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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 House.
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.
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