Osborne House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Osborne House |
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Aerial view of Osborne House
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Italian Renaissance |
| Location | Isle of Wight |
| Town or city | East Cowes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 50°45′02″N 01°16′11″W / 50.75056°N 1.26972°W |
| Construction started | 1845 |
| Completed | 1851 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Prince Albert (designer) |
| Engineer | Thomas Cubitt (builder) |
Osborne House is a grand former royal home located in East Cowes, on the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. It was built between 1845 and 1851 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. They wanted it as a special summer home and a quiet place to relax away from busy court life.
Prince Albert himself designed the house. He chose a style called Italian Renaissance, which looks like beautiful Italian palaces. The famous builder Thomas Cubitt constructed it. His company also built the main front of Buckingham Palace for the royal couple in 1847. An older, smaller house on the land was taken down to make room for this much larger new home. However, the old entrance gate still stands as the main way into the walled garden.
Queen Victoria passed away at Osborne House on January 22, 1901, when she was 81 years old. After her death, her son, King Edward VII, gave the house to the country. This happened on the day of his coronation. He kept the royal part of the house as a private museum for his mother.
From 1903 to 1921, some parts of the estate, especially around the stables, were used as a training college. It was for young officers in the Royal Navy and was called the Royal Naval College, Osborne. Another part of the house became a place for officers to recover from illness or injury.
In 1954, Queen Elizabeth II allowed the private rooms on the first floor of the royal part to be opened to the public. Later, in 1986, English Heritage started looking after Osborne House. In 1989, the second floor was also opened for everyone to see.
Today, Osborne House is a very important historic building. It is listed as Grade I, meaning it's of exceptional interest. Its beautiful park and gardens are also listed as Grade II*, showing their special historic importance.
Contents
The Story of Osborne House
A Royal Summer Home
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert bought Osborne House on the Isle of Wight in October 1845. They really wanted a home where they could escape the busy and stressful life at court. Victoria had visited the Isle of Wight twice as a young girl. Her mother, the Duchess of Kent, had rented a nearby estate called Norris Castle.
Victoria and Albert loved the location of the old three-story Georgian house. Prince Albert especially enjoyed the views of the Solent sea. It reminded him of the beautiful Bay of Naples in Italy. However, they soon realized the old house was too small for their growing family. So, they decided to build a brand new, much larger home.
The new Osborne House was built between 1845 and 1851. It was designed in the Italian Renaissance style. It even had two tall towers that offered amazing views. Prince Albert designed the house himself. He worked closely with Thomas Cubitt, the famous London architect and builder. Cubitt's company also built the main front of Buckingham Palace. The royal couple paid for much of the new house's furniture. They got the money from selling the Royal Pavilion in Brighton.
Prince Albert was very involved in planning the estate, gardens, and woodlands. He wanted to show his skills in forestry and landscaping. At other royal homes, he was often told what to do by official government groups. But at Osborne, he had full control. Below the gardens, on Osborne Bay, was a private beach. Here, the Queen had her own special bathing machine. This machine was very fancy, with a front porch and curtains. It allowed her to go into the water privately. Inside, it had a changing room and even a toilet.
The first part of the new house was called "The Pavilion." It held the main rooms for official use on the ground floor. The royal family's private apartments were on the first floor. The official rooms, like the Billiard Room, show Victoria's family connections to other European royal families. The Billiard Room has a huge porcelain vase given as a gift by the Russian Tsar. The Billiard Room, Queen's Dining Room, and Drawing Room on the ground floor all look very grand.
In contrast, the royal apartments on the first floor were much more cozy and simple. These included Prince Albert's Dressing Room, the Queen's Sitting Room, the Queen's Bedroom, and the children's nurseries. These rooms were meant for private family life. They were made as comfortable as possible. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert wanted to raise their children in a natural and loving way. They let their children visit their parents' bedrooms often. This was unusual for the time. Children of wealthy families often lived separately in nurseries. They usually only joined their parents in public rooms, not in private family spaces.
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A larger main wing was added later to the house. This part had rooms for the royal staff. It also included council and audience rooms. There was even a special suite of rooms for Victoria's mother. The very last part added to the house was a wing built between 1890 and 1891. It was designed by John Lockwood Kipling, who was the father of the famous writer Rudyard Kipling.
The ground floor of this new wing has the famous Durbar Room. "Durbar" is an English version of a Hindi word meaning "court." The Durbar Room was built for important state events. It was decorated by Bhai Ram Singh in a very detailed and beautiful style. It also has a special carpet from Agra, India. Today, it displays gifts Queen Victoria received for her Golden and Diamond jubilees. These gifts include engraved silver and copper vases, Indian armor, and a model of an Indian palace. The first floor of this new wing was only for Princess Beatrice and her family. Beatrice was the Queen's youngest daughter, and she lived close to Victoria for most of her life.
Osborne House shows many connections to the British rule in India. It has a collection of paintings of Indian people and scenes. Queen Victoria asked Rudolf Swoboda to paint these. They show Indians who lived in or visited Britain in the 1800s. They also show scenes painted in India when Swoboda traveled there.
The royal family spent long periods at Osborne each year. They visited in the spring for Victoria's birthday in May. They also came in July and August to celebrate Albert's birthday. And they would visit just before Christmas. Unlike past monarchs, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert allowed photographers and painters to create works featuring their family. These pictures were for their own enjoyment. But they also helped show the public that they were a happy and loving family. Thousands of prints of the royal family were sold. This made Victoria say, "no Sovereign was ever more loved than I am (I am bold enough to say)." In 1858, Queen Victoria wrote to her daughter Princess Victoria. She said that Windsor Castle felt gloomy. She added, "I long for our cheerful and unpalacelike rooms at Osborne."
The grounds also had a "Swiss Cottage" for the royal children. This cottage was taken apart in Switzerland and brought piece by piece to Osborne. There, it was put back together. At the cottage, the royal children were encouraged to garden. Each child had a rectangular plot of land. They grew fruits, vegetables, and flowers there. They would sell what they grew to their father. Prince Albert used this as a way to teach them basic economics. The children also learned to cook in the Swiss Cottage. It had a fully working kitchen. Both parents believed this kind of education was important. It helped their children understand daily life, even though they were royalty.
In 1859, Prince Albert designed a new, larger stable building. It was built by Cubitts on the old cricket field. This building is also listed as Grade II*. After Prince Albert died at Windsor Castle in December 1861, Queen Victoria continued to visit Osborne House. It remained one of her favorite homes. In 1876, the Government House in the Australian state of Victoria was built. It was a copy of Osborne House, as a tribute to Queen Victoria.
On January 14, 1878, Alexander Graham Bell showed an early telephone to the Queen at Osborne House. He made calls to Cowes, Southampton, and London. These were the first public long-distance telephone calls in Britain. The Queen tried the device and thought it was "quite extraordinary." However, she noted the sound was "rather faint." She later asked to buy the equipment. Bell offered to make a special set of telephones just for her.
A Gift to the Nation
Queen Victoria died at Osborne on January 22, 1901. Two generations of her family were with her. She loved Osborne very much. Her will said that Osborne should stay in the family. However, her children did not feel the same way about it. Princess Beatrice and Princess Louise were given houses on the estate. King Edward VII gave Osborne to the nation on his Coronation Day in August 1902. The royal apartments on the upper floors of the pavilion wing, including the Queen's bedroom, became a private museum. Only the royal family could visit it.
What Happened Next?
In 1903, the new stable building became a training college for young officers. It was for the Royal Navy and was called the Royal Naval College, Osborne. Training started around age 13. After two years, students continued their studies at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth. The college closed in 1921. The last students left on April 9, 1921.
Some famous students from Osborne included Queen Victoria's great-grandsons. These were the future kings Edward VIII and George VI. Their younger brother George, Duke of Kent also studied there. Another well-known student was Jack Llewelyn Davies. He was one of the five Llewelyn Davies boys who inspired J. M. Barrie's story, Peter Pan. A case from 1908, involving George Archer-Shee, happened at Osborne. He was wrongly accused of stealing a small amount of money. This event inspired the play The Winslow Boy.
A Place for Healing Soldiers
During World War I, the other parts of Osborne House were used as a recovery home for officers. Robert Graves and A. A. Milne were two famous patients who stayed there. It was known as the King Edward VII Retirement Home for Officers. Later, it also took in people recovering from military and civil service. This included retired officers from the British armed forces until the year 2000.
Meet Thomas Cubitt, the Builder
Thomas Cubitt was one of the most famous builders of the 1800s. People even called him "the Emperor of the building trade."
Prince Albert was very impressed with Cubitt's earlier work. So, he asked him to rebuild Osborne House. Cubitt and Prince Albert worked very closely together. They designed and built the house, mixing Palladian architecture with Italian Renaissance style. Cubitt not only designed the structure. He also used many features from his own workshops inside the house. This included doors and fireplaces he designed himself. He also created the patterns for the plasterwork inside the house.
The design of Osborne House is grand and fit for royalty. But it is not so grand that it feels cold or unfriendly. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert wanted to escape the formal atmosphere of Buckingham Palace. They wanted a home where their children could feel free and welcome. After Osborne House was finished, they asked Cubitt to build the east wing of Buckingham Palace. Victoria admired Cubitt not just for his work. She also admired his kind character. She called him "our Cubitt." When he died, she said that "a better, kinder-hearted man never breathed."
Preservation
Since 1986, Osborne House has been looked after by English Heritage. It is now open for everyone to visit. The house is a Grade I listed building. This means it is considered very important. The beautiful park and gardens are also listed as Grade II*. This shows they are also of special historic interest.
The old cricket pavilion from the Naval College was turned into a holiday cottage in 2004. Since 2005, the house has sometimes hosted outdoor concerts on the lawn.
Queen Victoria's private beach at Osborne was opened to the public for the first time in July 2012. This happened after a lot of work to restore it. Her personal bathing machine is also there for visitors to see.
Images for kids
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John Brown (1826–1883) Memorial Bench at Osborne House
See also
In Spanish: Castillo de Osborne para niños
