Haunted Osborne: The Durbar wing

Whilst Prince Albert’s version Osborne House dates back to the mid-19^th century, the newest part of the house was added in 1890 under the direction of Queen Victoria herself. Inspired by the Queen’s love for India, the affectionately named Durbar wing is perhaps the most striking part of Queen Victoria’s seaside residence, as well as the spookiest.

Whilst Queen Victoria had been ruling over India since 1858, it wasn’t until 1876 that she gained the title ‘Empress of India’. Despite never visiting India due to concerns for her safety, Queen Victoria was fascinated by its rich culture. As part of her Golden Jubilee celebrations in 1887 she began employing Indian servants in her household, one of whom was the infamous Abdul Karim, who introduced the Queen to many different aspects of Indian life. By 1890, Victoria was determined that if she couldn’t go to India, then India would go to her. Inspired Prince Arthur’s new Indian inspired Billiard Room at Bagshot Park in Surrey, Victoria commissioned Bhai Ram Singh and John Lockwood Kipling to create a grand reception room in the new Indian themed wing at her Isle of Wight home, Osborne House.

Completed in 1891, the new wing succeeded in its two purposes. Not only did the upper floor provide accommodation for Victoria’s newly married daughter, Princess Beatrice and her husband Prince Henry of Battenberg, but the lavish reception room on the ground floor completely transported the Queen into a foreign land. Overlooked by a minstrel’s gallery, the magnificent Durbar Room truly encapsulates your imagination from the moment you enter. With intricately carved ceilings and walls, accompanied by the rich paisley curtains and a carpet that replicates the original design, there is so much detail to admire. But while visitors marvel at the many patterns that surround them, there are said to be several invisible figures that wander amongst the crowds.

 

Through talking with locals and reading Gay Baldwin’s books on Isle of Wight Ghost stories, I have encountered several accounts of unusual things happening in the Durbar wing. Whilst some claim to have smelt curry randomly filling the Durbar corridor, there are many reports of people feeling hands on their shoulders or their clothes being tugged at, despite being alone. Although it’s easy to believe that being ‘touched’ by a ghost is simply a trick of the mind, I have had my own similar experience when walking down the portrait-hung Durbar Corridor.

In February 2023 I had the pleasure of staying at one of the holiday properties at Osborne. As part of the package, guests can visit the main house for free during opening hours, something I certainly made the most of during my stay! With it being winter, the house was almost completely empty from visitors, allowing me to fully admire the lavish rooms, grand corridors and the history as I walked along the visitor route. Whilst Prince Albert had been clever and installed a central heating system to the main part of the house, the other parts of the house were still chilly, including the empty Durbar corridor. With this in mind, you can imagine my surprise when I turned the corner and felt something warm and soft, brush against the back of my hand. I instantly turned to see what I had touched but there was nothing there. At this time, I was unaware of the stories that surrounded this corridor, yet for several minutes I walked back and forth in the same spot, trying to figure out what I had felt, desperately hoping there was a reasonable explanation. Alas! I came to no conclusion, and even now I still find myself feeling cautious whenever I walk in the same spot.

When looking into the ghosts of Osborne, I found two reports that could explain what, or more like who, my hand brushed against that day. In her book ‘Most Haunted Island: Book Six’, Gay Baldwin mentions two accounts of an Indian boy being sighted at both ends of the Durbar Corridor. According to former custodian, Joan Downer, a visitor once claimed that she that been followed around the house by the spirit of a young Indian boy named Kabul. The lady, who claimed to be a psychic medium, said the boy “spent much time ‘on duty’ outside the Horn Room, in the corridor which leads to the Durbar Room” (1). When telling Gay Baldwin of her experiences at Osborne in the early 2000s, former cleaner and custodian, Daphne Shambrook, mentions sightings of “that little Indian boy, aged 10 or 11 years, who is seen coming down a flight of stairs and along the Durbar Corridor”. According to Daphne, there were several occasions where visitors mentioned that they had enjoyed seeing the young boy dressed in costume, which consisted of “a turban, a long, greenish-blue jacket and silky trousers”. Quite chillingly, no one had been dressed up and yet the amount reported sightings continued to increase (2).

Quite interestingly, the story of a boy lingering in the Durbar corridor matches the history of the house. Upon hearing of the apparitions, another former custodian, Beryl Mackenzie, recalled that by the late 1800s Queen Victoria had become reliant on using a ‘rolling chair’ to get around her home. To enable access upstairs, Victoria had arranged for a dumb-waiter styled lift be installed between the ground floor to the first floor. In order to keep the lift running smoothly, a servant, usually an Indian boy, would wait in the Durbar corridor so he could run down into the basement and alert two strong male servants when they needed to hoist the Queen’s lift onto the next floor. Whilst we will never know for sure, could it have been eleven-year-old Kabul that I ran into back in 2023?

© Queen.Victoria.Roses 2026

Disclaimer: All of the stories that feature in this series are based on local tales which I have discovered either in person with witnesses or through Gay Baldwin’s books of Isle of Wight Ghost stories, which she has kindly given me permission to share.

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Citation:

(1) ‘Most Haunted Island: Book six’ by Gay Baldwin, page 64

(2) ‘Most Haunted Island: Book six’ by Gay Baldwin, page 68

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