colossal construction of iron and glass burned out in 1936, but before that he had time to leave little grandchildren behind a little everywhere. An example is the Palmhuset in Trädgårdsföreningen in Gothenburg, which is built in the same spirit.

One of the main attractions was the Osler glass fountain. It’s the same company that delivered some of the lamps in the castle, Karen Kviklund says, and points to a pair of gorgeous chandeliers on the ceiling above the dress Queen Victoria wore when she opened the World’s Fair, designed by Prince Albert.

Borrowed suits

Or yeah, maybe it’s not exactly that dress. “We weren’t allowed to borrow the real things,” laughs Karen Kviklund.
Instead, it’s about the costumes from the TV series Victoria with Jenna Coleman as the Young Queen. So far, there have been three seasons and there is talk of four seasons.
– The costumes featured here borrowed from studio Cosprop who has made costumes for many different TV series and movies. It’s one of the regions where a true craft remains, says Magdalena Casper.
In total, just over 15 outfits are shown. Thirteen, were borrowed from some of the castle’s king, with some props from the house.

Eight at a time

The exhibition opened this weekend and runs throughout the year. As long as the infection situation looks the same now, you must book tickets in advance and eight people are admitted each time, once every half hour. There will be no guided tours, but there will be an on-site guide at the castle for those with questions.

In a way, it’s almost a bit lavish, to be pretty much alone inside the castle and really delve into what interests you, says Karen Kviklund.

Read more:

Done with Tjolöholm’s new CEO

The crisis is hitting tajawalolm hard

The modern era in Tjolöholm’s 20s