Skärva. Creating a place in the country

Skärva is an astonishing and fascinating architectural experiment from the 1780s, designed and built by Fredrik Henrik af Chapman, the great naval architect. The smallish country house by the Baltic sea, outside Karlskrona in southern Sweden, unites Swedish vernacular building tradition and the architecture of classical antiquity. The classical Greek elements were contributed by his friend and official superior, admiral Carl August Ehrensvärd. Kerstin Barup and Mats Edström, both practising architects, describe Skärva through contemporary records, paintings and sketches, as well as through 20th century plans, drawings and photographs.