Osborne House was once the holiday retreat of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, but now one of its most opulent features keeps those at Sandringham House busy with its difficult upkeep, as it has been relocated.
According to the Sandringham estate’s official website, three beautiful chandeliers hang in the ballroom, which once resided at Osbourne House. They were then moved to Buckingham Palace before Queen Mary noticed them and had them brought to Sandringham.
“They are each made of over a thousand pieces of Venetian crystal, and on the ground stand at seven feet high. They are carefully lowered twice a year for cleaning – hats off to the housekeeping staff,” the site states.
Inside the Sandringham ballroom
The ballroom is perhaps one of the most impressive areas of the house, situated on the 20,000-acre Norfolk estate. The room was added in 1884 to host lavish parties and gatherings and features a barrel-vaulted ceiling and a fireplace.
Now, the ballroom is open to the public from March to October each year, and last year played host to the Royal Signatures Through the Years exhibit focusing on the royal family’s connection to horticulture.
© PA Images via Getty ImagesDetails from royal history are also featured in the dining room at Sandringham House. The dining table is set with the Minton porcelain service, which was made in Stoke-on-Trent. It is light turquoise in hue and features gold gilding and is inscribed with an ‘AA’ cypher for Queen Victoria’s son, Albert Edward (the future King Edward VII) and his wife, Princess Alexandra of Denmark. It was given as a gift from Queen Victoria in 1863.
Cleaning Sandringham House
Being a housekeeper at Sandringham House is no mean feat. A previous job advert for a role on the estate stated that housekeepers are put on a rota covering Monday to Sunday and may include some unsocial hours, including Bank Holidays, weekends and evenings.
© Alamy Stock PhotoMain duties included dusting, hoovering, making beds and cleaning bathrooms, as well as assisting with laundry and linen care, including ironing and steaming garments. Sandringham housekeepers must also assist with the conservation cleaning of items within the house while ensuring that all items are well cared for and any changes are reported.
Debate at Sandringham
In more recent times, the dining room has been the topic of discussion among the royal family regarding its temperature. In his 2023 memoir Spare, Prince Harry spoke about his time staying at the royal estate, saying: “The dining room at Sandringham, for instance, was our version of Dante’s Inferno. Much of Sandringham was balmy, but the dining room was subtropical.”
It was the late Queen Elizabeth II who liked to keep the dining room toasty warm, but Harry revealed that he or his father would sneakily attempt to open a window, but “the corgis always betrayed us”.
© GettyHe recalled: “The cool air would make them whimper, and Granny would say: ‘Is there a draft?’ And then a footman would promptly shut the window. (That loud thump, unavoidable because the windows were so old, always felt like the door of a jail cell being slammed.)”
Read the full article here
