Latest Newsletters
Chairman's Newsletter - February 2003
Dear Members,
It was a pleasure to meet some new members and see some more familiar faces at Carisbrooke Castle last week. It was a beautiful frosty day with blue skies and those of us that went up onto the ramparts had glorious views. We had a very informative talk about the castle and enjoyed looking at the many fascinating items in the museum. Sarah, one of the EH volunteers then talked to us about the donkeys and showed us the well house. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the morning there.
Would members like us to organise similar visits to historical sites such as Brading Roman Villa, Bembridge Fort and Quarr Abbey and perhaps a walk in and around Puckpool Park? Please tell us if you have ideas about places you would like to visit.
With the winter months everything has been quiet at Friends of Osborne but we are planning this year’s calendar of events.
We are still hoping to hold a Quiz in March but at the moment we are investigating alternative venues. The Terrace restaurant will be closed for the foreseeable future as a section of roof has collapsed into the building. We may hold it in the Education Suite but there are some difficulties that have to be overcome with catering for the event. As soon as we have details of where and when the quiz will take place, we will send out details.
On 31st March we are holding a workshop in the Education Suite led by Sue Swaby who is reasonable for many of the amazing floral displays in the house at Osborne. Please click here for details and booking forms Floral Arrangement Workshop – Friends of Osborne .
We have also organised a Spring Colour Walk with Toby Beasley, the head gardener on April 26th at 11.00. Please click here for details and booking forms Spring Colour Walk with Head Gardener Toby Beasley – Friends of Osborne.
Our AGM is less than two weeks away and I hope to see many of you there. Hopefully it will still be light when members arrive. If you plan on coming, could you please fill in the online attendance form https://friendsofosborne.org/agm-attendance-form/ so we know how many people to expect. If you are unable to come, would you please fill in a proxy voting form https://friendsofosborne.org/agm-proxy-voting form/.
Reminders for memberships expiring at the end of March will be sent out at the beginning of the month. Memberships can now be renewed online at Become a Friend of Osborne – Friends of Osborne.
Kind Regards
Allison
Chairman's Newsletter - January 2003
Dear Members,
I hope everyone had a good Christmas and that some of you managed to visit Osborne between 27th and 31st December when we had free access to the house. Also, that some of you were able to take advantage of the 25% discount in the shop to buy gifts and presents.
Some of you may also have seen that the 250-year-old Lebanese Cedar tree, close to the walled garden, was blown over by high winds early this month. The Lebanese Cedar was planted in the 1770s by Robert Pope Blachford, Osborne’s owner before the Queen and Prince Albert. The tree will be replaced.
Our next event is a visit to Carisbrooke Castle Museum on 8th February at 10.30. The Friends, in conjunction with English Heritage, have organised this visit to the Museum for members and their guests. This exclusive visit, costing £15 per person, will include an opportunity to discover the history of the castle and the stories of some of its fascinating inhabitants with an introductory talk from one of the knowledgeable museum guides. English Heritage staff will then show us highlights of the castle and there will be an opportunity to visit the donkeys and learn about their work at the castle. Tea, coffee and refreshments are included in the price. Proceeds will help fund the museum’s work in preserving and sharing the Island’s history, as well as contributing to the Friends support of Osborne. Members should assemble in the carpark at 10.00 am – those unable to walk from the carpark are allowed to drive in.
Please click here for further details and booking forms Carisbrooke Museum Visit – Friends of Osborne
The costumes for the newly planned guided tours of Osborne have arrived but unfortunately the introduction of the tours have been delayed. However as soon as we have a date, we will inform members as we will be asked to help trial them.
We have our Annual General Meeting on February 23rd at 6:00 pm in The Education Suite. All current members will receive the agenda and all other relevant paperwork in due course. The Trustees have been very busy looking at the Constitution and amending it so it becomes a more relevant document. The present constitution, which can be seen by clicking here CIO Constitution FoO updated (friendsofosborne.org) was drawn up from a template supplied by the Charity Commission and much of it does not apply to a small charity like ours. Members will have the opportunity to read our changes before the AGM on February 23rd and will be given the opportunity to vote on those changes at the meeting.
I hope to see some of you at Carisbrooke Castle on the 8th February and wish you all a peaceful and healthy 2023.
Kind Regards
Allison Rogers
Chairman's Newsletter - December 2022
Dear Members,
Where has the year gone? 2022 has been a very strange year with everyone trying to get back to some normality; while coping with the repercussions of war in Ukraine, the turmoil and change of Prime Ministers in Number 10 and the record-breaking temperatures this summer.
It was lovely to see Friends of Osborne relaunched this year after two years of Covid restrictions. We have managed to host several events and talks that have been well attended and are looking forward to organising a full calendar of events in 2023. It has been good to see the membership increase and know that Friends has such a positive future.
As an Education volunteer at Osborne, I have the opportunity to meet with many of the local schools. It was a real pleasure to help the children of Queen’s Gate plant bulbs near the Ice House in November. Osborne have been doing this for several years and it is a memorable experience for the children. Also, for the first time for three years, several Island schools came and sang in the Durbar Room. I was able to escort them through the house and also help them with craft activities which took place in the new Education Rooms, now with electricity which was partly funded by ‘Friends’
Around thirty members braved the freezing temperatures to sing carols in the courtyard on Wednesday. Everyone enjoyed singing along to the ukulele band, Uke ‘n Sing, as we drank glühwein and ate roasted chestnuts near the flaming brazier. Fortunately, we were then able to warm up in the Education Rooms where we had a Secret Santa raffle and Christmas sweater competition.
The Christmas Tree Festival at St. Mildred’s Church will have a Victorian themed tree on behalf of the Friends which everyone can visit from 20th to 23rd December.
The staff at Osborne have kindly arranged for members of Friends to have access to the House, on presentation of their membership cards, between 27th and 31st December. This gives members an opportunity to see the House decorated with all its Christmas trees. Hopefully we will be offered other occasions when we can visit the house next year, as part of our membership. We will of course have the opportunity to be guided through the House in January when we will help trial the new guided tours.
A visit has been arranged for Carisbrooke Castle Museum on Wednesday 8th February. This museum was founded by Princess Beatrice in 1898 and today the museum is an accredited museum and charity that cares for an extensive collection of artefacts, connected to Island life over the last 1000 years. Please click here for further details and booking forms Carisbrooke Museum Visit – Friends of Osborne.
I look forward to meeting many of you next year and wish you all a very happy Christmas and best wishes for a healthy 2023.
Allison Rogers
Chairman's Newsletter - November 2022
Dear Members,
After the most glorious October it feels as if Winter has arrived with a vengeance. The rain, high winds and dark evenings of November have come as a real shock.
Members who took part in the Trafalgar Day celebrations in mid-October were lucky as there was a break in the weather and the rain stopped. Everyone was able to enjoy a really informative talk by Toby as he guided members down to the beach before raising a toast to Nelson. The following week the Duchess of Kent suite was full for Toby’s talk on the walled garden. It was fascinating to listen to the history of the garden and see pictures of how neglected it looked when Toby started here and how decisions were made on what to plant in it. As the new education rooms are still not finished Sarah Burdett also gave her talk in the DOK suite at the end of October. This was on the East Cowes Blitz and was a moving description of the event, told in the words of people who had lived through it.
All the talks this Autumn have been extremely popular and well attended and we hope to bring some more fascinating speakers in to talk to members next Autumn.
We still have events to look forward to in November and December and the committee and trustees met earlier this week to discuss and start to organise events for 2023.
This Sunday, November 13th, members of Friends of Osborne attended the Remembrance Service at St. Mildred’s Church and laid a wreath.
The Christmas Tree festival at St. Mildred’s Church has been confirmed. Trees will be decorated on Monday 19th December with exposition of all trees from 20th to 23rd December. For more details click here Christmas Tree Festival – Friends of Osborne.
Carols in the Courtyard on Wednesday 14th December promises to be a really good evening. Join us for some festive songs and carols around the log burning brazier in the courtyard. There will be gluhwein, mince pies and stollen. For more details and booking forms, please click here Carols in the Courtyard – Friends of Osborne.
Members will be pleased to know that the amalgamated library of FOO and Osborne is now completed. We have not organised an official opening yet but members can get in touch with Therron, who will arrange access for members to visit the library to do research or borrow books.
There have been a few occasions when members have had problems visiting Osborne because they have not had photo ID. If providing photo ID has caused any member difficulty, please get in touch with the membership secretary who will provide that member with their own ID photo card.
The Winter guided tours of Osborne are due to start in January. Members will be invited to be the first visitors shown around the house to trial these new tours.
We received sad news earlier this month that Helen Wilkinson had died. She was an invaluable member of the committee for many years and took a very active part in the running of Friends of Osborne. She will be sadly missed.
I hope to meet some of you in December at Carols in the Courtyard.
And finally – STOP PRESS – English Heritage are offering FOO members a 25% discount in the shop as a Xmas offer between Weds 16th November to Sunday 20th November. Members will need to show their membership cards and photo ID to get the discount.
Kind Regards
Allison Rogers
Chairman's Newsletter - October 2022
Dear Members,
Autumn is truly with us but we have been lucky to have had beautiful blue skies for the first two events this month. We met in The Duchess of Kent Suite for our talk by Stephan Roman on 6th October as the new education rooms were still not finished. The DOK suite is a glorious venue and was full as we had to limit the numbers to thirty. Everyone enjoyed a fascinating talk entitled ‘Isle and Empires’ where we learnt about the shared history of Russia and Britain and especially the Isle of Wight. The new curator, Christopher Warleigh-Lack popped in to listen to the talk and to meet a few of the members.
Today I have just returned from Sarah Burdett’s guided walk around St. Mildred’s graveyard. Twenty-nine members took the opportunity to learn about all the interesting people buried here. The views across the Medina were beautiful and Sarah pointed out just a few of the many tombstones of Royalty, royal servants, military personnel and influential designers and engineers before we went into the café for a delicious coffee and cake.
Our next two events fall towards the end of the month and both events still have places available. Toby’s Trafalgar Day walk is on Thursday 20th October when members will raise a glass to Nelson. Toby will guide members down to the beach sharing his extensive knowledge of the trees and plants as they stroll along the Valley Walk past magnificent trees planted by Albert. For more information and booking form click on Trafalgar Day – walk to the beach with Head Gardener Toby – Friends of Osborne.
On October 27th Toby is giving a talk about the Walled Garden. This will be in the education rooms if they are ready in time, otherwise the talk will again be held in The Duchess of Kent suite. It is over 20 years since the Walled Garden was opened to the public for the first time. The talk consists of a bit of the garden’s history, the restoration and what plantings have worked well and those that haven’t. For more information and booking form click on A Talk on The Wall Garden by Head Gardener Toby – Friends of Osborne.
Our last talk of the year will be November 3rd when Sarah Burdett, from the East Cowes Heritage Centre, will give a talk on the East Cowes Blitz. The talk will give first-hand accounts from people living in East Cowes at the time. Details and booking forms for this talk have just been released. Click here for details. This will be a popular talk so book early. For more information and booking form click on A talk on The East Cowes Blitz by Sarah Burdett – Friends of Osborne.
Anybody wanting to go to St. Mildred’s for the Remembrance Service on November 13th can find details on the website. A member of Friends of Osborne will give a reading and a wreath will be laid.
After October half term the opening days for the Estate will be Wednesday to Sunday. The planned guided tours of the house have now been pushed back to January 2023. Before we know it, the year will have passed and we will be planning events for next year. If you have any ideas or requests for events or talks, please get in touch. Several suggestions were made at today’s event with one member offering to give a talk on St. Mildred’s Church next Spring and one member requesting a talk on Norris Castle. Or if any of you would like to come on the committee, we would love to welcome your input.
Kind Regards
Allison Rogers
Chairman's Newsletter - September 2022
Dear Members,
All of us have been saddened by the news of Queen Elizabeth’s death. She was a remarkable monarch and woman and no one can fail to be moved by the outpouring of love shown by people all over the country. Flowers have been laid by the gates of Osborne House and there is a book of condolence at the exit from the Durbar Rooms.
I feel Autumn is upon us and the recent rain has been very welcome. However, we were very lucky to have a beautiful evening at the end of August for our 360-degree event. Fifty of our members enjoyed the spectacular views from the rooftop, where we were able to see the glorious views of the grounds and across the Solent where the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales was at anchor.
This is a very popular annual event and sold out very quickly. Next year we will try to give priority to those members who applied and were unable to get tickets this time. Also, it will return to being held earlier in the year, in June.
Bookings for our two events in early October are proving very popular and over twenty people have booked to attend Stephan Roman’s talk. In the past this would have caused a problem as the seating capacity in our old rooms was for only twenty guests. The new Education Rooms can accommodate at least double that number, taking away the need to sometimes hold the same talk in the morning and afternoon as happened in the past when Toby, our head gardener, gave a talk.
The rooms are almost finished; only needing a coat of paint and electricity installed! If this is not finished by 6th October, Stephan’s talk will still go ahead as we have a contingency plan! The rooms have been restored to how they were when used as servants’ quarters and dining room.
I am also looking forward to Sarah Burdett’s talk and walk at St. Mildred’s on Monday 10th October, which promises to be extremely interesting.
There are two more events in October, for which tickets can now be booked. Toby’s Trafalgar Day Walk on Friday 20th October and Toby’s talk on the Walled Garden in the Education Rooms on October 27th. Please click on the links for more information and online booking forms or use the pdfs at the end of this newsletter if you wish to printout the forms.
Trafalgar Day Walk information
Trafalgar Day Walk online booking form
Toby’s talk on the Walled Garden information
Toby’s talk on the Walled Garden online booking form
Other dates for your diary are
A talk on East Cowes Blitz by Sarah Burdett on November 3rd
The Remembrance Service at St. Mildred’s on November 13th
A Christmas Tree Festival at St. Mildred’s – date to follow
Carols in the Courtyard on December 14th (not yet confirmed)
Several members commented about how much they enjoyed the Quiz Evening, so we are trying to organize a Christmas Quiz in early December.
As mentioned in a previous newsletter members are able to play golf at Osborne Golf Course for a concessionary rate of £12 for either 9 or 18 holes. Please click on the pdf below for details of Book-Pay-Play scheme. This is a private arrangement between Friends of Osborne and Osborne Golf Club.
Osborne is planning to introduce guided tours of the house this winter. Plans are that the tour will be trialled with members of Friends of Osborne. The committee approved the purchase of two historically accurate costumes costing £4000. One is for a housekeeper and one for a footman. EH have photographs and the census of 1861 so the tours will be led by ‘real’ characters from this time at Osborne, a time before Prince Albert died and before everyone wore black and was in mourning. The costumes will be authentic but practical for easy cleaning and maintenance. It is hoped that some members of Friends may want to be trained and involved with making and repairing costumes. Please see the pdf below for the photos of the housekeeper and footman who will be the characters leading the tours.
If any members who donated books, artefacts or paintings to Friends want to claim them back they need to do so by the end of the month. The books are being incorporated into Osborne’s existing library and will be used for reference and research. The library catalogue is nearly complete. Once it is finished the library will be relaunched and a decision will be made as to how members of Friends will be able to access it. Various paintings are going to be used for educational purposes and the new curator, Christopher Warleigh-Lack who started on September 12th will look through them. It is hoped that he will come to one of our meetings so we can all meet him.
I look forward to meeting some of you at our next events.
Allison Rogers
Chairman’s Report for August – including news of a new benefit for members
Dear Members,
I hope you have all been enjoying this very hot Summer but you are probably all hoping for rain, especially as the hose pipe ban comes into force on the Island.
The Beach Party at the end of July was a great success. It was a beautiful evening and everyone enjoyed listening to Captain Paul and Lindsay who entertained us all with their sea shanties. The Solent sparkled and we all had a wonderful view of Queen Mary 2 as she cruised past. The beach cafe was open and members were able to arrive at the beach in the brand new electric mini bus.
Our next event is the 360 Degree Guided Tour from the roof top of Osborne on Wednesday 31st October. This is always a very popular event with members, as the general public don’t have access to this unique experience. Booking forms can be found online using the hyperlinks on the bullet points on the Events Page FO Events – Friends of Osborne or the bullet points on the Members’ Events Diary on the Home Page Home – Friends of Osborne.
Friends of Osborne are happy to announce that we have been able to gain a new benefit for our members. All members are now eligible for a concessionary flat rate Green Fee to play at Osborne Golf Club.
Work has started on turning our old rooms into an Education facility. The hope is they will be ready for the beginning of September but it may well be October. This was one reason that no talks were arranged until then.
I can now confirm dates for some more events and talks. Members have already voiced interest in Stephan Roman’s talk on October 6th and Toby’s walk down to the beach on October 20th for a Trafalgar Day celebration.
Booking forms for all events will be released six weeks prior to the event and details can be found on our website.
New events are :
- A walk around St. Mildreds Church at Whippingham on Monday October 10th at 2.00. Sarah Burdett will start her talk at The Brick Hack and then show us around some of the fascinating tomb stones that can be found in the graveyard. Members wishing to look around the Church can arrive earlier where there is a church guide.
- Toby, our head Gardener will give a talk on The Walled Garden on Thursday 27th October at 10.00
- A talk by Sarah Burdett on The East Cowes Blitz on Thursday 3rd November at 10.00 in our old rooms off the courtyard. There will be a 45-minute film of oral memories of the East Cowes Blitz and a 40-minute PowerPoint presentation of a first-hand account of an ARP messenger boy.
More details of these events can be found on our web site.
Look forward to seeing some of you at our next event. Enjoy the summer and try to stay cool.
Kind Regards
Allison Rogers
Chairman’s Report for July – including update on access to the House
Dear Members,
I am pleased to inform members that they will now have unlimited access to the house during the six weeks of the summer holidays from Saturday 23rd July to Sunday 4th September. You will need to show your Friends of Osborne membership card on entrance to the house.
It is also hoped that we will offer members the opportunity to book a guided tour of the house in the winter when Osborne hopes to introduce escorted tours of the house by staff dressed in character. More information will follow nearer the time.
Our most recent event, the quiz night on June 24th, proved very successful and was enjoyed by 36 members and their friends. Jacqui and her team supplied an excellent Ploughman’s with Island cheeses. A separate report and photos of this can be seen on our website and Facebook page.
Our next event is the beach party on 15th July. This is always a wonderful chance to pack a picnic and a bottle of wine, enjoy the magnificent view and listen to sea shanties.
We now have dates for other events.
The 360 degree tour has been organised for Wednesday 31st August. This is always extremely popular as members are given a privileged opportunity to see the grounds and a view over the Solent from the tower.
On Thursday 20th October Toby, the head gardener, will lead us on a walk to the beach to celebrate Trafalgar Day where we will raise a tot of rum.
Details of all these events will follow shortly. We also have plans for Remembrance Day at St. Mildred’s, the Christmas Tree Festival at St. Mildred’s and Carols in the Courtyard.
I am in the process of organising Autumn talks which will take place in the new Education Rooms which are almost completed. On Thursday 6th October Stephan Roman is giving a talk: ‘Isle and Empires. Romanov Russia, Britain and the Isle of Wight’. This should be a fascinating talk especially because of current events.
We are also exploring possibilities of a regular lunch for members to get together. If you have any ideas of events which you would like to see please get in touch.
Kind Regards
Allison
June 2022 Chairman’s Newsletter
Dear Members,
Our first event, a drinks party on the terrace, on Thursday 19th May, was a great success. There were just over thirty members present and David Bailey gave us an update on Osborne House and how it was emerging from the lock downs of the past two years. Four of David’s team were there to chat with us and enjoy the delicious canapes that Jacqui’s catering team had produced, and we all enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with old friends over drinks and mocktails.
Hopefully many of you will be at the Quiz on 24th June which is open to both members and their guests. For full details and entry forms:
Click here to view/download/print the details: Quiz Night Details
Or to complete the online form here: Quiz Night Online Form
We have other events planned, including the Beach Party on 15th July, and are in the process of organising more fundraising activities. Further information will follow shortly.
I’m pleased to report that Osborne have bought a defibrillator (with a paediatric add on) with funds raised by Friends of Osborne. Osborne have given us a wish list and we will keep members up to date with purchases we make. Before and after photos of the some of the fencing we recently purchased, together with a site map of its location, can be seen below in the attached pdf.
Also, below is a picture of the beacon being lit at Osborne on Thursday night as part of the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations. I hope many of you were able to enjoy the May half term events held at Osborne. Victoria’s family fun days saw over 7,650 visitors with a further 4340 coming to the ‘Kid’s Rule’ event.
Kind Regards
Allison
Contact: Helen McComb, Secretary – secretary@friendsofosborne.org
May 2022 Chairman’s Newsletter
Dear Members,
This is my first opportunity since becoming Chairman to welcome you all to Friends of Osborne. Osborne went into its summer opening on April 1st and I hope many of you took advantage of the glorious Easter weather to enjoy the beautiful grounds.
The new card system seems to be working well and there is no longer a need to book in advance. Over 500 members have renewed their membership, we have 50 new members and we have just over 100 members whose subscriptions are due in June, September and December. It is wonderful to see so many people keen to support Friends of Osborne.
We, of course, want to start the events calendar going. Osborne like so many other organisations has had to contend with acute challenges relating to staffing. Osborne’s food and beverage outlets, which are now inhouse, have also been impacted by Covid and recruitment issues. This is the reason why no events were organised in April as hoped. However, we now have a date for a welcome drink outside on the Terraces. It is Thursday May 26th at 6.00. More details about cost and booking tickets will follow shortly.
Also our planned Quiz night for May has now been moved to June and details will follow as soon as we have organised the final arrangements. We also hope to have a beach party and Cowes Week drinks party.
It has been an incredibly difficult two years for everyone and I’m certain members will be patient as we try to build up a schedule of events. We may not be able to have the full calendar of events this year but we will try as hard as possible to make sure there is something for everyone.
As a joint organization the trustees and committee meet together every month. We have had several new committee members and if any of you would like to be part of helping to organise events or have ideas on the direction you would like to see our charity take, we would love to meet you.
As many of you know Michael Hunter has retired but Osborne hopes to have found a new Curator by the end of May. Michael’s talks were always very popular and as soon as a replacement for Michael has been found we hope to reintroduce them.
Our old rooms are in the process of being refurbished and becoming a new site for use by educational groups and school parties. We will have access to these rooms to host events and talks. I am hoping to get our Autumn talks up and running and I am contacting various speakers including Stephan Roman, author of ‘Isle and Empire: Romanov Russia, Britain and the Isle of Wight’; about giving us a talk.
Hoping to meet many of you at our first event.
Kind Regards
Allison Rogers
Contact: Helen McComb, Secretary – secretary@friendsofosborne.org
Spring 2022 Newsletter
Dear Members
A new beginning for Friends of Osborne
From a very positive AGM, held at the Terrace Restaurant on 24th February 2022, a new management structure for Friends of Osborne has now been put in place, with the support of all members present, with the aim of forging a new relationship with Osborne House.
Three new Trustees, Maureen Moorman, Helen McComb, and Adrian Johnson were unanimously elected at the AGM, together with Trustees Philip Palmer and Alison Rogers and existing Committee members, will now form our new management structure.
After discussion with David Bailey, Head of Historic Properties for English Heritage at Osborne, it has been agreed to restore free access to the grounds, (thus ending our monthly allocation of 150 visits per month), which will be operative from 1st April.
To this end we will need to reactivate our membership, after it was extended to 31st March 2022, for all members.
New plastic membership cards will be issued, which will be computer linked to allow for easier access to Osborne.
Our existing library in our old rooms is to be amalgamated with the Osborne library to create an educational facility with greater access to all.
Recent projects that the Friends have funded, include the restoration of the weathervane on the clock tower and the repair of some of the iron fencing adjacent to Swiss Cottage. Future projects that we have been asked to help with include the rethatching of the children’s tool shed at Swiss Cottage and the refurbishment of the tools within.
Our new management team will restart a programme of future events for our members, with some old favourites, and we welcome any new ideas.
It is our intention to hold a coffee morning for all members to meet David Bailey to further cement our new working relationship with Osborne House staff.
Mr Philip Palmer, Acting Chairman
Contact: Helen McComb, Secretary – secretary@friendsofosborne.org
English Heritage has brought to our attention that some of our members are not using the agreed booking process (the previously circulated phone number) and are trying to book tickets via the EH website as an Associated Organisation. Can I remind everyone that this is not permissible and that we must adhere to the current arrangement. |
This has apparently occurred on a number of occasions recently when our allocation had been reached and members are trying to find a way around the system we have in place.
We have also been told that some members turn up, knowing that our allocation has already been used, and then suggest that they are unaware of the booking system and are still trying to use their cards as we did pre-Covid. Again, this is causing consternation for EH staff and members and will only result in being turned away.
We are in the process of finding a date to sit down with management at Osborne, when we will discuss all of the current arrangements and how a lifting of various restrictions recently and in the near future, will beneficially impact upon our members. We will update you all once we have news on this.
In the meantime, please stick with the current booking system, don’t turn up claiming no knowledge of what has been agreed (if anyone remains in doubt, please contact the Secretary on email address below) and don’t forget that standard admission charges or EH membership remain options for us all!
Rob Flower
Chair of Trustees
2 April 2021 – April Newsletter
Dear Members
I hope the onset of Spring finds you all well and looking forward to the end of various restrictions.
You may have seen in the County Press and on line the exciting news that the weather vane, which we have contributed to the repair of, has been reinstalled atop the clock tower. Pictures are available on our Facebook page and Osborne management have circulated a press release acknowledging our contribution.
The Friends committee are now looking to put together an events programme and I know they would welcome any ideas you may have. These can be sent to our Secretary, details of which are at the bottom of this letter.
The Trustees also hope to be able to add to the events programme with our usual Gala Dinner with our patron Dame Judi Dench, subject to her availability. We are meeting with English Heritage in the next couple of weeks to find out what their opening regime will be and also to get dates in the diary for events and hopefully our AGM.
On behalf of the Trustees, I wish you all a Happy and Peaceful Easter.
Secretary: email mtee45@hotmail.co.uk
Please note new phone number: 07785924323
21st January 2021 – Newsletter
Friends Booking System
A reminder to members to use the telephone booking system and not the online booking system please. The site is currently only open and manned on Saturday and Sunday from 10.00 until 16.00 so calls outside of these times will not be answered. If possible, try and book a week ahead (weather forecast permitting!)
From half-term, ordinarily February 15th, it is expected that Osborne will revert to opening Wednesday to Sunday 10.00 – 16.00 until the end of March. Changes to or lifting of current Covid restrictions may impact upon these dates and upon the operations at Osborne so do regularly check their website for any updates.
If I can remind members to be considerate and not over-book so that all members have a reasonable chance of making a visit. Osborne management have alerted us that there are a handful of names that book four places each and every week – consequently we are using up our allocation by week three each month. While the support and enthusiasm to enjoy Osborne is welcomed, it is hoped that more of our members will have the chance to visit if those very frequent visitors tempered their enthusiasm a little more please and reduce the number of their bookings.
Weather Vane
As expected, the plan to install the weather vane in February has been delayed and we are now informed that this may now take place in March but with fewer spectators able to attend. We will have to wait and see how Covid impacts upon this and the many other projects that we hope to support at Osborne this coming year.
Christmas Tree
I hope you were able to enjoy the Christmas trees at St Mildred’s last month. The Friends of Osborne displayed a delightful tree in the church which displayed the names of Victoria and Albert’s nine children – many thanks to the very creative members responsible this year.
Please contact our Secretary, via this email address only, mtee45@hotmail.co.uk should you have any concerns or queries about any of the issues above.
Best wishes
Rob Flower
Chair of Friends of Osborne Trustees.
18 January 2021
This note has been received from Dame Judi Dench.
“I was very sad indeed to hear about Tim. Since being associated with the Friends of Osborne, he was always so welcoming and we enjoyed our time spent with him.”
David Mills & Judi Dench
14 January 2021
TIM KING
I am sad to announce the death of Tim King who was the first Chair of the Friends of Osborne when we became a charity in 2015.
After a long and distinguished career in the judiciary, Tim took on the role of shaping and guiding the ‘new’ Friends, and together with trustees past and present, created our Governance document and ensured our compliance with the statutory conditions and enrolment with the Charity Commission.
Tim’s memorable achievement in his role as Chair, was his successful and personal approach to Dame Judi Dench, who was of course, delighted to become our patron and enjoyed Tim’s warmth, humour and hospitality during her subsequent visits to Osborne.
Suffering from ill-health for a number of years, Tim stood down in 2019 and handed the reigns over to me – giving sound advice, support and friendship along the way. I shall personally miss his twinkling humour, court room anecdotes and after-dinner story telling.
Tim died on Tuesday this week and our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Jane, and all his family and friends.
Rob Flower
Chair of Friends of Osborne Trustees.
6 January 2021
Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on 4 January, English Heritage have taken the decision to keep a small selection of their sites open for local people to use for exercise during the lockdown. The grounds of Osborne will be open during the lockdown period at weekends until the February half-term. As before, all visits must be booked in advance, with Friends of Osborne members using the telephone booking system set up for this purpose. Please stay local and bear in mind the government’s latest advice.
NEWSLETTER – 15th DECEMBER 2020
Meeting with Osborne Management
The Secretary and myself met with Osborne management recently and discussed a number of issues – listed below: –
Friends Booking System
This appears to be running smoothly from month to month with about the right number of bookings to fill our allocated 100 places. If I can remind members to be considerate and not over-book so that all members have a reasonable chance of making a visit. Osborne are keeping a list of member names to allow us to continue to monitor this.
Please remember that the site is closed Monday and Tuesday so try to book Wednesday visits the week before if possible. After Christmas, Osborne will only be open at weekends until the February half-term.
Weather Vane
Members may recall that we committed to making a contribution to the restoration of the weather vane that sits on the top of the clock tower. I am pleased to say that the work has now been completed and it is back at Osborne ready for installation (via a huge crane!) in early February. The Project Manager has offered to provide and insight into the work that was required and hopefully we can create a photo opportunity with the County Press, highlighting the contribution of the Friends.
Fence Repairs
Members may be aware of historic metal fencing to be seen on the walk down to the beach in the valley. Urgent repairs are required and I am pleased that local iron mongers at The Forge in Whippingham have been contracted to undertake the work in the new year and the Friends will be making a contribution to the overall cost. Again, I will be asking that Osborne management credit our contribution when this work is completed.
Benches
As many of us know, considering that Osborne is a 250-acre estate, there are too few benches for a much-needed rest! Consequently, we will make a small annual contribution to provide more benches around the estate – each will carry a small plaque indicating that the Friends have gifted these to Osborne.
Eating at Osborne
Although the café in the Petty Officers Quarters is closed, the Orangery (adjacent to the Terrace Restaurant) is open for take-aways and the restaurant is available for pre-booked table service for on-site guests only. The Beach Café is also open for a limited take-away offer. After Christmas, the restaurant will be serving weekend roasts – again pre-booked table service only.
Toby’s Trees & Wreaths
Osborne has a seasonal wreath trail and Toby (Head Gardener) has Toby’s Tall Trees Trail as an added attraction over the next couple of weeks.
Platinum Jubilee
There is currently a national tree planting scheme being proposed to celebrate Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022. We have indicated that we would like to fund a tree-planting at Osborne – very much in keeping with the tradition that Prince Albert and Queen Victoria began back in the 1850’s. We’ll keep you up to date with this as the date approaches.
Further Meetings
As we all know the Covid restrictions can be changeable depending upon the tiering and hopefully the imminent roll out of the vaccine! Consequently, we will meet again with Osborne management in late January to review the status quo and then let you all know of any changes impacting upon our visits.
Remembrance Service
Despite the lock-down restrictions in November, we were still able to make a small and socially distanced service outdoors at St Mildred’s in Whippingham to mark the day and lay the wreath on behalf of the Friends.
Christmas Trees
There is also Friends Christmas tree to be seen at St Mildred’s. See Poster below for details!
Please contact our Secretary, via this email address only, mtee45@hotmail.co.uk should you have any concerns or queries about any of the issues above.
Seasonal Best wishes to you all and hopefully a healthier New Year!
Rob Flower
Chair of Friends of Osborne Trustees.
NEWSLETTER – 9th NOVEMBER 2020
Lockdown Update
You will all be aware of the latest lockdown restrictions that have come into effect this week and are in place until December 2nd (we hope no longer !?)
Remembrance Service
Obviously, this will mean the cancellation of the Remembrance Service planned for November 8th. There will however, be a private laying of the Friends wreath by arrangement with the Vicar of St. Mildred’s. All of those who had already paid, should by now, have had an email from the Secretary about how to get a refund directly into their banks – please contact the Secretary on the email below if there are any delays.
Osborne Visits
English Heritage has confirmed that the grounds and gardens will remain open throughout this second lockdown with all interior spaces closed. Consequently, you may continue to use the TELEPHONE booking system and note the winter opening hours of Wednesday – Sunday. Please visit the English Heritage website for further details.
Meeting with Osborne Management
We have had to postpone a planned meeting with Osborne Management when we had hoped to review the new booking procedures and also discuss the details of our next donations and what the monies would be used for. We will now meet in mid-December, all being well.
Annual General Meeting
We are hoping to hold our AGM, probably in May and subject to venue availability and a lifting of restrictions to permit a large gathering of members. Further updates on this will be given in due course, subject to the various changing scenarios.
Finally, a welcome to a number of new members who have joined us recently, we do hope that the full range of benefits will become available sooner rather than later! And alas, we wish to mark the passing of another long-standing member, Sheila Swan, who kindly left a number of Victorian related books to the Friend’s library at Osborne.
Please contact our Secretary, via this email address only, mtee45@hotmail.co.uk should you have any concerns or queries about any of the issues above.
Best wishes
Rob Flower
Chair of Friends of Osborne Trustees.
6 November 2020
NOVEMBER OPENING
English Heritage has, this afternoon, announced it’s intention to keep some of it’s sites open during the current lockdown. Consequently, the grounds and gardens of Osborne will remain open to local visitors within government guidelines on Wednesday to Sundays 10am to 4pm. All interior spaces will be closed until 3 December which includes the House, the Gift Shop, Petty Officer’s Quarters and the Orangery. Visitors are asked to bear in mind the government’s latest advice on essential journeys before planning their visit. All visits must be booked in advance.
5 October 2020
NEW BOOKING ARRANGEMENTS
Members have today been emailed the instructions for booking visits to Osborne which are applicable from today, Monday 5 October 2020. Also included in the email were details of the arrangements for this year’s Remembrance Service to be held at St Mildred’s Church on Sunday 8 November.
Any member who has not received the email is advised to contact our Secretary on mtee45@hotmail.co.uk.
NEWSLETTER – 25th SEPTEMBER 2020
UPDATE ON NEGOTIATIONS WITH ENGLISH HERITAGE
I am delighted to announce that we have been successful in negotiating the return of access to the grounds of Osborne for the Friends, albeit in controlled numbers and via contacting the site directly to book rather than use the online booking system. Details of the new arrangements, including the phone number to call, will be forwarded to all members via their email addresses in the next few days. Any members without an email should contact the secretary directly on the number below.
Please continue to follow our Facebook page and our website and continue to forward any queries to our secretary at mtee45@hotmail.co.uk. telephone 01983 295780.
Best wishes
Rob Flower
Chair of Friends of Osborne Trustees.