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The Royal Pavilion has always summed up at least one side of the character of the city of Brighton quite well. That would be it's lavish, outlandish, camp and glitzy side, of course. The exterior of the building alone is so extraordinary (particularly for the English sea-side) that you can not but help stop and look. It's hard to belive now that this building started life as a modest 18th century farmhouse, but that's the truth.
It was the Prince Regent who had architect Henry Holland start to transform the farmhouse into a handsome neo-classical mansion by the sea (which was known as the Marine Pavilion at the time). Brighton had already started to become a fashionable place to be and to be seen (much as it is today) and with this house the Prince Regent had secured pride of place on the most prestigious promenade (The Old Steine) in Brighton. It was only later, with the help of architect John Nash that the Prince, later George IV, unveiled the remodelled house in it's exotic eastern style complete with domes and minarets.
A tour of the inside of the building is not cheap. As at January 2012 an adult ticket is £9.80, children £5.60 and a family of 2 adults and 2 children can get in for the price of £25.20. Members of English Heritage get a 10% discount off the adult admission price by showing their membership cards. The audioguide is included in the price but no photos are allowed anywhere inside the building.
The entrance is in Pavilion Gardens on the opposite side of the palace to the Old Steine. Pavilion Gardens can be accessed from either North Street or Church Street.
The audioguide will take you around the Pavilion on a tour as though you were a guest of Prince George. You see the rooms in the order that guests would probably have done when being entertained for dinner at the Pavilion. The tour starts at the octagonal hallway infront of which coaches and carriages would have pulled up. The fine decor of this room is impressive, but the audioguide describes it as "understated" - what you are going to see in a little while will make it seem so.
The tour then takes you into the Long Gallery which links all the main state rooms of the palace and is decorated in a slighly Chinese manner, with Eastern objets d'Art dotted around and the walls covered in rich pink wall paper with designs of trees and birds on it. There is also much use of cast iron to imitate bamboo (successfully) which adds the feel of the room.
The Long Gallery is however barely significant once you enter the Banqueting Room. This is where the Prince held his famously lavish feasts and what a dramatic and theatrical space it is for the occasion! Apparently banquets were somewhat lengthy affairs here and could include up to 70 dishes. The decor is dazzling with the chinese wall canvasses, so much shiny stuff it makes your eyes hurt, and an amazing chandelier hanging in the middle of the room, weighing 1 ton and held in the claws of a silver dragon.
You are tjhen taken to the Great Kitchen which was a real state of the art affair when it was completed in 1816. I wouldn't mind having a kitchen like this myself today in fact!
Then it's back through the Banqueting Room to reach three more of the royal reception rooms, the banqueting room gallery, the saloon and the music room gallery. The two galleries being places where the Prince and his guests might retire to after dinner, whilst the saloon was the central room of the earlier Marine Pavilion which has it's own opulent decor and there is muchwork taking place to restore and stabilise the decoration in this room.
The Music Room stands at the opposite end of the palace to the Banqueting Room and is equally dramatic and theatrical. It is lit by 9 lotus flower shaped chandeliers and I don't know how to describe such rich decoration. You probably just need to see it to understand. There are dragons and intertwined snakes all around the room, which I'm told some people think is bad luck. Maybe this explains the extraordinary bad luck experienced by this room. It has been burned by an arsonist in 1975 and just as restoration work was finishing, the great storm of 1987 that slammed into the Sussex coast sent a stone ball from the roof crashing down through the recently restored ceiling made of individually decorated cockleshells.
After the music room you are then guided upstairs to the royal bedrooms and downstairs to what became King George IV's bedroom in his later years (although he rarely visited Brighton at the end of his life). You hear about what his successors William IV and Victoria made of the Pavilion and how it ended up in the hands of the city council rather than the royal family.
Naturally the exit is via the gift shop where they will sell you the pictures of the interior of the Pavilion they would not allow you to take for a price reflecting the grandeur of the decor.
Written Jan 8, 2012
Address: 4/5 Pavilion Buildings, Brighton,BN1 1EE
Phone: 03000 290900
Website: http://www.brighton-hove-rpml.org.uk/RoyalPavilion/Pages/home.aspx
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A visit to the Royal Pavilion should not be missed if you are at Brighton.
First, I think we nearly walked the whole way around the Pavilion to find the entry point, some how, we must have missed the sign pointing to the entrance. It was all good though, because we saw all sides of the Pavilion. The outside was impressive, so what would the inside be?
This Pavilion was built for the Prince Regent, later King George IV, between 1787 and 1823.
The Royal Pavilion is home to some of the finest collections and examples of the chinoiserie style in Britain. Looking forward to seeing all this, we headed inside only to be disappointed to find........
NO PHOTO'S ALLOWED
In the book I bought, it says that the entry is "low key," and gradually builds up, this is true, but in my eyes, that haven't seen much like this before, it was incredible right from the very start.
The entry Hall where I walked is where King George IV and his important guest's would have walked many times before me.
Room's I went through were the Long Gallery, filled with imitation and real Bamboo decoration's, this would have been a room for entertainment.
The Banqueting room, fit for a King in all ways! The Chandelier grabbed my attention, one word "huge!"
I saw the "Great Kitchen," the "Banqueting Room," and the "Saloon," which is one of the oldest areas in the Pavillion.
The Music room gallery and the Music Room itself were where the King enjoyed his passion for music.
The Yellow bow room's, were the Bedroom's of George IV's brothers and the Dukes of York and Clarence.
Lastly, the King's & Queen's Apartment's, and I finished the tour.
It was an incredible sight for me! I just couldn't believe the opulence/extravagance in this Pavilion, not something I could live with, but very nice to see once in my lifetime!
Exit, as usual, was through the gift shop which was more than busy.
ADMISSION CHARGES...... from 4 January 2011 until 31 March 2012 ...
Adult £9.80
Child (5-15) £5.60
Family tickets, 2 adults with up to 2 children £25.20
OR 1 adult with up to 2 children.....£15.40
We entered with our British Heritage Pass which was Free Entry for us.
OPEN......Open daily
October to March 10am–5.15pm (last tickets at 4.30pm)
April to September 9.30am–5.45pm (last tickets at 5pm)
Closed 24 December (from 2.30pm) and all day on 25 and 26 December
Closed 23 January to 3 February 2012 for essential maintenance
July & August are the busiest months, especially on the weekend's.
Updated Nov 8, 2011
Address: Near Lanes and North Laine shopping areas
Website: www.royalpavilion.org.uk/
The Royal Pavilion is so over the top, especially the dining room and music room, that it is worth seeing for everyone. The audio guide is pretty good and gives you options for more information here and there.
Written Aug 19, 2011
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The Royal Pavilion is an exotic building that was built as a home in for King George IV for when he was in Brighton. Brighton was the place to be during the fashionable Regency society. King William IV and Queen Victoria also used in Pavilion.
Visitors can visit The Pavilion and it has been restored to how they were when they were first built in 1823 with its Indian exterior and Chinese interior designs. Visitors can take an audio guided tour around The State Rooms including the Banqueting Room and The Music Room; The Royal Bedrooms where King George spent his last days; and other rooms such as the Great Kitchen and the servants' corridors.
There are a number of events that are held at The Pavilion throughout the year and you can enjoy having refreshments in the Royal Pavilion Tearoom.
It's also worth exploring the Romantic Regency gardens and the former stable block (now Brighton Museum & Art Gallery).
It cost me 9.50 GBP (August 2010)
Updated Sep 5, 2010
Address: Pavilion Parade, Brighton
Phone: 03000 290900
Website: www.brighton-hove-pavilion.org.uk
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Great architecture!
It is a royal residence built in 19th century.
Opening Hours:
Open Daily
October to March 10.00am-5.15pm (last tickets at 4.30pm)
April to September 9.30am-5.45pm (last tickets at 5.00pm)
Closed from 2.30pm on 24 December and all day on 25 & 26 December
PLEASE NOTE: THE ROYAL PAVILION WILL CLOSE 19-30 JANUARY 2009 FOR ESSENTIAL MAINTENANCE
Written Jan 7, 2009
Address: The Royal Pavilion
Phone: 0300 0290901
Website: http://www.royalpavilion.org.uk/
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There aren't many people who can claim to have a royal palace on their doorstep but the residents of Brighton and Hove can do just that. But curiously even something as outrageously splendid and madly misplaced as the Royal Pavilion can be overlooked by those who are most familiar with it. Having walked through it, past it and around it for decades - yes, I am that old a resident! - you tend to take it's beauty and existence for granted. Rather along the lines of..."I know this really great place for coffee. Oh, that? Um, it's only the Royal Pavilion. Let's get some cake!" But then there are days when the sunlight catches it just so, or when it's illuminated at night and you simply beam with pride.
Built between 1815 and 1822 as a seaside residence for the rakish Prince Regent (who eventually became King George IV) it's Indian and Chinese influences are apparent throughout. if you want interior design sensory overload then some of the rooms here are an excellent place to start. Queen Victoria did actually sleep here but in keeping with her Victorian values she didn't care for the place and was happy to sell it to local councillors who bought it for the town for the princely sum of £53000 in 1850. Needless to say, £53000 will get you considerably less than a palace in today's Brighton!
I suppose I could get a quick plug in here and tell you that I once filmed a short piece on the Royal Pavilion for BBC Television...but perhaps not. No, suffice to say that you simply can't visit the town without taking a peek at the Pavilion. The internal decorations are quite as dazzling as the exterior - if you want to see a dragon holding a chandelier than I respectfully suggest that you need go no further.
Adult entry £8.50
Open Daily
October to March 10.00am-5.15pm (last tickets at 4.30pm)
April to September 9.30am-5.45pm (last tickets at 5.00pm)
Closed from 2.30pm on 24 December and all day on 25 & 26 December
*** The Royal Pavilion will be closed on Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 July 2008 due to a national strike ***
Updated Jul 15, 2008
Address: The Royal Pavilion, Brighton, East Sussex. BN1 1EE
Phone: 01273 290900
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The Royal Pavilion was the holiday home of the Prince Regent, later King George IV, and was used during the winter, rather than the summer. The building was originally a relatively modest farmhouse, which was extended for the Prince's use, first in a neo-classical style (similar to that of the White House), and later in a very ostentatious oriental style. The Indian style architecture was first used for the stable block (now housing Brighton Museum), but as it appeared that the horses had more palatial quarters than the Prince, the main house was also altered.
The exterior, lavish as it may seem, provides little preparation for the decor inside. The interior theme is Chinese, with even the banisters on the staircase made to resemble bamboo. The dining room, in particular, has to be seen to be believed, as pictures do not really do justice to the amazing gilded dragon chandelier.
Note: Photography is not permitted inside the building.
Written May 25, 2008
Phone: +44 (0) 1273 292822
Website: www.royalpavilion.org.uk
George lV
The Royal Pavilion was an indulgence of George lV, the oldest son of George lll. He did not become king until he was in his 60's when his father was declared insane. In the meantime, he had rebelled against his upbringing and took to a life of wine, women, gambling and also to a love of food. His was a man in terrible debt.
His true love Maria Fitzherbert he married in secret, later on he married Caroline of Brunswick, a disastrous match but it bore him one child.
The Pavilion
An amazing transformation from farmhouse to palace which took place over 35 years. The Marine Pavilion was turned into an Indian style building by John Nash.
The banquet room is breathtakingly stunning, an air of past times lingers, the dragon clutching the chandelier in it's claws makes an awesome centre piece weighing a ton.
Amongst other ornately decorated rooms is also the music room, where a hidden organ sits inside one of the walls. It is said the combination of snakes and dragons the room is decorated with has been the reason that bad luck as fallen about the room, according to Indian legend.
This unusual building really should feature amongst the must do's during a visit to Brighton.
Updated Mar 10, 2008
Website: http://www.royalpavilion.org.uk/default.asp
Helpfulness
A must for history lovers, the total splendour of the palace is rather awe inspiring and although I have lived here a few years now, it still gets my attention when it is lit up at night.
Visit the website to see details of the rooms (link below).
I like to hang out in the gardens reading a book with a drink and a 'sarnie' in the summer months, very relaxed and surrounded by well kept exotic plants and a cafe that sometimes holds concerts.
Many people have been holding their weddings there recently, and don't blame them, a great venue. Pictured, the Pavillion and gardens during the Brighton Festival May 2005.
You have to pay to get into the house, but the gardens and museum (which features one of Salvador Dali's Lips sofas among other things) are free.
Also listed below, is a link to Brighton & Hove's museums.
Updated Feb 2, 2008
Address: Unmissable!
Phone: +44 (0) 1273 290900
Website: http://www.royalpavilion.org.uk/
Helpfulness
The Royal Pavilion built by the prince/king not ‘too long time ago’ is located in the centre of Brighton and you can’t miss it. It is of an Indian style of architecture. This is probably the most famous and popular place to visit in Brighton so expect it to be crowded.
Written Dec 25, 2007
Website: www.royalpavilion.org.uk
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