{"id":32619,"date":"2024-01-14T22:51:15","date_gmt":"2024-01-14T21:51:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.historyextra.com\/?p=255985"},"modified":"2024-01-15T05:11:38","modified_gmt":"2024-01-15T04:11:38","slug":"visiting-brighton-royal-pavilion-the-prince-regents-decadent-getaway","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/rss_feed\/visiting-brighton-royal-pavilion-the-prince-regents-decadent-getaway\/","title":{"rendered":"Visiting Brighton Royal Pavilion, the Prince Regent\u2019s decadent getaway"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Prince of Wales wanted something bold and spectacular when he built a pleasure palace in the seaside town of Brighton, and that is exactly what he got <\/p>

By Charlotte Hodgman\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Sunday, 14 January 2024 at 21:51 PM<\/p>

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There is a sight you cannot miss on the Old Steine thoroughfare of Brighton, as it stands out so brashly against the backdrop of this English seaside town. The Royal Pavilion \u2013 with an Indian-style exterior and Chinese- influenced interior, blending with Regency-era gardens \u2013 exudes both opulence and the exotic.<\/p>\n

The palace was the decadent getaway of George, Prince of Wales and son of George III.\u2028Vain and hedonistic, he enjoyed dining, dancing and drinking to go with his gambling, racing and womanising. He first came to Brighton in 1783, aged 21, already suffering from a life of excess, which his physicians hoped the therapeutic seawater could alleviate. Instead, George hired architect Henry Holland to enlarge his modest lodging house into a neoclassical villa.<\/p>\n

As the years went by, all the while with George throwing parties and showing off the Chinese furnishings, this \u2018Marine Pavilion\u2019 grew. Most notably, he added extravagant glass-domed stables, large enough for 62 horses, and sleeping quarters for the grooms. (They are now home to a museum and concert hall.)<\/p>\n

The major redesign that transformed the pavilion into today\u2019s structure began in 1815, after George became Regent. Using cast-iron frames, architect John Nash built a host of domes, minarets and towers on top of\u2028the original roof, giving it an Indian aesthetic. New rooms for entertaining were luxuriously decorated and state-of-the-art heating, gas lighting and plumbing installed. The garden similarly received an overhaul, complete with Regency-style winding paths, flower beds, shrubs and lawns.<\/p>\n

Nash needed eight years and a fortune to finish, by which time George was King. In a cruel twist, though, George had grown so overweight and suffered from numerous maladies that he could only visit his magnificent, eccentric palace twice more before his death in 1830.<\/p>\n

\"The\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
The Music Room at the Royal Pavilion. The room was badly damaged by a fire in 1975 but has since been restored. (Photo by English Heritage\/Heritage Images\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

People\u2019s palace<\/h3>\n

Ultimately, it would be the people of Brighton who benefited from the Royal Pavilion, not least because it helped the town\u2019s reputation as a fashionable destination. William IV visited regularly and his successor, Victoria, first stayed there shortly after her coronation. The 18-year- old Queen, however, described the palace in her diary as \u201ca strange, odd Chinese-looking thing\u201d.<\/p>\n

Although Victoria\u2019s impression did improve over successive trips with Albert and their growing family, she never felt at ease there. In 1850, she sold the pavilion to the town of Brighton for \u00a353,000. Less than a year later, the palace re-opened to the public for the cost of sixpence, but having lost much of its splendour, as Victoria had ordered the decorations and fittings to be stripped \u2013 they supposedly filled 143 wagons. Yet as the Royal Pavilion continued\u2028to be maintained and used for a host of functions, from balls and exhibitions to lectures by Oscar Wilde, many royal items returned.<\/p>\n

Restoration gathered momentum in the 20th century, bringing the Royal Pavilion and its gardens back to the Regency-era style, but there was still another unexpected use for the buildings. During World War I, the lavish rooms became a hospital \u2013 at\u2028first for wounded Indian soldiers, and then British Army amputees. Stories and photographs from this remarkable chapter are on display in one of the pavilion\u2019s galleries.<\/p>\n

The whole history of the Royal Pavilion can be explored by walking its rooms or strolling the gardens, preferably with the audio guide. The pavilion may have been built as a personal pleasure palace, but it is now part of the city\u2019s image and a charming feature in anyone\u2019s trip to Brighton.<\/p>\n

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What to look for\u2026<\/h4>\n

Banqueting room\n<\/strong>A fitting space for a royal feast, even one of George IV\u2019s. The chandelier is held in the talons of a dragon, one of the many that can be spotted around the hall.<\/p>\n

Great kitchen\n<\/strong>So sophisticated were the kitchen\u2019s facilities that George would take his guests for a tour. Later, during World War I, it would be used as an operating theatre.<\/p>\n

Music room\n<\/strong>The elaborate decoration, including a ceiling of some 26,000 gilded cockleshells, has been badly damaged twice \u2013 in a fire in 1975 and a storm in 1987.\u00a0<\/p>\n

King\u2019s apartments<\/strong>\nThese had to be moved to the ground floor to prevent the portly George from climbing stairs. His bed has a tipping mechanism to make it easier to get in and out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gardens<\/strong>\nThe Regency-style garden underwent major restoration in the 1980s and \u201990s using John Nash\u2019s plans, and they are still maintained with George\u2019s original plant lists.\u00a0<\/p>\n

India gate<\/strong>\nThe gateway at the southern entrance was unveiled on 26 October 1921 as a gesture of thanks for the care shown to Indian soldiers in World War I.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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How to visit<\/h3>\n

Head to www.brightonmuseums.org.uk\/visit\/royal-pavilion-garden<\/a> for more information, including ticket and travel details<\/p>\n

Explore more content from week two of our Regency course:<\/h4>\n

Regency culture, with Dr Lizzie Rogers \u2013 watching time 12 mins<\/p>\n

Everything you wanted to know about Jane Austen\u2019s England<\/a>\u00a0\u2013reading time 7 mins<\/p>\n

Becoming Jane Austen<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 reading time 4 mins<\/p>\n

The Romantics: everything you wanted to know<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 listening time 39 mins<\/p>\n

Mary Shelley\u2019s Frankenstein: the birth of a gothic monster<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 reading time 6 mins<\/p>\n

How to survive a Regency marriage<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 reading time 7 mins<\/p>\n

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\"HEXA<\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/section> <\/body><\/html>\n
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