Osborne House (Isle of Wight)

Advantages: Lavish Interiors and Gardens
Disadvantages: Cafe could be better

Osborne House and its 342 acre estate were purchased by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1845 as a country residence. Situated in East Cowes on the Isle of Wight, overlooking Portsmouth harbour it is easy to see the attraction. Architect Thomas Cubitt was given the task of rebuilding and adding to the house and complete with its towers it dominates the landscape. They enjoyed many happy times until Alberts death in1861 aged just 42. Victoria died ...
...saved from from the original Osborne House. There is also the Swiss Cottage a chalet built for the children to teach them domestic skills and an attached museum. This is 15 - 20 mins walk or can be reached by minibus for 50 pence. The Terrace retaurant is quite expensive so we opted to eat at the cafe but there is limited choice here and many items have no price diplayed. This could be a lot better though the sandwich I had was good if expensive. ... Read review

Advantages: Beautifully laid out and arranged; perfect for the Victorian enthusiast
Disadvantages: None

...any other building in Britain, Osborne House is steeped in and associated with the family history of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. They disliked Brighton Pavilion and found it lacking in privacy, so they bought the estate in 1845, and had the house and gardens laid out as an offshore retreat within reasonable distance from London and Windsor. Shortly after the Queen's death in 1901 it was given to the nation, and parts of it were used as a royal ...
...or alternatively the entrance to Osborne House is just over a mile's walk. Or check the official website for a combined sea crossing and admission ticket. A recommended tour starts with the Royal Apartments, comprising the grand Corridor, Council Room, Audience Room, Billiard Room, Drawing Room, Dining Room, and Dining Room. These are furnished throughout with paintings, mostly royal portraits. One of the most striking, and well-known throughout ... Read review

Advantages: a nice day out when weather not so good
Disadvantages: is quite expensive

A family of Four £20. Guide Book £2.50 Really Nice, the Whole experience is really nice, they walk is somewhat guided because you have to follow the path through the house, and if you are an Art lover it is amazing. Queen Vic. must have been well read up on her artists, my favorite is up the main stairs. It is a beautiful house. If you have young children they try their best to cater. but they dont. my little boy was asleep in his Pushchair, but ...
...so they offer you a hip seat for baby to sit on. then we had to wake him up and because he is not use to sitting on one he did'nt want to know, and he is a big 2 year old. Definately NO CAMERAS but if you have a digital camera dont get caught they will ask you to leave! also the gardens are beautiful and big. you could spend the day there, there is still restoration work going both in the house and out. so some areas are No Go. You Can get something ... Read review

Advantages: Pretty gardens, lovely rooms
Disadvantages: hill to get up, rainy weather

Osborne House situated on the Isle of Weight was designed as a country retreat away from London. Constructed in the fashion of an Italian villa, Queen Victoria & Albert found privacy from the prying eyes of public life. The building first began life in 1845; Prince Albert had a liking for the Italian style something which I noticed when wandering the corridors of the house. There are many unclothed statues in the style of how the Romans would have ...
...plants; the walled garden is not to be missed. The enterance to the house is fronted by two stone lions. For more info, please contact: Kay Andrews, Hospitality Manager Osborne House, York Avenue, East Cowes, Isle of Wight PO32 6JY Tel: 01983 200022 Fax: 01983 281380 Email: kay.andrews@english-heritage.org.uk ... Read review

Advantages: Vibrant cosmopolitan city. Lots of celebrities to see
Disadvantages: Expensive

...Scottish Highlander starred Judi Dench, Billy Connolly and Geoffrey Palmer. Although mainly filmed at Osborne House, Isle of Wight, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London was also used for some scenes. Winner of no less than seven Oscars, the 1998 movie, Shakespeare in Love, who stars included Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Judy Dench and Geoffrey Rush, focussed on Shakespeare, played by Joseph Fiennes, suffering from writer's block while aiming to write his new play. Locations in London used included the Banqueting Hall at Whitehall Palace, Marble Hill House, Spitalfields, St. Bartholemew's and the River Thames near Barnes. Sliding Doors which also starred Gwyneth Paltrow and John Hannah was a popular romantic comedy set in London, including scenes shot in Bertorellis restaurant in Charlotte Street, the Blue Anchor pub in Hammersmith... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Superb setting, wonderful craftsmanship, unique architecture, disabled access
Disadvantages: Rather small car park

...too. However there is no organisation there to ensure that such places are well cared for, neither to my knowledge is there an organisation listing such properties. The main advantage of National Trust or English Heritage membership, apart naturally from free admission to all of their properties, is that you are sent a very comprehensive guide book each year. We do not tend to plan our visits, merely taking advantage of a sunny Sunday or Bank Holiday in order to enjoy a trip out. Obviously there are exceptions to that such as the wonderful Osborne House on the Isle of Wight (involving a car ferry ticket!) but, by and large, there are enough sites within an hour or so from where we live to satisfy our need for the Heritage experience. Last Sunday was just such an occasion. Whilst we have visited all of the English Heritage properties... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: A Very Colourful Slice of History. Lavish Interior. Extraordinary Architecture. Superb NEW Audio Guide
Disadvantages: Poor Ventilation - Over Hot, especially in summer.

..., having no more than five guest bedrooms. On display now we can see the apartments used by Queen Victoria during the 1837 to 1845 period. She did not like the Pavilion due to the very public position of it and also because of internal ventilation and heating difficulties. In 1850 she gifted the Pavilion and grounds to the town of Brighton, having purchased Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. Her bedroom, decorated in flowery pinks and greens appears very much as it would have done in 1840. Also on display are her closet, an inside room with no window and a fireplace, plus her maid's room, similarly positioned with no natural light. The highly ornamentally decorated Yellow Bow Rooms were originally the bedrooms of George's two brothers. Whilst they share the carpet with Victoria's apartments, they are altogether more lavishly furnished... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful