The Swiss Cottage is exactly what it sounds like a building in the style of a traditional Alpine dwelling. What we see today is almost entirely his work, including the Swiss Cottage, a timber building a mile away from the main house. Prince Albert personally took charge of remodelling the gardens and the surrounding parkland, including a network of 21 miles of drives and walks. Throughout the whole building project, Cubitt used an Italianate style, complementing the Mediterranean feel of the buildings with ornate, formal gardens. A new central block was built on the same footprint and linked to the household wing by a corridor.Ĭubitt also helped the royal couple create a model farm, estate cottages, a sea wall to protect the coastal frontage of the estate, and even a coastguard house. That same year (1848) the original Georgian house was pulled down. Two years later a household wing was built to house members of the royal household. Cubitt and Prince Albert got on very well together, and they collaborated on the new building scheme.Įven before the old Georgian house was pulled down, a new Pavilion was erected to house private royal quarters and a nursery. Prince Albert, however, disliked dealing with the Department and wanted to exert more direct control on the works, so they hired architect Thomas Cubitt.Ĭubitt recommended that the old house not be extended, but pulled down and replaced with an entirely new house. Technically the royal couple should have asked the Department of Woods and Forests to undertake the work, as they were responsible for all government architecture. The house was too small for the royal family and their servants so they decided to extend it. The last Blachford owner was Lady Isabella, who first leased, then sold the estate to the royal family for £28,000. The Blachfords enlarged an existing house to create a large three-storey house with a stable block and walled garden. We know very little of the early history of Osborne before the estate was purchased by the Blachford family in 1705. The Osborne estate was recommended to the royals by the then Prime Minister, Sir Robert Peel. The royal couple wanted to create a private home, a quiet country place to escape the bustle of official court life in London. In 1845 Queen Victoria and Prince Albert purchased the Osborne estate, just outside Cowes, on the Isle of Wight.
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