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Queen Victoria's Terrace Opens For The First Time

Victoria would read, write and paint on this terrace - and wrote about it regularly in her 19th century diary.

Queen Victoria's garden terrace within her holiday home at Osborne will open to the public for the first time today.

Visitors can now enjoy the Lower Terrace like the royals did more than 150 years ago. Prince Albert himself compared the view across the Solent to the Bay of Naples.

The £600,000 conservation project includes restoration to the terrace's centrepiece Andromeda fountain and the elaborate shell alcove which is decorated with seashells from Victoria's beach.

Other upgrades include the reinstatement of the classic 'Osborne yellow' hue, which was originally inspired by the warm Italian sun.

Visitors can also admire Osborne's famous myrtle, which has been used in royal wedding bouquets since the marriage of Victoria's eldest daughter.

Restoring Albert’s Vision

Prince Albert, or 'Albert the Creator' as Victoria called him, designed the Lower Terrace as part of his overall vision for the royal couple's family home in the 1840s.

He worked with his 'Adviser in Art' Ludwig Gruner to create the Italianate terracing, which became a much-loved area of the family home.

English Heritage's Properties Curator at Osborne, Samantha Stones, said:

'Queen Victoria loved to be outside in the fresh sea air and the terrace was a place of peace. Opening up this previously closed space to visitors gives them another glimpse into the private lives of the royal couple. Our conservation project now reinstates Albert's original vision of Osborne.

'Matching the yellow of the walls, restoring the beautifully decorated shell alcove with its aqua blue canopy, and seeing the Andromeda fountain with her surrounding sea monsters in working order has truly brought the terrace back to life.' 

Click here for full press release

 

Channel website: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/

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