In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Osborne like this:
OSBORNE HOUSE, a residence of Her Majesty the Queen on the N coast of the Isle of Wight; between the river Medina and the sea, 1 mile S E of East Cowes. The manor was long held by the Bowermans; belonged, in the time of Charles I., to Eustace Mann; passed, by marriage of his grand-daughter, to the Blachfords; and waspurchased by Her Majesty from Lady Isabella Blachford. ...
The name was originally Austerbourne or Oysterbourne; and has been regarded, by some, as equivalent to East Borne, by others, as derived from adjacent oyster-beds. The mansion of the Blachfords was modern and plain; and was taken down, on becoming the Queen's property. The present edifice was erected after designs by T. Cubitt; is in the domestic Italian style; has a square flagtower, and a square clock tower, respectively 107 and 90 feet high; places the Queen's apartments in advance of theflag tower; is filled with statuary and pictures, principallythe works of modern artists; and was visited by the Emperor Napoleon III. in 1857, and by the Empress Eugeniein 1867. The estate, since coming into Her Majestys possession, has been repeatedly enlarged; comprises now about 5,000 acres; reaches nearly to Ryde by the sea-shore, and nearly to Newport inland; includes terraced gardens and grounds of surpassing beauty, with some rich improvements made in 1866; has a private pier on the shore for the use of the royal household; and is dotted, over part of the outskirts, with excellent cottages for the work-people in Her Majesty's employment. Barton manor was one of the additions made to the estate; had an oratory, for six chaplains and a clerk, founded in 1282; passed to the Bishops of Winchester in 1439; was given by Bishop Waynflete to Winchester college; and was purchased from Winchester college by Her Majesty. Barton Court House, a picturesque gabled mansion, was rebuilt by the Queen, with careful retention of its old features, as a residence for her principal steward.
Additional information about this locality is available for Whippingham
Osborne through time
Osborne is now part of the Isle of Wight district. Click here for graphs and data of how the Isle of Wight has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Osborne itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Osborne, in The the Isle of Wight and Hampshire | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/24297
Date accessed: 26th April 2024
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