Queen Victoria's Swiss Cottage reopens at Osborne House
- Published
Queen Victoria's Swiss Cottage, on the Osborne House estate on the Isle of Wight, is to reopen after a £1.65m conservation project
The fully-equipped chalet was the retreat of Victoria and Albert's nine children during family holidays
The princesses learned to cook in the well-furnished kitchen, often serving what they had made to their parents and guests
The children were avid collectors of natural history specimens, fossils, antiquities and curios associated with cultures from around the world
Each child had their own garden plot where they tended fruit, vegetables and flowers with their own monogrammed wheelbarrows, tools and watering cans
In 1856, under the direction of Prince Alfred’s tutor, Lieutenant Cowell, Bertie Prince of Wales (pictured) and Affie, as Prince Alfred was known, built a miniature fort as a surprise for Victoria’s birthday
Four years later, Affie and Prince Arthur added a miniature barracks with drawbridge
- Published28 March 2014
