The parks and gardens at Norris Castle are the Isle of Wight's only Grade I landscape listed by Historic England.

The landscape at Norris Castle is thought to have been designed in 1799 by Humphry Repton, and it includes a castellated walled garden.

The first owner and builder of Norris Castle was the politician, Lord Henry Seymour, who bought the estate in 1795, at the age of 49.

[6] After completing his work on the estate, Lord Seymour opened the castle up to the public, to allow them to share its charm and magnificent views.

[3] In August 1830, the Dauphiness and Duchess De Berri, accompanying the expatriated King of France, visited Norris Castle.

One of the accomplishments of Mr Bell, was that it was he who built the mile long sea wall, which both protects the estate's coastline and also gives a view of the castle.

[12] In 1940, a pair of silver 7-light candelabra engraved with the inscription "Presented by Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent to Robert Bell, Esq., Norris Castle, 1859" was sold at Christie's for £40 11s.

Later, the throat problem of Prince Frederick was proved to be a rare case of Laryngeal Cancer and he succumbed to his illness on 15 June 1888, just after 99 days of ruling as the German Emperor Kaiser Frederick III[16] In July 1890, Viscount Cantelupe and his bride spent their honeymoon at Norris Castle, as guests of the Duke and Duchess.

Lord Ampthill served as the Governor of Madras from October 1900 to February 1906 and acted as the Viceroy of India from April to December 1904.

[21] In July 1899, it was reported that he let out Norris Castle for the summer to the eccentric Philadelphia millionaire A J Drexel, for the yachting season.

[25] Whilst still awaiting sale, the castle was later occupied for a while by Lady Dudley[26] and also by Captain John Orr-Ewing and his wife Ellen Clarissa Kennard.

[28] In January 1903, it was reported that Lord Ampthill had sold the castle to a syndicate, although it was said that Captain and Mrs Orr-Ewing would be staying on for a time.

[27] This was proved to be the case, as in March 1903, the Orr-Ewings hosted what was thought to be the first fox hunt held at Norris castle.

The estate was described as a "grand opportunity for development into a seaside resort with practically every house overlooking the world-renowned yacht anchorage and Solent, through which the shipping of the world passes.

[37] History shows that the club was never built at Norris Castle, However, since 1892, there had been a two-hole course at the nearby Osborne House estate, which was enlarged to nine holes in 1904.

[48] In 1895, he appeared in the title role at the Theatre Royal, Bournemouth, in an amateur production by a company under his own stage management.

[53] Lieutenant Colonel Sir Horatio David Davies KCMG, MP bought Norris Castle in October 1909, at the age of 61.

[59] In 1926, four men were charged at the County Petty Sessions with causing damage to growing daffodils at Norris Castle, by picking them.

[3] In 1947, there was a daring robbery at Norris Castle, in which the elderly Florence Birkbeck suffered a fractured jaw when she was brutally coshed on the head by one of possibly three robbers.

They were then interrupted by the arrival of Mr C Cassell, the estate bailiff and made their escape, but left behind in their hurry, a dark brown trilby hat, bearing a London maker's name.

By this time, the Commander and Mrs Lacon also managed to reunite the castle with its original lands, sold off as nineteen separate lots, when it was auctioned in 1955.

He gained the rank of Major in the Royal Artillery and was decorated with the award of the Belgian Croix de Guerre, avec palme.

[73] The prince regent and First Gentleman of Europe, later King George IV visited the castle in 1819 as the guest of Lord Henry Seymour.

[3] Queen Victoria visited the castle yet again in 1843, as a guest of Robert Bell, accompanied by her husband, Prince Albert.

They then were shown into a carriage and taken to her 'favourite Norris Castle', where she went straight to her former apartments and joyously told the Prince Consort that "this was my room, and this was mine also".

[1] However, Queen Victoria went on to become a frequent visitor to Norris Castle, particularly after 1880, when it was under the ownership of the Duchess of Bedford, her Mistress of the Robes.

[77] In June 1903, Princess Henry of Battenberg took lunch with Captain and Mrs Orr-Ewing at Norris Castle, before opening the new Frank James Memorial Hospital at East Cowes.

In August 1935, Her Majesty Queen Mary visited Norris Castle, whilst her husband, King George V was 'deriving the maximum pleasure from his favourite sport of racing on the Britannia'.

She inspected the rooms previously used by the late Queen Victoria and the ex-Emperor of Germany and was deeply interested in the many improvements that Major Birkbeck had made to the castle.

He also said that there was some additional interest and honour lent to the occasion, as royalty were present for some considerable time watching the brigade at work.