The Royal Pavilion, the seaside residence of George IV, is one of the most exotically beautiful buildings in the British Isles.
George IV first rented Brighton House, a simple farmhouse beside the sea, in 1786 when he was Prince of Wales.
Maria Fitzherbert, whom he had married unlawfully in 1785, had her own house close by. The following year the Prince commissioned Henry Holland to add a circular saloon and a further wing to the house in the neo-classical style.
Holland's bow windows and iron balconies became fashionable Regency features. Between 1801 - 03 the interior was decorated in fanciful Chinese style and further extensions were made to the building. In 1803 the enormous domed stable block was built behind the Pavilion by William Porden, in an Indian style.
John Nash was engaged to transform and extend the Royal Pavilion in 1815. The Prince rejected earlier 'oriental' designs and chose the Indian style for its picturesque qualities.
The extraordinary exterior was completed in stucco and Bath stone in 1822. The opulent interior was completed in 1823 using the highest standards.
George IV is said to have cried with joy when he first saw the magnificence of the completed Royal Pavilion - his favourite creation.
The visitor enters the Royal Pavilion through the Octagon Hall designed with full length windows to allow plentiful light into the next room. The ceiling is in the form of an Asiatic tent. The Entrance Hall has bold 'chinoiserie' wall decorations and an original marble fireplace.
From here an opening leads into the Great Corridor or Long Gallery. This is the most resolutely Chinese part of the Pavilion. It is 162 feet in length and was lit by skylights in daytime and by a huge variety of candle lanterns and oil lamps at night. The Corridor is the spine of the building and gives direct access to the Banqueting and Music Rooms, the Drawing Rooms and the King's Apartments. Guests would assemble in the Corridor before their Royal host lead them into the Banqueting Room for dinner.
The Banqueting Room, decorated by Robert Jones, is breathtaking. The ceiling is a 45 foot high dome painted with an vast plantain tree. Below three-dimensional copper leaves, a great carved and silvered dragon clutches the immense crystal chandelier. This is 30 feet high and weighs one ton and was lit by the new marvel - gas. At the corners of the room are smaller gasoliers with lotus leaf bowls. Along the walls are huge standard lamps made of porcelain columns, with ormolu and gilt wood, rising to a lotus blossom. Around the room are rosewood sideboards mounted on gilded dragons which were set with candelabra and silver gilt vessels.
Between the Banqueting Room and the Great Kitchen is the Deckers Room where the footmen collected the dishes set down by the 'chefs de cuisine'.
The Great Kitchen is one of Nash's earlier additions. The huge room, supported by cast iron and copper palm tree columns, was the most up-to-date kitchen of its day.
After dinner guests retired to the drawing rooms. The South Drawing Room is decorated in pink and gold and furnished with the Dolphin Furniture, one of the finest existing suites of Regency giltwood furniture. This was not made for the Royal Pavilion but was created in memory of Lord Nelson and his victories.
The Saloon was decorated with dignified opulence by Robert Jones in the final scheme of 1822. He used Indian motifs, particularly in the superb pelmets and crests to the looking glasses.
The North Drawing Room has a gold leaf wall pattern with 'trompe l'oeil shading and delightful 'oriental' columns entwined with gilded serpents.
The Music Room, decorated by Frederick Crace, is dazzling. The room has similar proportions to the Banqeting Room but is even more magnificent. It was lit by lotus shaped gasoliers. There are crimson and gold landscape murals and under a superb dome of gilded scallop shells. The tall porcelain pagodas, the dragon chimney piece in white marble and the original furniture all had an oriental theme.
Upstairs, Mrs Fitzherbert's Drawing Room is a representation of a drawing room of about 1800. Maria Fitzherbert never occupied rooms here but several pieces of her own furniture are displayed in this room. Princess Charlotte's Bedroom is a reconstruction of one of the 'chinoiserie' bedrooms the Prince's daughter would have slept in on her visits to Brighton.
Most of the furniture is original to the Pavilion including the bed. Queen Victoria's Room commemorates the visits of the young Queen early in her reign. Queen Victoria first visited the Royal Pavilion in 1837 and particularly enjoyed musical evenings here. Accommodation was made for Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and her young family on this floor. However, lack of privacy lead the royal couple to abandon the Royal Pavilion in 1845. Queen Charlotte's Room is furnished with many pieces of the original Pavilion furniture.
The Prince's mother visited the Pavilion three times between 1814 and 1817. The North Gallery or the Lobby connects this and the preceeding bedrooms. The vivid blue walls have bamboo 'trompe l'oeil' decoration and there are further pieces of original Pavilion furniture in imitation or real bamboo.
The King's Apartments, decorated by Robert Jones, are a ground floor suite consisting of an ante-room, library, bedroom and bathroom. These rooms were completed in 1820 when, at the age of 60, the Prince Regent finally became king. The oriental theme is still undimmed in these rooms but the youthful spirit has gone. The green wall coverings have a design of dragons, bird, dolphins and flowers and the columns, architectural mouldings and mirror frames are of Indian inspiration. The Anteroom and the King's Library have fine pieces of Regency furniture. The King's Bedroom contains much original Pavilion furniture including the simulated bamboo bedside tables and rosewood dwarf wardrobe.
George IV spent his last night at the Royal Pavilion on 6th March 1827, three years before he died.
In 1850 the Brighton Town Commissioners (the elected governing body of Brighton) purchased the shell of the Royal Pavilion for £53,000. At first the building was used only for functions and exhibitions.
However, it in the latter half of the 20th century the Pavilion was gradually restored to its former glory. Much of the original furniture has been returned on loan from the Crown. The domed stable block is now used as a concert hall. The Royal Pavilion stands in restored Regency gardens; replanted to John Nash's elegant 1820s design.
