The Elephant Bath

The 7th hole at Osborne is one of the most interesting holes on the course.

The Elephant Bath is a challenging and long par 4 with a dog leg to the right. However the biggest feature isn't a natural one, it's the man made bath for Queen Victorias pet Elephant.

While navigating the hole, one of the questions (aside from how to make par) many golfers have asked is a simple one, why did Queen Victoria have a pet Elephant?

Queen Victoria was involved in the Treaty of Adowa, an agreement between Britain, Egypt and Ethiopia.

Signed at Adwa on 3 June 1884 the treaty ended a long-simmering conflict between Egypt and Ethiopia and recognised the independent state of Abyssunia.

In August of the same year, the Queen hosted several Abyssinian envoys at Osborne, who presented her with a young African male Elephant called 'Gwola' as a gift.

While there are many conflicting stories about the history of Gwola, and what happened to it, some say its remains are buried somewhere on the grounds of the golf club.