Queen Victoria's church on the Isle of Wight
For fellow Victorian history aficionados (nicer than saying geeks!) the Isle of Wight is a prime location. Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert built their family home Osborne House on the island. Osborne House is the holy grail of a Queen Victoria pilgrimage and I've completed that quest!
Just nearby is St. Mildred's Church, which was considered the family church. Albert was involved in the redesign of the building and there's a foundation stone commemorating Victoria's and Albert's laying of the stone.
Inside the altar area is flanked by 2 side chapels, one is the Battenberg Chapel and the other the royal pews where the Queen and her family sat.
The Battenberg Chapel on the left, it's closed off to the public, but you can look into it. The Royal Pews on the right which has memorials to various royals.
The Battenberg Chapel, originally created for Prince Henry of Battenberg who married Queen Victoria's youngest daughter Beatrice. Beatrice was to have remained unmarried and been a companion to her mother, however she met and fell in love with Henry, much to her mother's annoyance. Despite Victoria's best efforts, Beatrice proved to be as stubborn as her mother, Victoria refused to speak to Beatrice for 7 months, they communicated by writing notes. Victoria believed that Beatrice would eventually capitulate, she would give up Henry and remain unmarried, but eventually it was Victoria that caved and approved the marriage on the condition that Beatrice and Henry had to live with her.
After 10 years of marriage Henry got frustrated at not doing much so went off to Africa to fight in one of the many colonial campaigns, he contacted malaria and died on the ship back to the UK. As he and Beatrice were married at St. Mildred's he was buried there in 1896. When Beatrice died in 1944, she was placed in the sarcophagus with Henry. Also in the chapel are the ashes of their eldest son Alexander, his wife Irene and daughter Iris. Iris was born after King George V got rid of all the German titles in the royal family, she was known as Lady Iris Mountbatten. And ever the collector of trivia, I discovered she lived in North America for most of her life, the last 20 years in Canada and she died there in 1982. Her cousin from the other Mountbatten branch, Patricia Mountbatten (Countess Mountbatten) had her ashes brought to the Isle of Wight to be placed in the chapel with Iris' parents and grandparents.
The ashes of David, 3rd Marquis of Milford Haven who was Prince Philip's first cousin and best man at his wedding are in the chapel. David is a descendent of Prince Louis of Battenberg as is Prince Philip, Prince Louis is buried in the church cemetery.
There are some photos and information next to the chapel and the volunteer guides love to have a good chat as well!
The Royal Pew, where Queen Victoria sat when attending a service at the church, there are memorials to various members of her family, including the two children who predeceased her. Her daughter Alice (mother of the last Russian Empress) and son Leopold, who was a haemophiliac.
Rose window.
There is a small section of the church which has a display on Princess Beatrice's wedding, it was held at St. Mildred's on the 23rd of July in 1885.
The back of the church with the village cemetery.
The church is on a nice site overlooking the river Medina, the river and boats can just be seen in the background. I was there in autumn as the leaves were turning.
Having seen the Battenberg chapel I wanted to make my pilgrimage to the other Battenberg memorial site, I asked one of the guides to show it to me. (Although being fairly large I'm sure I wouldn't have missed it!) The guide was delighted to have another history geek to talk to and we had a very pleasant chat over quite a long period of time! Eyes glazing over for anyone else listening!
This is the burial site of Prince Philip's grandparents, Prince Louis of Battenberg, he was the older brother of Prince Henry (buried inside the church). Louis married Queen Victoria's grand-daughter Victoria of Hesse, daughter of Alice whose memorial is in the royal pew. All connected! Louis died in 1921 and saw his name and title change in 1917 from Prince Louis of Battenberg to Viscount Milford Haven, he was very witty and wrote in his son's guest book "arrived Prince Hyde, left Lord Jekyll". Victoria lived to see her grandson marry Princess Elizabeth the heir apparent, Victoria was buried with her husband in 1950. In her old age she apparently used to wake up each morning annoyed she was still alive!
Victoria was fascinating to me, her mother died when she was young, her sister closest in age to her, the beautiful Elizabeth married into the Russian imperial Family. After her husband was killed, Elizabeth established an order of nuns and worked with the poor in Moscow, she was killed during the Russian Revolution. Victoria's youngest sister Alix, married the Russian heir and became the last Empress and too was killed by Bolsheviks. (In the 1990s Prince Philip gave a DNA sample that helped identify the remains of the Imperial Family) Victoria's oldest daughter Alice, named for her mother, was deaf and Victoria taught her to lipread, she married in the Greek royal family, and her grandson married into the British! Her second daughter married the heir to the Swedish throne and became queen of Sweden. Victoria had experienced a huge amount of tragedy in her life, her mother dying at a young age, two sisters killed quite brutally, a grand-daughter (Philip's sister Cecilie) and her grand-daughter's family killed in a plane accident, as well as a daughter, Alice, Philip's mother, having a mental breakdown and was absent from her family for 10 years.
The chatty guide and I enjoyed our little romp through royal history! I asked why were Louis and Victoria buried at St Mildred's? (I knew Victoria had lived at Kensington Palace and had died there) He said Louis and Victoria had a house on the island and so Louis was buried there and Victoria was buried with her husband. The grave is beautifully maintained and he said the church volunteers do it, the cross over the grave is the Battenberg cross.
St. Mildred's is a nice little church to visit, even if you don't have a huge interest or knowledge of Queen Victoria's large family. It's just near Osborne House so can easily be added to your visit to Osborne, it's free entry. Those who are on a Queen Victoria pilgrimage then the church is a must and chat to the guides! Ignore the pleading looks of your travel companions to leave!
For fellow Victorian history aficionados (nicer than saying geeks!) the Isle of Wight is a prime location. Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert built their family home Osborne House on the island. Osborne House is the holy grail of a Queen Victoria pilgrimage and I've completed that quest!
Just nearby is St. Mildred's Church, which was considered the family church. Albert was involved in the redesign of the building and there's a foundation stone commemorating Victoria's and Albert's laying of the stone.
Inside the altar area is flanked by 2 side chapels, one is the Battenberg Chapel and the other the royal pews where the Queen and her family sat.
The Battenberg Chapel on the left, it's closed off to the public, but you can look into it. The Royal Pews on the right which has memorials to various royals.
The Battenberg Chapel, originally created for Prince Henry of Battenberg who married Queen Victoria's youngest daughter Beatrice. Beatrice was to have remained unmarried and been a companion to her mother, however she met and fell in love with Henry, much to her mother's annoyance. Despite Victoria's best efforts, Beatrice proved to be as stubborn as her mother, Victoria refused to speak to Beatrice for 7 months, they communicated by writing notes. Victoria believed that Beatrice would eventually capitulate, she would give up Henry and remain unmarried, but eventually it was Victoria that caved and approved the marriage on the condition that Beatrice and Henry had to live with her.
After 10 years of marriage Henry got frustrated at not doing much so went off to Africa to fight in one of the many colonial campaigns, he contacted malaria and died on the ship back to the UK. As he and Beatrice were married at St. Mildred's he was buried there in 1896. When Beatrice died in 1944, she was placed in the sarcophagus with Henry. Also in the chapel are the ashes of their eldest son Alexander, his wife Irene and daughter Iris. Iris was born after King George V got rid of all the German titles in the royal family, she was known as Lady Iris Mountbatten. And ever the collector of trivia, I discovered she lived in North America for most of her life, the last 20 years in Canada and she died there in 1982. Her cousin from the other Mountbatten branch, Patricia Mountbatten (Countess Mountbatten) had her ashes brought to the Isle of Wight to be placed in the chapel with Iris' parents and grandparents.
The ashes of David, 3rd Marquis of Milford Haven who was Prince Philip's first cousin and best man at his wedding are in the chapel. David is a descendent of Prince Louis of Battenberg as is Prince Philip, Prince Louis is buried in the church cemetery.
There are some photos and information next to the chapel and the volunteer guides love to have a good chat as well!
The Royal Pew, where Queen Victoria sat when attending a service at the church, there are memorials to various members of her family, including the two children who predeceased her. Her daughter Alice (mother of the last Russian Empress) and son Leopold, who was a haemophiliac.
There is a small section of the church which has a display on Princess Beatrice's wedding, it was held at St. Mildred's on the 23rd of July in 1885.
The church is on a nice site overlooking the river Medina, the river and boats can just be seen in the background. I was there in autumn as the leaves were turning.
Having seen the Battenberg chapel I wanted to make my pilgrimage to the other Battenberg memorial site, I asked one of the guides to show it to me. (Although being fairly large I'm sure I wouldn't have missed it!) The guide was delighted to have another history geek to talk to and we had a very pleasant chat over quite a long period of time! Eyes glazing over for anyone else listening!
This is the burial site of Prince Philip's grandparents, Prince Louis of Battenberg, he was the older brother of Prince Henry (buried inside the church). Louis married Queen Victoria's grand-daughter Victoria of Hesse, daughter of Alice whose memorial is in the royal pew. All connected! Louis died in 1921 and saw his name and title change in 1917 from Prince Louis of Battenberg to Viscount Milford Haven, he was very witty and wrote in his son's guest book "arrived Prince Hyde, left Lord Jekyll". Victoria lived to see her grandson marry Princess Elizabeth the heir apparent, Victoria was buried with her husband in 1950. In her old age she apparently used to wake up each morning annoyed she was still alive!
Victoria was fascinating to me, her mother died when she was young, her sister closest in age to her, the beautiful Elizabeth married into the Russian imperial Family. After her husband was killed, Elizabeth established an order of nuns and worked with the poor in Moscow, she was killed during the Russian Revolution. Victoria's youngest sister Alix, married the Russian heir and became the last Empress and too was killed by Bolsheviks. (In the 1990s Prince Philip gave a DNA sample that helped identify the remains of the Imperial Family) Victoria's oldest daughter Alice, named for her mother, was deaf and Victoria taught her to lipread, she married in the Greek royal family, and her grandson married into the British! Her second daughter married the heir to the Swedish throne and became queen of Sweden. Victoria had experienced a huge amount of tragedy in her life, her mother dying at a young age, two sisters killed quite brutally, a grand-daughter (Philip's sister Cecilie) and her grand-daughter's family killed in a plane accident, as well as a daughter, Alice, Philip's mother, having a mental breakdown and was absent from her family for 10 years.
The chatty guide and I enjoyed our little romp through royal history! I asked why were Louis and Victoria buried at St Mildred's? (I knew Victoria had lived at Kensington Palace and had died there) He said Louis and Victoria had a house on the island and so Louis was buried there and Victoria was buried with her husband. The grave is beautifully maintained and he said the church volunteers do it, the cross over the grave is the Battenberg cross.
St. Mildred's is a nice little church to visit, even if you don't have a huge interest or knowledge of Queen Victoria's large family. It's just near Osborne House so can easily be added to your visit to Osborne, it's free entry. Those who are on a Queen Victoria pilgrimage then the church is a must and chat to the guides! Ignore the pleading looks of your travel companions to leave!
Comments
Post a Comment