CHAPTER V 



OSBORNE, SWISS COTTAGE AND OSBORNE COTTAGE 



Not long after their marriage, Queen Victoria and the Prince 

 Consort decided to purchase an estate and build a residence 

 on the south coast of England. The climate and situation 

 of the Isle of Wight recommended themselves, and when, in 

 1845, Osborne came into the market it was bought by and 

 became the private property of Queen Victoria. The 

 previous history of Osborne can be told in a few words. 

 Originally its name was Austerbourne. This has been 

 regarded by some antiquarians as being obviously equivalent 

 to Eastbourne. Others hold that the name was really Oyster- 

 bourne, which is supposed to have been derived from some 

 oyster beds at one time existing on the shore. Be that as 

 it may, Osborne, a contracted form of either, has for many 

 years been the accepted name of the property. 



The manor was held for a very long time by the Bower- 

 man family, but in the reign of Charles I. it belonged to 

 Eustace Mann. By the marriage of his granddaughter it 

 passed to the Blachfords, and from a descendant of this 

 family. Lady Isabella Blachford, Queen Victoria bought it. 

 At the time of the purchase the estate contained little more 

 than one thousand acres, but additions have been made from 

 time to time, and its extent now is about double that amount. 

 It is situated on the north-east shore of the Isle of Wight, 

 and its surface being unusually undulating, many exquisite 

 distant views across Spithead to Portsmouth and the Downs 

 beyond, add to the beauty of its nearer attractions. The 

 park slopes down to the seashore, and is remarkable for 



the extent and variety of its woods. On the shore are 



61 



