Osborne House, Isle of Wight

[Elise,LadyofLancaster]

OSBORNE HOUSE

Built in the style of an Italian villa, Osborne House was the much-loved home of Queen Victoria and her family, a residence which afforded them some privacy and seclusion from public life. When the estate, and seaside home, were purchased in 1845, the original house was not substantial enough to accommodate a large family, and Prince Albert designed a replacement. By 1851 the new Osborne House, based on the Prince's ideas and assisted by Thomas Cubitt, was a gargantuan affair.

Prince Albert favoured the Italian Renaissance style and this is apparent in the Grand Corridor, linking the Pavilion, Main Wing and Household Wing. The walls and ceiling are highly decorated (the first floor corridors have an arabesque decoration), and the Grand Corridor served as a fine classical sculpture gallery - very popular in the late 18th and 19th centuries. Not only did Queen Victoria and Prince Albert take pleasure in their statues, but the Grand Corridor also doubled up as a useful 'promenade' in bad weather.

Apart from the splendid ceilings, the rooms also contain some impressive features, and much use was made of imitation marble, even for the legs of the billiard table designed by Prince Albert. Although primarily a family home to be enjoyed with the children, Osborne House was still a Royal residence, where affairs of State had to be dealt with. In the Council Room, the Queen's Privy Council of Ministers met, and the badge of the Garter can be seen at the centre of the ceiling.

Prince Albert influenced the highly successful Great Exhibition of 1851, and many exhibits relating to this event can be seen at Osborne. Displayed throughout the house are numerous gifts to the Queen from around the world. The Royal Nursery remains as it would have been, and the private suite of Victoria and Albert gave the couple wonderful views of the estate and the Solent beyond, which reminded the Prince of the Bay of Naples. One of the extraordinary features of Osborne House is the Durbar Room and Corridor. In 1876, Queen Victoria became the Empress of India and Maharajah Duleep Singh and his family became important allies to the Queen. She also had an Indian servant, who later became her personal Indian secretary, and he taught the Queen Hindustani. Thus, when it was decided to create a state banqueting hall, Rudyard Kipling's father, Lockwood, designed the room with a distinctly Indian influence. Completed in 1893, the room resembles a medieval hall with a minstrels gallery, and a remarkable, deeply coffered ceiling. Every aspect of the hall is elaborately embellished, and the 'Peacock' alone took over 500 hours to create.

After exploring the house and contents, there is the added pleasure of a ride in a horse-drawn carriage to visit the Swiss Cottage - a wooden chalet in the grounds where the Royal children learned to cook. There is a museum full of diverse collections, the Victoria Fort and Albert Barracks, and beautiful gardens, all purposely designed with both education and fun in mind for the Royal children. It is not difficult to understand why Queen Victoria was reluctant to leave this personal 'island paradise' and return to London.