Public Places
Carisbrooke Castle occupies a hilltop central location on the Isle of Wight.
Queen Victoria’s youngest daughter, Princess Beatrice, made the 800 year old castle her home for much of her life whilst she was Governor of the island
A Cork Oak, one of the fine specimen trees
now tended by Toby’s team, with assistance from twenty-five volunteers. No records exist of how the gardens were originally laid out, so they have been planted up with flowers and shrubs that would have been available prior to 1901. Local flower arrangers pick the flowers to produce displays for the house throughout the summer. The walls and pagodas have apple trees trained up them, and Toby says that, when in full growth, they look spectacular. He even has a mind to produce Osborne Cider from the fruit! As we return to the main house to complete my visit, we pass further lawned areas and specimen trees. “These lawns aren’t perhaps in the best condition,” confirms Toby, “but there is a good reason for this as there are four species of rare fungi that grow on them. One is actually no larger than a blade of grass!”
Under the governance of English Heritage and the considerable skills of Toby and his team, visitors to Osborne are guaranteed a most rewarding day, regardless of whether they come armed with picnic hampers or inflatables.
CARISBROOKE Castle is a historic motte-and-bailey castle dating back over 800 years. It is situated almost smack bang in the middle of the Isle of Wight and commands stunning views through 360 degrees. Over the years, it has been much altered and extended.
Its main claims to fame are that Charles I was
imprisoned here for fourteen months before his execution in 1649 and, afterwards, his two youngest children were confined in the castle. It is here that Princess Elizabeth died. Most recently it was the home of Princess Beatrice, youngest daughter of Queen Victoria, in her role as Governor of the Isle of Wight from 1896-1944.
Surrounding the castle are large earthworks, which were begun in the year before the Spanish Armada. They were completed in the 1590s. These, and the lawned areas inside the castle wall are maintained by ISS, using Kubota ST30s to cut the grass. The steep banks are left to grow wild and include a number of rare plants.
There is also a bowling green, but this was never the manicured surface we know today, although the sport was very popular in the 17th century. It was built for Charles 1 during his internment. The high banks on the edge of the green originally formed part of the artillery fortifications. The natural amphitheatre is now used for small concerts and historical reenactments.
The entrance to Carisbrooke Castle
Inside the castle’s walls, the grounds are mainly laid out with paths and lawns and, with over 120,000 visitors a year, areas of the lawns can be subject to high wear, especially those of interest to children, such as the four miniature canons perched on a bank.
The site is particularly important for bats, with nine of the fifteen species found in the UK resident in and around the castle; more than any other English Heritage site in southern England. These include Bechstein’s, Grey Long Eared, Natterer’s, Serotine and Greater Horseshoe. Evidence of Pipistrelle bats roosting in the chapel can clearly be seen by the scrapings at the top of the door - there appears to be no gap to get through when closed!
A recent addition has been the Princess Beatrice Garden which was designed by award winning garden designer and TV presenter, Chris Beardshaw.
Here, all the planting had to take into consideration archaeological importance, so all the shrubs along the walls have been planted in submerged containers to retain their roots, whilst other planting has a membrane below to act similarly.
The Yew hedge at the head of the garden is shaped to mirror the top of the window in the chapel.
Toby and Andy oversee all grounds work at Carisbrooke
Castle.
The Isle of Wight is a stronghold of the red squirrel. They are found, although rarely seen, at Osborne, but are not resident at Carisbrooke Castle. There are no grey squirrels on the island.
Andy Turner on the earthworks
The new Princess Beatrice Garden
More specimen trees on the lawns where four types of rare fungi grow
Wear areas around the miniature canons
The bowling green viewed from the castle wall
Bat scrapings around the top of the chapel door
JUNE/JULY 2013 PC 103
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