Osborne House tells the story of love, dedication and resilience from the perspective of Britain’s second-longest-reigning monarch. Located on the Isle of Wight, about 90 miles southeast of London, Osborne House was built by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and used as a private family retreat from court life. Since its creation between 1845 and 1851, this richly decorated seaside estate remains largely intact, offering visitors an intimate glimpse into the royal couple’s personal lives, interests and art collection. From the children’s nursery to the bedroom where Queen Victoria died in 1901, each room shares a bit of Britain’s royal past. Uncover the secrets on a virtual tour of Queen Victoria’s Osborne House with help from Michael Hunter, curator at English Heritage.
What do you think attracted Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to the Isle of Wight?
The quiet and privacy of the Isle of Wight attracted Victoria and Albert. It was away from the official worries and cares of state that they had to deal with in London or Windsor. It was another world, somewhere apart. The development of the railways in the mid-nineteenth century meant that they could get to the island from London in about 4 hours. The use of their own private train and yacht did help to shorten the journey time … no boarding a public ferry for them!
Detail of Portrait of Queen Victoria on Papier Mâché Face Screen, 1840. Courtesy of Birmingham Museums Trust.
What makes Osborne House unique compared to other royal residences in the UK?
Osborne is unique as a royal residence because it was created from scratch by Victoria and Albert. It was the first home they made together, when they were both in their mid-twenties, already with a young, growing family. Victoria and Albert spent around 4 months a year at Osborne and it is a monument to their love, taste as collectors and a vibrant insight into their lives.
Courtesy of English Heritage
Can you describe Osborne House and its size?
Osborne was designed by Prince Albert and built by Thomas Cubitt. It is in the Italianate style and with its terraced, formal gardens, it takes advantage of a spectacular setting, overlooking the Solent. It has around 250 rooms and has four distinct, though connected, parts; the Pavilion in which Victoria and Albert had their own rooms; the Household Wing used by the member of the royal household who travelled with Victoria and Albert; the Main Wing where the royal children had their rooms; and the Durbar Wing which was a late addition to the house which was built to provide a large entertaining space. The outside of the house has two distinct towers, very much as one would see in any old public square in Italy, one for the clock and one for flying the royal standard. The Osborne estate was around 2,500 acres – it is now around 600 acres after parts of the estate were sold after Victoria’s death.
Courtesy of English Heritage
How much time did Queen Victoria and her family spend at Osborne House?
Queen Victoria and her family spent around 4 months of each year at Osborne. They always celebrated their birthdays at Osborne and after Prince Albert’s death in 1861, Victoria always went to Osborne for Christmas.
Can you describe design trends that influenced the style and evolution of Osborne House?
The Italianate style of architecture – a style inspired by the architecture of the classical world – was popular in the mid-nineteenth century and this was Albert’s choice.
Courtesy of English Heritage
Can you describe a few major changes made to Osborne House during Queen Victoria’s lifetime?
The most noticeable change was the addition of the Durbar Wing in the 1890s. This was built to provide Queen Victoria with a large dining/entertaining space as well as an apartment for her daughter Princess Beatrice, her husband and children. The size of the estate and the number of buildings (farm buildings, servants’ cottages, etc.) increased during Victoria’s time.
Courtesy of English Heritage
What is your favorite room at Osborne House? And, why?
My favourite room is the Queen’s Sitting Room with its floor to ceiling windows that open out onto a balcony where there are spectacular views across the terraced gardens, down to the private beach and over the Solent towards Portsmouth. It is quite a thought that in this modest room Queen Victoria and her ministers controlled a mighty empire.
Courtesy of English Heritage
How did Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and their nine children prefer to pass the time at Osborne House?
The royal family preferred to spend as much of their time out of doors in the fresh air. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert swam off their private beach (Queen Victoria using her bathing machine which can still be seen on the beach today) and all their children were taught to swim in a large floating bath that Prince Albert designed. They walked and rode a lot around the estate and went on excursions on the water around the island on their yachts. Queen Victoria did a lot of painting in watercolours in the gardens and around Osborne, many of which are still in the Royal Collection.
Courtesy of English Heritage
What is your favorite piece of artwork on display at Osborne House? And, why?
My favourite art work is a life-size marble statue by J. Edgar Boehm of “Noble”, one of Queen Victoria’s favourite collie dogs. The sculpture was done when the dog was 14 years old and it sits in the Grand Corridor alongside many sculptures in the classical style. The fact that it is so prominently displayed shows Victoria’s great love of her pets. She commissioned many images of them, just as many in fact as she did of her family. A bronze cast of the marble sculpture at Osborne was put over Noble’s grave at Balmoral, Victoria’s home in Scotland.
Are there any items on display that offer clues about the royal couple’s relationship and/or parenting style?
By all accounts Victoria and Albert had a passionate relationship and many of the artworks at Osborne have an erotic charge. For example, the large painting by France Xaver Winterhalter that Victoria gave Albert as a birthday present one year shows an abundance of naked female flesh … and it hangs directly opposite their writing desks in Victoria’s sitting room. The bronze statue of Andromeda that stands in the middle of a fountain in the garden shows a beautiful young girl, in a very sensual pose, chained to a rock waiting to be rescued by Perseus. The statue was bought by Victoria and Albert at the Great Exhibition in 1851 and placed at Osborne soon afterward. Queen Victoria has a bad reputation as a mother but the fact that the nurseries at Osborne are immediately above her own rooms indicates that she wanted to have the children close by rather than pushed off into a completely separate part of the house. Although the children were in the care of staff nevertheless she and Prince Albert were able to see as much of their children when at Osborne as possible.
Courtesy of English Heritage
What might surprise visitors about Osborne House?
Visitors might be surprised by the intimate, family feeling that Osborne still has. The rooms are comparatively modest by royal standards. Unlike other residences associated with Victoria and Albert that are open, Osborne is the one that gives an intimate glimpse into their lives.
Have there been any recent updates to the visitor experience at Osborne House?
The most recent major addition to the visitor experience was the opening a few years ago of the private beach. There is also a recent exhibition about Victoria and Albert’s birthdays at Osborne and the gifts they gave to each other, many of which can be seen in the house.
Courtesy of English Heritage
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