Queen Victoria and Prince Albert bought Osborne and its estate from Lady Isabella Blachford in 1845. In 1848 the old house was demolished and a new three-storey pavilion with flagtower and main and household wings was built. The 19th century estate eventually totalled over 800 hectares and included numerous cottages and lodges for estate workers and members of the household. Prince Albert's planting scheme was partially dictated by the already well-established late 18th century landscape that surrounded Osborne House. Other influences include his liking for poplars found at his family home of the Rosenau, and for the Italian fashion which he had seen at first hand of lining principal drives and walks with evergreens, such as myrtle and laurel. The walled kitchen-garden and adjoining pleasure grounds in front of the house remained as elements from the late 18th century landscape. The upper and lower terraces, with their ornamental parterres interspersed with statues representing the seasons, were constructed under the supervision of Prince Albert and Ludwig Gruner. The Swiss Cottage Garden laid out in 1853, with furnished cottage, was used by the children to grow and sell vegetables as a practical exercise in market gardening. The garden is following a restoration programme with the aim to present the park and garden landscape as close to the period before Queen Victoria's death as possible.
