Dream of a time when noble families strolled these very grounds. That time is closer than you think, right here at Ängby Slott. This isn’t just a building. It’s a portal to centuries past. Welcome to Stora Ängby, also known as Ängby Slott, a manor house with a rich history. Its story whispers from the stones beneath our feet.
Ängby is first mentioned in writing in 1315. In 1629, Ängby comprised three crown units. The estate was then donated to the Hovrätt councilor Christoffer Ludvig Rasche. His son Gustaf Rasche inherited Ängby in 1745. The farms then gained freehold status.
Around 1650, the owner of Åkeshov, Åke Axelsson Natt och Dag, acquired the old village in Ängby. It became part of his large land acquisition in Bromma socken. After his death in 1653, they merged to form Stora Ängby Säteri. Åke Axelsson Natt och Dag’s widow, Anna Cruus, inherited Ängby in 1655. She likely had the wing built between the castle and the storehouse. Anna Cruus also commissioned the first main building. It was a red-painted timber building with one floor, six rooms and a porch. The house had a vaulted cellar. A map from 1689 shows the farm’s main buildings, the “herrbyggningen”, were located roughly where they are today.
Riksmarskalken Johan Gabriel Stenbock acquired Stora Ängby in 1689. It was long believed he commissioned the current stone house. However, later research suggests the builder was likely legation secretary Baltzar Brandenburg. After some ownership changes, Baltzar Brandenburg acquired the property in 1692 from Johan Gabriel Stenbock. Brandenburg had leased the estate in 1690. Two years later, he bought it from Stenbock in connection with his ennoblement to Ehrenstolpe. He then built today’s main building on a hill southwest of the earlier main building. The previous building became a subordinate wing. The construction of Stora Ängby manor house began in the early 1690s. The new manor house was completed in 1696. Ehrenstolpe erected a burial chapel at Bromma Church. However, it was demolished in 1818.
Carl Hermelin owned Ängby between 1735 and 1764. In 1765, David Stierncrona bought Stora Ängby. He was the son of the previous owner, Gabriel Stierncrona of Åkeshov. He owned the estate until 1857. At that time, the property comprised 156 hectares of land. In 1772, when chamberlain David Stierncrona owned it, Stora Ängby was a tenant farm of 1½ mantal.
Until 1904, Stora Ängby changed owners four times. The last owner was royal secretary Carl Gustav Wahlberg. In 1904, Wahlberg’s heirs sold the land to the City of Stockholm for 100,000 crowns. The property stretched from Kyrksjön to Tyska botten at Mälaren. Both Stora Ängby and Åkeshov farms were included in the acquisition. The land was intended for future residential development. The farm’s agriculture ceased in 1932. Planning began for Norra Ängby with small houses and Södra Ängby with functionalist villas.
In the 1940s, Stora Ängby housed a youth hostel and military accommodation. The wing contained four simple workers’ dwellings. The wing’s facades were renovated in 1946. After a period of disrepair, the City of Stockholm’s real estate office restored the main building in 1956. The city antiquarian Gösta Selling assisted. The old storehouse was recognized early for its antiquity. The prominent cultural historian Sigurd Erixon restored it in 1934.
Today, Ängby Slott stands as a testament to time. Its walls echo with stories of nobles, farmers, and even military personnel. As you wander through its rooms, imagine the lives lived within. Picture the grand halls filled with music and laughter. Feel the weight of history beneath your feet. Ängby Slott is not just a place to visit. It’s an experience to be lived.