Victorian Opulence at Osborne House!

Nicola here. A couple of weeks ago I spent a few days on the Isle of Wight in a cottage that is situated on the Osborne House estate. Although I knew that Queen Victoria had built Osborne as a summer holiday home (more on that later!) I knew very little about it or its history so it was a fascinating trip. When I say that we stayed in a cottage, it was actually the gatehouse to the estate, known as Sovereign’s Gate, which was the entrance through which Queen Victoria and her family would have approached the house back in the day. Now transformed into a holiday home over three levels, it’s a fabulous place to stay. These days the Sovereign’s Gate is locked but Angus was happy to pose for a photo to show it off! Inside the gatehouse has many of its original 19th century features, including these fabulous windows with movable sashes on a pulley system.

As the house and grounds were closed, we had the place largely to ourselves. This was an enormous privilege enabling us to explore
the acres of gardens, park and beach (as long as we told the security detail that we were going out - it was rather like having bodyguards!). It also meant that I got a personalised tour of Osborne House itself, which was brilliant. I was allowed to use the  “ministers’ door”; there were five different entrances at Osborne, one reserved for the monarch only, the second for the royal family, the third for ministers, the fourth for titled visitors and members of the court and the one round the back for the servants and tradesmen!

The first thing I learned on my tour of the house was not to refer to it as Queen Victoria’s “holiday” home! Not only did she undertake plenty of work when she was staying there – I was shown the Cabinet Room where she met with ministers to prove it – she was also at Osborne at various different times of the year, not just for the summer holidays. But it was also a very happy family home.

The original Osborne House was a Georgian mansion that the family occupied for a while to see if they liked the situation. Prince Albert then decided to knock down the original house and design and build his own creation, which is one of the reasons that Osborne is unique and gives its name to a style of architecture. It was totally Albert’s vision, with Germanic and Italianate features mixed with classical styles. It was also very modern; Albert designed both a top of the range central heating system and electric lighting. Part of the original house was preserved and incorporated into the new palace; the main entrance became the doorway into the walled garden!

Inside, the palace is as opulent as one might expect, with extravagant decoration and furnishings. However a closer look shows where Prince Albert “economised” in order to have more money to spend on the things he really wanted to splash out on! So, for example, he ordered a set of 24 sculptures cheaply from a French shopping catalogue so that he could spend the money he had “saved” on commissioning items such as a painting for the billiard room!

The layout of the rooms was also interesting in that the billiard room and drawing room were designed to be next to each other in an open L shape, so that there was no division between the ladies’ post-dinner entertainments and those of the gentlemen. This is very different from most Victorian houses, of course, where the two rooms are entirely separate. Victoria and her ladies were apparently very keen on a game of billiards!

Other parts of the estate that we were able to explore were the private beach, where Victoria kept her bathing carriage, and the Swiss Cottage, which was the royal children’s playground. I blogged about the fashion for swiss cottages in England recently; mostly they were designed to enhance the picturesque qualities of a garden but at Osborne they were intended to be a private world. The princes built a miniature fort there and all the children grew fruit and vegetables in the garden. They were also avid collectors of fossils and shells and all sorts of natural history items which are now in the museum at the cottage.

My favourite bit of the estate was the stunning parkland and gardens that sweep down to the sea. Full of beautiful mature trees and flowering bulbs at this time of year, they are absolutely gorgeous. We discovered an ice house tucked away in the woods; Queen Victoria was evidently very choosy about the quality of ice she used in drinks and desserts as, having sampled the locally made ice, she decided she didn’t like the taste and so had it shipped in from Canada! Ice was also used to cool Queen Victoria’s bedroom in summer.

The thing I loved most about the visit to Osborne, apart from staying in the gatehouse and having such wonderful access to the grounds, was all the quirky little details that I learned about Victoria and her family. The tour really brought them all alive as people, and it was fascinating to see how privileged their lifestyle was whilst at the same time seeing them as a family with all their little quirks of character. "It is impossible to imagine a prettier spot," Queen Victoria said of Osborne House and although the view across the Solent probably wouldn’t remind Prince Albert of the Bay of Naples any more, it’s still a wonderful location and a fascinating place to visit.

Are you a fan of the Victorian era, of the clothes and furnishings, or of Queen Victoria and her family? Do you have any favourite books or TV shows set in the period?

Comments

[Christina Courtenay]

It looks like a stunning place! I love all things Victorian - the more over-the-top the better :-) You were very lucky to get a private tour, Nicola! (And Angus looks very regal posing outside the gate).

[Mary T]

Lovely post. Thanks for taking us along on your tour.

I'm a fan of history, so all eras seem interesting to me. Pictures of rooms from that era seem dark and cluttered. Cannot say that I appreciate the fashions from that period either. When I see dresses with bustles it makes me think somebody liked big butts. Do like the hats from that time though.

I've read several books by Mimi Matthews that take place in that era. She is very talented and the books were a nice break from all of the Regency Era novels I read. Right now I'm watching THE GILDED AGE on HBO - and loving it.

Thanks again. And your doggie does look regal.

[Mary Jo Putney]

AMAZING, Nicola! While I knew about Osborne House, I had no sense of the details, so this is a fascinating glimpse into Victoria's world. I had no concept of French shopping catalogs from which one could order sculptures. *G* I'm with Albert--put the money in places people actually enjoy.

Angus looks totally worthy of the royal gate. Thanks so much for the virtual visit!

[Nicola Cornick]

Thanks, Christina! Yes, I felt very privileged to have a tour all to myself. Interesting that you love Victoriana - I thought I didn't like the excessive opulence of it until I saw Osborne and couldn't help but be impressed. Angus took to it to the manor born, of course.

[Nicola Cornick]

Thanks, Mary! Angus also thanks you for the compliment!
I haven't seen The Gilded Age yet but I did think it looked great, and Mimi Matthews books are very good, as you say.
Most of the Victorian decor I've seen is very dark and the furniture heavy but Osborne was very bright - lots of regal gold and scarlet, so I think that helped brighten things up. I'm not a fan of bustles either!

[Nicola Cornick]

Thanks so much, Mary Jo. I hadn't hear about the shopping catalogues either before this, but I did laugh to think of Albert perusing all the stuff he could buy off the peg and in bulk! While they all clearly had a very leisured and privileged lifestyle I did like the sense of warmth and family that was portrayed at Osborne, a real family home.

[Kareni]

What a wonderful post, Nicola; thanks so much for sharing.

I have an uncle and two fifty-ish cousins who moved to the Isle of Wight a couple of years ago. I've seen a picture of their house and (sadly) it looks nothing like Osborne House! If I ever get a chance to visit them, I now know where else I'd like to tour.

[Nicola Cornick]

LOL, Kareni, I'm not sure anywhere looks quite like Osborne! But the Isle of Wight is lovely and I can imagine it's a great place to live. Along with Osborne there are also lots of other amazing historic places to visit. And the sea! I'd love to be close to the seaside.

[Binnie Syril Braunstein]

Lovely post, Nicola.I have long been an admirer of Prince Albert's talent for jewelry design (I subscribe to The Court Jeweller) but I'd never really had a chance to get a glimpse of his talents in other directions, such as the design/re-design of Osborne House. Sounds like it was a magnificent house that was also a home. I'd love to have seen the princes' forts. Luck you, Nicola, to be able to visit.

[Nicola Cornick]

He was a man of many talents wasn't he, Binnie, designer, architect, scientist... I think he would have been fascinating to know.

[Lil]

I find the 19th century fascinating, with all the changes going on and the enormous variety of people and ideas and attitudes. It's surprising the way people often assume that "Victorian" refers to a ridiculously narrow-minded attitude. (I blame Lytton Strachey for that.)

I'm not, however, particularly enamored of Queen Victoria. She did not seem to have much understanding of other people, and was more susceptible to flattery than to reason. Also, people seem to forget that during many years of her reign she was not particularly popular with the English people. Longevity covered a number of faults.

[Annette N]

Thanks so much for this post. I really enjoyed the pictures of the interior of the lovely home. Not what I think of as Victorian at all. Much more cheerful. Maybe that quality is one of the reasons Victoria was so enamored of Albert.

Hope everyone is well and safe and happy.

[Teresa Broderick]

I love history. Period. So this was a treat to see such a beautiful place. I do like the Victorian era but it wouldn't be my favourite. Someone else said Victoria wasn't very popular with the English people, I wouldn't like to repeat what the Irish people thought of her :)
Angus is looking good. I still miss my little guy. Three months today and it's still like last week.

[Jeanne Behnke]

Neato! That's what I say & I wish I could have been there with you to experience it. I love the Victorian on the whole. Of course, I've been watching Victoria on Public Television but I love many books and movies set in that era here in the USA or abroad. I'm watching The Gilded Age too and it's so good.

[Vicki L]

Most of the Victorian color schemes I've seen don't appeal to me. Too dark and overbearing. The pictures you showed had beautiful light colors. Also the rooms didn't seem to be nearly as ornately decorated so they seemed less fussy.

Maybe you could call it "Rich Victorian Beach Cottage Style". Grin.

[Nicola Cornick]

Hi Lil, that's a really interesting take on the period. I suppose a lot of era get defined rather narrowly and stereo-typically. It's a shame when a fascinating period gets simplified like that. I don't know much about Victoria's popularity but I imagine these things wax and wane over a long period if the current monarch is anything to go by!

[Nicola Cornick]

Thanks, Annette! I agree - it was very light and bright in Osborne unlike so may dark, heavy Victorian interiors. Although still a little too over the top for me!

[Nicola Cornick]

Hugs, Teresa. We miss them so much. Angus is doing pretty well for an older dog!

It's always interesting to get a non-English perspective on history because so often things are portrayed from such an anglo-centric viewpoint.

[Nicola Cornick]

I'm so pleased you're enjoying The Gilded Age, Jeanne. I can't wait to catch up with it. I did love Victoria as well!

[Nicola Cornick]

LOL, that's a great description, Vicki! It was certainly a lot less dark and heavy-looking than some places I have seen, and I do think you can carry off quite a lot of ornateness is a palace! Even so, it was a bit too opulent for me!