Osborne House, Former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, England.
Osborne House is a former royal residence in East Cowes on the Isle of Wight in England, now serving as a museum. The estate includes several buildings with terraces, a private beach, and sprawling gardens that reach down to the sea.
Victoria and Albert bought the existing house from Lady Isabella Blachford in October 1845 and replaced it with a larger Italian Renaissance design by Albert with Thomas Cubitt, built 1845–1851. Victoria died there on 22 January 1901; Edward VII gave the house to the state on his coronation day, and from 1903 to 1921 part of the estate housed the Royal Naval College, Osborne.
The Durbar Room, added in 1890–91 to a design by John Lockwood Kipling, was built for state functions and decorated by Bhai Ram Singh, with an Agra carpet. It now displays gifts from Victoria's Golden and Diamond jubilees, among them engraved silver and copper vases, Indian armour and a model of an Indian palace.
The tour takes you through the state rooms on the ground floor and the private chambers upstairs, and you can also explore the outdoor areas. Those wishing to follow the coastal paths should bring sturdy footwear, as some trails are uneven.
The Durbar Room, added in 1890–91 to designs by John Lockwood Kipling, father of Rudyard Kipling, was decorated by Bhai Ram Singh and holds gifts from Victoria's Golden and Diamond jubilees, among them Indian armour and a model of an Indian palace.
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