Osborne House

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Osborne House Take an intimate glimpse into the life of one of Britain's most recognisable and iconic monarchs 👑🏰 Please email us at [email protected].
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"It is impossible to imagine a prettier spot" - such were the words of Queen Victoria after her first visit to Osborne on the Isle of Wight. No trip to the island would be complete without a visit to this royal seaside palace where Queen Victoria lived with her beloved Prince Albert and their nine children. Take an intimate glimpse into Queen Victoria’s family life as you tour the nursery and private rooms of Victoria and Albert. Marvel at the magnificence of the Royal Apartments including the sumptuous drawing and dining rooms and the richly decorated Indian-inspired Durbar Room. Admire the stunning view from the terraces across the Solent – said to remind Prince Albert of the bay of Naples and stroll through Osborne’s extensive grounds. Don’t miss the miniature Swiss Cottage, built to teach the royal children the art of household management! Explore Queen Victoria's private beach, open to the public for the first time. "We have quite a charming beach to ourselves," Victoria wrote in 1845 and it was here that the Queen regularly bathed and where her children learned to swim. Enjoy traditional seaside entertainment including Punch and Judy shows throughout the summer holidays. HOUSE RULES

This page is designed as a place to discuss Osborne - to share tips for a great day out at Osborne, upcoming events and news from the property. We love hearing the ideas and opinions of our social community, and encourage you to leave comments, photos, videos and links (‘content’) here on our page. However, in the interests of our whole community, by using this site you accept our ‘house rules’ and agree that any content posted by you on our page will follow these rules. Content posted on our page must not:

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If you have any questions about the house rules, Osborne, the work of English Heritage, membership or queries that need a more in depth answer our Customer Services team would be happy to help.

Great news!  🎉  We’ve received funding through the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Historic England...
15/10/2026

Great news! 🎉 We’ve received funding through the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Historic England Heritage at Risk Capital Fund.

This support will help us tackle pressing conservation challenges at Osborne, helping to preserve the site’s history for future generations.

As a charity, we’re hugely grateful for this support and the difference it will make. 🙏

06/10/2026

Ready for a royal 5K adventure?

Join us on Sunday 1st November 2026 for the Osborne House 5K Fun Run. Take in stunning coastal views, woodland trails, historic parkland and the spectacular grounds of Queen Victoria's former seaside home.

Whether you run, jog or walk, all abilities are welcome. Plus, up to 3 spectators per runner can enjoy free entry to the grounds and cheer you on!

Run it. Jog it. Walk it. Make it yours.

Enter now: https://www.wildisleevents.co.uk/e/osborne-house-5k-fun-run-15782

As the seasons begin to change, our chef team has created a delicious new dish celebrating the best flavours of autumn.R...
05/10/2026

As the seasons begin to change, our chef team has created a delicious new dish celebrating the best flavours of autumn.

Roasted Beetroot & Butternut Squash Salad with Goat's Cheese, making it the perfect light starter or an ideal addition to a selection of our small plates.

Now available in the Victoria Hall Restaurant.

30/09/2026

Here at Osborne, the garden team use a biological approach to help control pests in our glasshouses. Rather than relying on harmful insecticides, we instead introduce natural predators into both our display houses and behind-the-scenes glasshouses.

🪰 Some predators, such as parasitic wasps, help control whitefly, while others such as predatory mites target thrips.

We hang small pieces of card throughout the glasshouses. These contain some of our beneficial predators, while others are shaken out carefully among the plants using natural carriers such as buckwheat hulls and small pieces of wood chip.

It’s a great example of using what naturally occurs in nature to help protect our plants and keep our glasshouses thriving! 🌱

🥇 We’ve won Gold! 🥇A massive well done to the garden team for winning three Gold Awards at South & South East in Bloom t...
29/09/2026

🥇 We’ve won Gold! 🥇

A massive well done to the garden team for winning three Gold Awards at South & South East in Bloom this year in the Walled Garden and Heritage Park/Garden categories. Plus this year, we also entered the category for Large Conservation Area and won Gold”

A big thank you to all the volunteers who have kindly donated their time to keep the gardens looking stunning throughout the year. And another big thank you to our two garden contractors, who carry out much of the hard work across the wider estate.

👏🥇🥇🥇

One of the most underrated flowers flowering in the walled garden at the moment is Tricyrtis formosana. It’s native to E...
28/09/2026

One of the most underrated flowers flowering in the walled garden at the moment is Tricyrtis formosana. It’s native to East Asia, including Taiwan, which gives its species name formosana, derived from Formosa, the former name for Taiwan.

The broader genus Tricyrtis was documented by the Swedish naturalist Carl Peter Thunberg in Japan around 1784.

It was feeling very autumnal around the estate this morning 🍂
25/09/2026

It was feeling very autumnal around the estate this morning 🍂

It’s Devil’s-bit Scabious time throughout the meadows at Osborne! These beautiful wildflowers provide a great source of ...
24/09/2026

It’s Devil’s-bit Scabious time throughout the meadows at Osborne! These beautiful wildflowers provide a great source of nectar for insects, including this Small Copper butterfly.

Be on the lookout for their small, bluey-purple flower heads dotted across the landscape on your next visit. 💜

Last week, we lifted and divided Luzula sylvatica ‘Marginata’ in one of our new borders.This border was planted in March...
23/09/2026

Last week, we lifted and divided Luzula sylvatica ‘Marginata’ in one of our new borders.

This border was planted in March 2025, when we planted around 24 Luzula. We divided the large clumps and managed to create 60 new plants that we replanted throughout the front of the border, helping to bulk out the planting and to fill in gaps where other plants haven’t survived the summer.

Behind these, we planted around 210 Grecian foxgloves (Digitalis lanata), which we’ve grown in-house from seed collected from last year’s planting. These will provide some interest while the shrubs begin to fill out.

We also planted three new Himalayan laurels (Aucuba himalaica) noted for their distinct elongated foliage to also fill in gaps.

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York Avenue
East Cowes
PO326JX

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