Queen Victoria and Prince Albert made this
glorious estate into a wonderful seaside retreat for their growing family, far away from the
hectic courts in London and Windsor. Join us as we take a wonderful walk around
this estate. Osborne House is situated in East Cowes on
the Isle of Wight just off the coast of southern England. You can reach the Isle by car and foot ferry
from Portsmouth to Fishbourne or Lymington to Yarmouth and even from Southampton to East
Cowes. The Portsmouth route is the easiest and shortest
if you're coming from the London area. Trains from London Victoria reach Portsmouth
Harbour within two hours but is pretty expensive on ticket price. We came with our car on the 45-minute crossing
from Portsmouth but if you're on foot a number four or five bus runs from nearby the ferry
port at Fishbourne getting you to Osborne House in about 15 minutes for a few pounds. The house is open most of the year although
in winter November to March only on specific dates and just the ground floor of the house
and gardens, so do check the website for the latest information to avoid disappointment. Queen Victoria first visited the Isle of Wight
at the age of 12 with her mother, developing a fondness she would return many times. Whilst she had three palaces at her disposal
Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace in the Royal Pavilion in Brighton none were deemed suitable
for the growing family which would reach nine children. With assistance from the then prime minister,
Sir Robert Peel, their search brought them to the Osborne estate and the royal couple
leased it from the Blatchford family in 1844. Loving it at first sight the queen wrote "it's
impossible to imagine a prettier spot, we have a charming beach quite to ourselves,
we can walk anywhere without being followed or mobbed". Their excitement for the visit resulted in
the purchase of the estate just one year later for £28000. We'll start our walk around the extensive
estate in the Pavilion, Terraces and Gardens. Arriving dead on 10 a.m when it opens, most
visitors head straight for the inside tour but by walking to the Pavilion and Terraces
you can enjoy a virtually visitor free experience for the first hour. The original Georgian three-story building
was too small so Prince Albert embarked on an extraordinary project to expand and alter
the property. Albert was heavily involved in every aspect
allowing him to utilize his many passions for building, landscape design and estate
management amongst other things. It also allowed him to express his own ideas
on aesthetics. He consulted with Thomas Cubitt, a notable
builder and developer of areas of London including Pimlico, Bloomsbury and Belgravia. Cubitt provided designs convincing Albert
that a new house was the best approach. The Pavilion was the first part of the build
to be completed in September 1846. This section of the house. The family was able to move in straight away
as it included the bedrooms, dining room and nursery. The household wing containing accommodation
for staff who accompanied Queen Victoria to Osborne was completed in 1848 at which point
the original Georgian house was demolished to make way to complete the main wing in 1851. The other remaining area the Dunbar Wing wasn't
completed until 1891. Rendered in local Medina cement, painted in
a warm colour to imitate bath stone, the design is a fine example of Italianate style, reminding
Albert of his fondness for Naples which he visited in 1839. Osborne became one of the most photographed
Victorian homes and the design was hugely influential in Britain and abroad with many
government buildings and homes sharing features of the Osborne style as it became known. Albert was key again to the design of the
gardens and even today it is in keeping with his creativity and expression. Along with Cubitt, Albert sought the opinions
and assistance of Ludwig Gruner to help continue the Italianate feel of the terrace gardens
we're walking in now. The colours are wonderful all year round now
displaying a special arrangement to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. The views of the Solent are a little obscured
by the cloudy weather today, the grass parched and dry from the hot summer. Let's head down the sloping path along the
broad walk towards the shore of Osborne Bay and the beachfront Victoria so loved. Huge quantities of earth were moved when building
the house to create this sweeping descent to the shore and sculpting the valley. The walk takes in a wonderful woodland for
about 20 minutes, a stroll at Victoria, Albert and the children would make almost daily. The trees lining the walk were picked by Albert
although the forestry commission added more in the 1930s. The children loved to play at the beach as
supervised by their governess, collecting shells and digging in the sand. A tent was pitched each year for shelter. A private boat landing jetty was added by
the family for visitors, although the Queen would arrive from London at East Cowes and
take a carriage the short distance to the house. The alcove seat decorated in Minton tiles
was a favourite spot of Queen Victoria to draw and write. Loving the open air she had a number installed
across the estate this one was built in 1869. It was from this beach that Victoria bathed
in the sea for the first time in her life in 1847. This cabin on wheels was built specifically
for her, a place she could change privately. More ornate than others seen at the seaside
it even included a toilet. Albert suggested the bathing machine as he
believed it was good for her health. Rails ran into the sea so the cabin could
be pushed into the water. Curtains were placed around the front door
so the queen was unseen as she stepped into the water. A wire rope and winch would pull it back up
when she was refreshed and finished. Victoria wrote, "how delightful it was to
undress and bathe in the sea until I put my head under the water and feared I would be
stifled". Having been used as a chicken shed following
her death it was beautifully restored in the 1950s and finally returned to the beach in
2012. Taking the rhododendron walk, a different
path that will return us ultimately to the house, we are now heading to the Swiss Cottage. Tucked away from the house in the woods is
a Swiss Alpine-style cottage that Albert built for his nine children between 1853 and 54. A full-size playhouse if you like! A place for them to play at being adults,
learn about the natural world around them and develop skills like gardening, cookery
and housekeeping. There was even a small museum to house the
children's collections. It was formally presented to the children
on Queen Victoria's birthday the 24th of May 1854. A garden surrounds the cottage a place for
them to grow flowers fruit and veg, each having their own plot. They would sell their produce to Albert as
a way of learning about commerce The ground floor was lived in by the housekeeper
Louise Warne and her husband. Much of this has been turned into exhibition
rooms that tell you more about each of the children, what they liked doing and who they
became. This tiled room was the larder for butter
churning and storing fruit and veg. The scullery had a fireplace, sink in the
front window and a dresser containing the dining service used by the family in the chalet. The Kitchen next door was stocked with all
the utensils and equipment needed for cooking with one difference, everything is three-quarter
scale. Even the Belgian range is not full size to
make it easier for the children to use. They would make afternoon teas, pies, tarts
and pastries to serve the family. We climb the outside steps to reach the first
floor and the Queen's room that doubled as the dining room. It is laid out for afternoon tea on the 12th
of July 1861 the last time the family were all together. The Queen would often use the desk to write
letters or deal with state paperwork. In the dressing room is a small cane couch made by Francis Pittis, a local Isle
of Wight firm in 1854. The beautiful secretaire was Swiss and bought
to the great exhibition. The final room was initially the children's
museum but later became the sitting room when a new museum was built nearby as the collection
outgrew this room. A remarkably detailed model called "Spratt - Grocers
to the Queen" was used by the children to practice keeping accounts. You can visit the entire collection in the
museum near the chalet which was sadly closed during our visit. A thatched summer house in the garden houses replicas
of the children's named barrows for gardening. We'll now head back on the one-mile walk to
the house to take a look inside the home lived in for just 55 years, many of which were without
Victoria's beloved Albert. 1861 was a terrible year for Queen Victoria,
her mother died in March and Albert became increasingly ill and passed away at Windsor
Castle on the 14th of December. She would retreat to Osborne that winter and
stay until March the following year. She would never cease to mourn for Albert
and increasingly used Osborne to find solace. John Brown, her faithful Scottish servant
from the Balmoral estate is seen here encouraging the queen to ride a pony at Osborne. We step inside the house at the household
wing to walk the Grand Corridor that connects the main wing and the Pavilion's private apartments. Ludwig Gruner helped Albert create an Italian
Renaissance feel. High up are copy plaster friezes from the
pantheon. This is the council room where Victoria met
her Privy Council a number of times a year, and it was in this room in 1857 she gave Albert
the title Prince Consort. It was also used as a second dining room and
entertainment room. It was elaborately decorated with the help
of Gruner. Alexander Graham Bell demonstrated the telephone
to the Queen here in 1878. The Council Room leads on to the Audience Room where the Queen would receive statesmen, and distinguished guests. The satinwood furniture was specifically made
for this room. The glass guilt brass chandelier was made
in Berlin and represents Albert's favourite flowers the Convolvulus and Aram lilies climbing
out of a basket. Entering the Pavilion, the design Cubitt followed
for the private apartments was that of a Georgian House. We have entered the dining room on the ground
floor, one of the three main reception rooms. Highly decorated the ceiling was painted by Anthony
Muller under the direction of Gruner in 1857. English Heritage has done a wonderful job
of restoring them. Directly below the dining room were the Table
Decker rooms not accessible today. Steps lead to the dining room so the Table
Deckers could quickly lay tables and set flowers In the rooms below they will also keep the food warm coming
from the kitchen Court some hundred meters away to avoid smells in the house. The drawing room, described as "extremely
handsome" by the Queen in 1846. It contains a number of family portraits,
landscapes and statues of the children. The queen would retire to this room to play
cards, hear singing or recitals on the piano. The billiard room is part of the drawing room
allowing gentlemen of the household to socialize after dinner just out of sight of the queen. The table is made of slate to look like marble,
Albert's creative idea then manufactured by Magnus. Our walk takes us to the main stairway and we head
up to the second floor of the Pavilion. The first floor we'll see later. The Nursery Suite was directly above Victoria
and Albert's private apartments, giving them easy access to the children. It was formed of three rooms, the first room
was the children's superintendent sitting room. You can get lovely views of the terraces from
the window. The nursery bedroom has been recreated from
a photo taken in the 1870s when it was used by the Queen's great-grandchildren on visits
to Osborne. None of the original wallpaper, carpets and
curtains survived and has been reproduced. The cots are also reproductions of the ones
thought to have been designed by Prince Albert. The mahogany framed swing cradle was made
for Vicky Princess Royal in the 1840s. The Grand Staircase was modelled on the one
at Claremont house in Surrey, owned by Victoria's Uncle Leopold. The walls are painted by Anthony Muller. At the top of the stairs is a life-size statue
of Albert in what is described as "classical armour". An impressive Fresco "Neptune resigning the
Empire Of The Seas to Britannia" by William Dyce also dominates the staircase. He painted this in 1847. This is Prince Albert's bathroom which includes
a plumbed bathtub, shower and toilet. Next to this is his dressing and writing room. He could work on his projects and private
dispatch box papers from here. Originally the artwork in this room was part
of his Renaissance art collection, after his death, the Queen left the room very much as
it was in his lifetime. The Queens sitting room is at the centre of
the first floor of the Pavilion and it's where she could work on her state papers with Albert
acting as her private and personal secretary. It would take up a great deal of the day with
dispatch boxes arriving from London regularly. The Queen would sit on the left and Albert
on the right. The Queen would change several times a day
in her dressing room. When she awoke, if she was heading out for
a walk, before dinner and then just before bed. It had a bath and disguised shower room that
looked like a cupboard. The Minton dressing set was a Christmas gift
from Albert in 1853. Victoria died in this bedroom at Osborne on
this small couch bed with her family around her at 6.30 pm on the 22nd of January 1901. She lay in state in the dining room before
being taken to Windsor Castle. King Edward VII locked the room with iron
gates and for 50 years it was a family shrine until Queen Elizabeth II allowed the room
and apartments to be open to the public for the first time in 1954. Edward had no real use for the home after
his mother's death as he preferred Sandringham but of course, recognized its national importance. The Royal Naval College was established on
the grounds in 1903 to train officer cadets which strengthened the Navy before the first
world war. It was used for this use until 1921. A convalescent home was also opened in 1904
in parts of the main wing for injured naval officers. Later others with a military or civil service
background were allowed to come here and this continued until the late 1990s. The Hut we saw on the beach which is now a
cafe was built for the servicemen living at the house to aid in recuperation. A lift was installed for the Queen in 1893
when she found it increasingly difficult to climb stairs and was using a wheeled chair
regularly. This is the horn room, a place guests would
wait to be seen by the royal family and named as such the furniture and decorations are
made from deer horn collected by Victorian Albert during hunting at Balmoral. Although Empress of India, Victoria never
visited the country but her love for Indian culture can be seen in the gallery of portraits
on display in this corridor. A number of Indian servants joined the household
in 1887, a favourite was Abdul Karim who became a close friend of the Queen in later life. This is a striking portrait of Maharaja Duleep
Singh who visited Osborne in 1854, the year this portrait was painted by FX Winterhalter. Victoria commissioned the addition of the
Dunbar Wing In 1890 to be able to entertain large number of guests in the house and for
her daughter Beatrice and her family to live above. It was designed by John Lockwood Kipling father
of the author Rudyard Kipling with the assistance of Bhai Ram Singh from Lahore for the carving
wooden moulds. The plastering was done by George Jackson
and Son of London. 26 Craftsmen working on the chimney piece
and over mantle spent 500 hours producing the peacock alone. During dinner, musicians would play from the
balcony. Around the room are objects presented to the
Queen for her jubilees in 1887 and 97. The majority are decorated boxes called "address
caskets" sent from all over the Indian empire to provide greetings and congratulations to
the Queen. Osborne is a really special palatial home
that allows you to get up close to Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and the family in their most
private setting to find out what they were really like behind the pomp and pageantry
of Royal life. It surely is a place to explore when you visit
England and the Isle of Wight. Well, that's it from Osborne House, hope you've
enjoyed our tour here today. It's been absolutely fascinating finding out
more about Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and the family and this beautiful retreat
here. We've got more like this on the channel, we'll
be back in the Isle of Wight very soon with some more videos but do give us a like subscribe
and join us on future videos. Thanks for watching, see you again soon!
