Osborne House, an English Heritage site on the Isle of Wight, was built between 1845 and 1851 to provide Queen Victoria and Prince Albert with a private family home.
We have been working there for several weeks whilst maintaining and pruning the historic trees, alongside other contractors who have been carrying out maintenance to the buildings and cleaning the fountain.
The current estate extends to 354 acres (143 hectares) and includes formal terraces with statuary, a walled garden and extensive parkland.
Prince Albert was concerned with every aspect of the development of the gardens and estate. His planting scheme was to some extent dictated by the already well-established late 18th-century landscape.
Other influences included his liking for poplars, and for the Italian fashion of lining principal drives and walks with evergreens, such as myrtle and laurel. Magnolias, rhododendrons and azaleas were also planted.
