OSBORNE HOUSE

This seaside retreat gave Queen Victoria and Prince Albert some much-needed privacy away from London and Windsor

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It’s impossible to imagine a prettier spot,’ said Queen Victoria of her island hideaway, Osborne House, on the Isle of Wight. She had been married to Prince Albert for five years and already had four children when they began to look for a holiday home. The Queen wanted to give her ever-expanding family a chance to escape court life and be themselves in the privacy and luxury of a grand estate.

Originally a Georgian mansion with 16 rooms, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert bought Osborne House for £28,000 in 1845. However, it was far too small to house the Royal Family and its staff, so Albert threw himself into designing a new abode. ‘It does one’s heart good to see how my beloved Albert enjoys it all,’ Victoria wrote. By the time their holiday escape was complete, it epitomised their tastes in art, decor and architecture.