English nobility grouse hunting drew a crowd during the first day of Sommer-Melbu -

04 July 2026

An interested audience sits in the conservatory in the main yard and listens to the speaker. The speaker can be glimpsed standing to the right in the picture. The room is packed with people. At the back of the room, the doors to another living room are opened, and you can see that there are people sitting there listening there too.

During the first evening of Sommer-Melbu, it was local historian Thomas Gundersen who lined up at Melbo manor to tell the story of English nobility comming to Hadsel to hunt grouse in the mid-1800s. There were so many grouse that they called the island Grouse island, and Blågården, so called because the farm house was painted blue, was given the very honorable nickname Blue Castle.

Many had made their way to the manor after the opening event for Sommer-Melbu down town had ended. Extra chairs had to be put out, the doors had to be opened and someone had to sit in the corner sitting room to listen.

We would like to give special thanks to Thomas Gundersen for an excellent lecture, and thank everyone who made their way to the manor on this beautiful Friday evening.

Did you miss the lecture? We are looking into the possibilities of setting it up again in the autumn. Keep an eye on social media, on the museum’s website and where you get information about activities in Hadsel, and more information will come later.