Osborne House and Gardens Houses

After her marriage to Prince Albert in 1840, Queen Victoria felt the need for a family residence in the country. To use her own words, 'a place of one's own - quiet and retired'. Osborne House was acquired to fulfil this role. The Queen knew and liked the area after visiting the Isle of Wight as a child with her widowed mother. Both Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort were determined to buy the property after they paid a visit there and the Queen wrote: 'It is impossible to imagine a prettier spot. ' In 1845, the royal couple purchased Osborne House with an estate of 342 acres, plus the adjacent Barton Manor to house equerries and grooms, and to serve as the home farm. Before the deeds had even changed hands, architect Thomas Cubitt had been approached - firstly to build a new wing and then to demolish the old house and add further wings. Once all the work was complete, an exquisite pair of Italianate towers dominated the landscape of terrace fountains and rolling parklands and looked out at passing ships in the nearby Solent.

In keeping with the house, the terrace gardens were designed in formal Italianate style by Cubitt and Prince Albert himself. The walled garden has been restored as part of the Contemporary Heritage Gardens scheme run by English Heritage. The grounds are a delight with the Victorian spirit of the garden recaptured for modern visitors. .