In today’s time, the Osborne House is one of the most visited places by tourists and attracts a lot of people around the world.The Osborne House was the former royal residence. The house was located in Isle Of Wight, England, and was one of the most beautiful residences of the time.The Osborne House on the Isle of Wight was Prince Albert’s side project. Prince Albert had a heavy influence on the overall design and theme of the Osborne House. By 1846, the queen used to visit Osborne House with six of her children but as the royal family grew, a new house was needed to fit all the family members.Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had used the Osborne House for more than 50 years to host foreign ministers and other important ministers of England. For tourists in today’s time, the Osborne House is filled with all the original furniture used by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. It is still a popular royal residence though not as well known as Buckingham Palace. Continue reading to learn some interesting Osborne House facts. Afterward, also check out Roman bath house facts and Edwardian houses facts.Osborne House HistoryVery little is known about the early history of the former royal residence. In 1705, the residence came into the hands of the Blachford family.The Blachford family had extended the house into a three-story residence that had a walled garden kitchen. In 1843, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were looking for a residence that could be used as a side retreat by the royal family. The Osborne Estate was then recommended by Prime Minister Sir Rober Peel to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The residence was owned by Lady Isabella Blachford at the time. Initially, the residence was leased, and then it was bought later for 28,000 euros.The existing house could not fit the needs of Queen Victoria and needed more extensions. Prince Albert did not want the extension of the royal residence to be restrained by the Department of Woods and Forest as they were in control of all the government buildings at the time. Prince Albert had then appointed Thomas Cubitt as the master builder. Cubitt was the brain behind the Duke of Westminster’s estate in London. Thomas Cubitt, instead of making changes to the old house, got together with Prince Albert and constructed a new home for the royal family. The first phase of the main house was completed in 1864, which housed private rooms of the royal couple and their nine children. Family rooms were the priority of the construction.The neighboring Barton Manor was redone by Cubitt and the existing buildings were used as a model farm. Since 1986, English Heritage has taken up the management of Osborne House. It has been repaired and restored many times since that period. Queen Victoria’s private beach was also opened to the public in 2012. In 2014, a conservation project was launched for the Swiss cottage, a getaway chalet for the royal children. It is due to English Heritage’s effort that the former royal household still stands as it is. The area where the Osborne household is located has been known as Osborne for thousands of years; that’s why it is called the Osborne House. Queen Elizabeth still visits the holiday home from time to time.Osborne House DesignThe Osborne House on the Isle Of Wight was built in order to provide a private home for the royal couple of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.Ever since the construction began for the Osborne House, Prince Albert was heavily involved in the overall design of the house which was then built by Thomas Cubitt. Prince Albert appointed him because he had his own ideas for constructing the house and Thomas Cubitt was the best person to bring his ideas to reality.When it comes to the design of the Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, it was heavily influenced by the Italian palazzo style. It had pairs of towers, and all of the terraces of the house were connected by flights of steps. The Osborne House was designed in a way so that it could blend in with the settings of the island where temperatures and views reminded Prince Albert of the Bay Of Naples which he had visited in 1839. To get a clear design like this, there were multiple approaches that could be selected, some of which had already been tried. Precedents of these were Thomas Hope’s Deepdene, Surrey, and Charles Berry’s Trentham.The division of the Osborne estate was done in multiple parts. The main block was divided with a pavilion running along with it. On one side, members of the royal family had their homes which were inspired by Charles Berry’s work. The pavilion was a private space for the royal couple. The dining room, billiard room, and drawing room on the first floor were open to each other around the three sides of the staircase. The ground floor rooms were large.Osborne House Vs Victorian House DifferenceVictorian is an architectural style that originated in Britain during the reign of Queen Victoria.Did you know that the Osborne estate was recommended to the royals by Sir Robert Peel?The Victorian architectural style adopts many elements from other architectural styles. Gothic and Romanesque were the most influential styles for Victorian houses. The Victorian home style was also heavily influenced by the Industrial Revolution.There had been significant advancements in both transportation and manufacturing during the period, allowing for the speedy and innovative construction of high-quality residences. This era gave architects more leeway to design extravagant, beautiful residences rather than the modest, utilitarian structures that had previously been the norm. As a result, Victorian homes are elaborately furnished and frequently painted in vibrant colors, something which is not seen with the design of the Osborne House.The Osborne House takes inspiration from the Italian palazzo style whereas the Victorian style incorporates design from the times of Italian renaissance villas. Victorian houses generally have a first floor and a second floor with a specific dressing room, bedroom, and nurseries. The main difference between the Osborne House and Victorian houses is that Victorian houses have bright colors and their roofs are pitched and triangular.Osborne House FeaturesThe Osborne House had multiple different features and buildings for the royal family, each of them having its own use.The entire Osborne House’s internal and external work was done in a cream color, which gives the place a Mediterranean feel which was not seen with previous manors or royal residences. When arriving on the island, the Osborne estate had its own private beach, which also provided a suitable spot away from the public eye.The Osborne House also featured a durbar room which was a banqueting hall for the royal family and their visitors. It has been successfully restored by English Heritage. The first floor also had a suite for Princess Beatrice and her family. The walk leading from the home was lined with trees that Prince Albert had picked and planted personally, sometimes with the assistance of the royal children.The Swiss cottage was built for the royal children and it was located nearly a mile away from the Osborne House. The Swiss cottage had its own facilities and accommodations for servants. In 1866, a smoking room was added near the Osborne House. After Prince Albert’s death in Windsor Castle, Queen Victoria still visited the Osborne House. In 1880, a private chapel was built for Queen Victoria and the dormitory was further expanded to accommodate the Indian servants of the Osborne House.After Queen Victoria’s death, Edward VII, who was supposed to inherit the private property, did not want it. King Edward VII instead gave the property to the nation on his coronation day. The ground floor was opened to the public and royal apartments of the house were used by officers. In 1902, additional spaces were needed for naval training. Parts of the Osborne estate were used and developed as a naval training college. After the World War, private rooms of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were sealed on the order of Edward VII. The entire tour of the Osborne House takes about two hours.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Osborne House facts then why not take a look at 33 mind-blowing ’50s fashion facts or 51 popular ’50s entertainment facts.
In today’s time, the Osborne House is one of the most visited places by tourists and attracts a lot of people around the world.
