Osborne House

A fantastic, classic Summer’s day out!

If you are visiting or staying in Southampton, and considering what to do, check out Osborne House.

There was so much more to do at Osborne than I anticipated- so make sure you get there early to enjoy as much as possible on offer!

We started our day in Southampton and parked near the Red Funnel ferry terminal, which if you ar staying in Southampton is conveniently located at the docks, preferring to continue on foot for the rest of the day, and boarded the ferry from Southampton to East Cowes, Isle of Wight.

It was the school summer holidays, and we wanted a fun day out with our 4 children, not too far from home. I spent the journey sipping coffee and sifting through the umpteen Isle of Wight leaflets my son had decided to collect at the terminal- there was so much to do on the Isle of Wight, that I was already planning a visit back!

 

The journey took an hour, with the ability to get drinks, snacks, or even a full meal on-board. If you are staying in Southampton it makes it a manageable journey. We arrived at the terminal and hopped on a bus nearby for the 5 minute journey (25 minute walk) to Osborne. Osborne is an English heritage site, so if you have membership (as we did) then entry is included, otherwise prices are around £20 per adult, and £13 per child, at the time of writing.

We were given a map of the vast site and decided to take a tour of the house itself first, before exploring the gardens, beach and satellite sites around the grounds.

Queen Victoria and Albert bought the Osborne estate in 1845, and the home they built here was their little escape for their family, away from bustling London life. An Italianate palace by the sea! The house itself consisted of magnificently ornate, colourful, yet welcoming rooms, including the State Rooms where Victoria would entertain guests, and the family rooms, where Victoria, Albert and their nine children would stay. We wandered the nursery, Queen Victoria’s bedroom and where the family would wash, eat and work. There was also a specific exhibit on birthdays at Osborne, and how these were celebrated.

 

After the stunning house tour, we began to explore the elegant, tasteful gardens, including the terrace immediately off the house complete with water fountain, that one of my children decided to half fall into and soak themselves whilst examining coins at the bottom of, and then the wider landscape around us.

It just went on forever. It honestly felt like we were miles from anywhere, in a safe, secluded, manicured little world, where the children could run free for as far as their feet would take them and still be nearby. I could imagine how liberating this would have been for Queen Victoria, to metaphorically ‘let her kids off the lead’ and roam free around the copious grounds, safe in the knowledge they were still within the estate.

We strolled down to the beach, and although August, it felt too cold for a dip, however we found a Punch and Judy show was just about to commence. The beach was secluded, private and cosy, with marvellous views out over The Solent. We got coffees, scones, jam and cream and some doughnuts for the kids, and settled down in deck-chairs, for a surprisingly refreshing old-fashioned Punch and Judy show, with no skimping on the pretend violence for modern sensitivities.

The puppeteer managed to weave some irony and satire into his performance, which meant it was both entertaining for adults and children alike. It was surprisingly long and exceptionally good value, and afterwards the children were invited to get their photo taken with ‘Punch and Judy’.

After the show, we continued on to find the ‘Swiss Cottage’, Queen Victoria’s children’s old hide-out, now converted into an interactive little cottage for children to explore and investigate. There were puzzles, games, interactive displays, and the children could don dress-up and pretend to make afternoon tea for each other.

We could have left the children in there all day, but we were running out of time. I berated myself for not booking the earlier ferry (and then missing the one we had booked in the first place) and getting here later than planned. If you are staying in Southampton, it is very possible to get one of the earliest ferries that day, and enjoy loads more time than we got at Osborne! There was a play area, and some tunnels cut into the ground, where the children would have played ‘war’ games or hide and seek. There was also another cottage displaying a cornucopia of miscellaneous treasures and artefacts belonging to the royal couple, that we had a brief perusal at too.

 

It was time to go. We walked a fair way back to the tourist office and gift shop, and bought a few trinkets to remember our visit. We then wore the children out more by walking back to the ferry terminal, before picking up fish and chips from a café nearby to eat on our ferry ride home. Worn-out after a good day’s exploring, the children- and us- slept well that night. An awesome, fun-filled day out.

Highly recommend if you are staying in Southampton or nearby!

Check out the website to plan your visit: 

Book with us today: