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Explore VICTORIA’S ISLAND
| HERITAGE TRAIL
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Explore
VICTORIA’S ISLAND
Heritage Trail When Queen Victoria and Prince Albert chose the Isle of Wight as their favourite holiday spot in the 1840s, little did they know they’d be changing the destiny of a compact and stunningly beautiful Island forever. The creation of their family holiday home at Osborne brought a new status to the Isle of Wight. Not only was the Isle of Wight the place where the family relaxed in private, it was also the location where affairs of state were managed. Queen Victoria ruled her worldwide empire from the tranquillity of her seaside palace on the Isle of Wight, entertaining foreign royalty and visiting ministers. Stays on the Isle of Wight reflected Queen Victoria’s private life as well as that of her role as Head of Empire. Visits with family and friends to local scenic spots were paired with the creation of state rooms for formal visits at Osborne. The Durbar Room, designed and installed by Lockwood Kipling and Bhai Ram Singh in the
1890s, will feature in a new film ‘Victoria and Abdul’ in cinemas September 15 and the next ITV series of ‘Victoria’ will end with the Queen and her husband buying the house that will become their “beloved Osborne”. When on the Island, the royals enjoyed many of the pleasures we consider to be modern day holiday activities: dining al fresco, swimming in the sea, visiting local attractions and simply taking time out from busy mainland life. Let the Victoria’s Island Trail take you on a journey across the Isle of Wight. You will visit some of the places the Queen loved alongside lesser known locations that reveal the strong connection that the royal family had with the Island; both as off duty, private people and as heads of state.
he extraordinary true story of an unexpected friendship in the later years of Queen Victoria’s (Academy Award winner Judi Dench) remarkable rule. When Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal), a young clerk, travels from India to participate in the Queen’s Golden Jubilee, he is surprised to find favour with the Queen herself. As the Queen questions the constrictions of her long-held position, the two forge an unlikely and devoted alliance with a loyalty to one another that her household and inner circle all attempt to destroy. As the friendship deepens, the Queen begins to see a changing world through new eyes and joyfully reclaims her humanity. For more information and tickets visit www.VictoriaAndAbdul.co.uk
BASED ON AN EXTRAORDINARY TRUE STORY
EXPLORE THE RICH CONNECTIONS BET WEEN QUEEN VICTORIA AND THE ISL AND
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IN CINEMAS SEPTEMBER 15
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Afton Freshwater Bay
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Norton Green
Thorley
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Explore VICTORIA’S ISLAND
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| HERITAGE TRAIL
1. Osborne, East Cowes | PO32 6JX
5. Blackgang Chine | PO38 2HN
Designed by Prince Albert in an Italianate style, Osborne was the much-loved seaside home of Queen Victoria, her husband and their nine children. Osborne was a regal dwelling but also very much a private family home. It reflected the royal family’s personal taste as well as the needs of the monarch.
Blackgang Chine received the royal seal of approval when Queen Victoria visited in August 1853 to see the skeleton of the whale that had washed up near the Needles – it was Blackgang Chine’s very first attraction and is still on view today.
Long holidays at Osborne gave the family much valued time together; swimming, breakfasting al fresco and gardening in the grounds, as well as the chance to take excursions across the Isle of Wight. english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/osborne
2. St Mildred’s Church, Whippingham PO32 6HR Just a short carriage ride from Osborne, St Mildred’s Church, Whippingham was redesigned by Prince Albert and rebuilt in a style considered to be more suitable for the royal family. The family worshipped at St Mildred’s and Queen Victoria’s youngest daughter Princess Beatrice and her husband were married and buried here. View the permanent exhibition of royal memorabilia including a replica of Princess Beatrice’s wedding dress. iow.uk.com/whippingham-church
3. Carisbrooke Castle | PO30 1XY A royal prison in the Civil War of 1642 – 1651, part of Carisbrooke was used as a residence by Princess Beatrice from 1912 onwards. After the death of her husband in 1896, she was appointed Governor of the Isle of Wight, and lived with Queen Victoria at Osborne. Princess Beatrice made many changes to Carisbrooke Castle, including creating a museum of local history as a memorial to her husband and commissioning an altar painting for the chapel to commemorate the death of her son at Ypres in 1914. english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/carisbrooke-castle
4. The Needles | PO39 OJD The Marconi Monument at The Needles Landmark Attraction commemorates the spot where Guglielmo Marconi set up his revolutionary wireless equipment and sent the very first wireless transmission. In August 1898, Queen Victoria was said to be “delighted” when Marconi, summoned to Osborne House, went on to establish radio communication between Queen Victoria at Osborne and the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) who was onboard the Royal Yacht “Osborne”. theneedles.co.uk
blackgangchine.com
6. Shanklin Chine | PO37 6BW First open to the public in 1817, Princess Victoria visited Shanklin Chine aged 14 in 1833 with her mother. Entry was via Fisherman’s Cottage (open as a pub today) where local fisherman and smuggler William Colenutt charged an entrance fee. According to local legend, the then Princess Victoria helped herself to a prawn on the way in! Queen Victoria continued to visit Shanklin Chine regularly when in residence on the Island. shanklinchine.co.uk
7. The Royal Hotel, Ventnor | PO38 1JJ “Nothing along the south coast will bear comparison with it”. In Victorian times Ventnor became a fashionable holiday resort, partly because Sir James Clark, Queen Victoria’s surgeon, recommended the health-giving properties of Ventnor’s climate. The Ventnor Hotel was re-named The Royal Hotel after Queen Victoria visited and endorsed it for afternoon tea in 1855. You can still enjoy afternoon tea at the Royal Hotel today. royalhoteliow.co.uk
8. Egypt Point, Cowes | PO31 8BP The coastal viewpoint between Cowes and Gurnard was one of Queen Victoria’s favourite places. The Queen had an irresistibly romantic nature and it was from here that she enjoyed the magnificent sunsets and a panoramic view of the Solent which people still love today. cowes.co.uk
WIN
A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER AT KEATS COTTAGE, SHANKLIN Prize includes 3 nights dinner, bed & breakfast plus ferry travel. Find out more and enter the competition at
visitisleofwight.co.uk/keatschristmas COMPETITION CLOSES 31ST OCTOBER 2017
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Explore VICTORIA’S ISLAND
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| HERITAGE TRAIL
9. Ventnor Botanic Garden | PO38 1UL The Royal National Hospital for Diseases of the Chest, was founded in 1868 in the Victorian heyday of ‘taking the cure’ at the seaside. It is now Ventnor Botanic Garden and home to some very notable Victorian specimens.
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The Chusan palms Trachycarpus fortunei at Ventnor Botanic Gardens are the oldest palms in the British Isles. They were collected in the 19th Century and presented to Queen Victoria who said they should be planted in the grounds of the hospital. They remain in exactly the same spot today. botanic.co.uk
10. Farringford, Freshwater | PO40 9PE The Isle of Wight retreat of Poet Laureate Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Farringford was the centre of the Freshwater Circle group of writers, artists and intellectuals. Tennyson was a regular guest at Osborne. Prince Albert visited Farringford in 1856, leaving with a handpicked bunch of cowslips to take back for the Queen. farringford.co.uk
11. Newport Minster | PO30 1SL Newport Minster was rebuilt by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert because they thought it unsuitable to house the remains of Princess Elizabeth, Charles I’s daughter. Prince Albert laid the foundation stone for the new church in 1854 and Queen Victoria commissioned a marble memorial to Princess Elizabeth by sculptor Carlo Marochetti, which was presented to the church in 1857. newportminster.org
12. Prince Consort, Ryde | PO33 2DL Now a private residence, the Prince Consort was previously known as the Royal Victoria Yacht Club and overlooks the Solent from the western end of the esplanade at Ryde. It was built as a private place for the Queen, because the Royal Yacht Squadron, Cowes would not allow female visitors - whether they were royal or not!
13. Northwood House | PO31 8AZ Bought in 1793, and extensively renovated in 1837, Northwood House was part of a huge estate once owned by the Ward family. The manor house was the venue for Victorian high society balls and parties, many of which were attended by Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and their family. northwoodhouse.org
WALK I N T H E F O OTST EP S OF A Q U EEN M AKE A HOLIDAY OF IT
Day trip
Enjoy the morning at Osborne; the much-loved home of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and the filming location of Victoria & Abdul. Lunch at a riverside eaterie near the royal church of St Mildred’s Whippingham. In the afternoon take in the air at Ventnor and dine on the acclaimed afternoon tea at The Royal Hotel.
Overnight stay
On arrival, travel to the West Wight and discover inspirational landscapes loved by Alfred Lord Tennyson, and Julia Margaret Cameron. Lunch at The Piano Café, once owned by Queen Victoria’s piano tuner. Carry on to Ventnor, visiting the historic royal palms at Ventnor Botanic Garden before heading to Shanklin Chine, a natural wonder admired by Queen Victoria. The next morning, take in the sea air and enjoy the best sailing views from Queen Victoria’s favourite viewpoint of Egypt Point, Cowes. Osborne and East Cowes await as the final destination on your regal trip to the Isle of Wight. For great places to stay, delicious local food and drink, and everything you need for a royal holiday go to
visitisleofwight.co.uk