112
Although George IV’s descendants William IV and Queen Victoria frequented the Royal Pavilion, the Queen remarked that it was ‘a strange, odd, Chinese place’; she found the property too small for her growing family and purchased Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. In 1850 the Royal Pavilion was sold to the city of Brighton for approximately £50,000 and Queen Victoria requested that the building was to be stripped of all items, which were then transported to either Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle. A large number of these items have been returned, on loan, by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and many of them have not been seen by the public.
I was keen to explore the site and hopped on a local bus bound for the Royal Pavilion. The interior of the exotic property reflects a fusion of Regency splendour, Indian and Chinese styles and a kaleidoscope of vibrant colours. I was particularly impressed with the banqueting room, which is adorned with enormous sparkling chandeliers, art works and golden dragons galore. I was reliably informed that the prince did not sit at the end of the very long dining table but in the very centre so that he would be privy to several conversations. After dining on an extravagant menu of 32 dishes, which would last for up to six hours, guests would then head to the sumptuous lounge to relax or perhaps succumb to forty winks and then gather in the music room beneath the gilded domed ceiling festooned with hundreds of plaster cockleshells and where in 1823, Rossini performed.
After exploring the enormous kitchen and the king’s bedroom I made my way to the Royal Pavilion gardens, which have been fully restored following John Nash’s 1820’s plans. The colourful collection of plants and flowers includes fifteen varieties of rose, rosemary, sweet Williams, lavender, blue larkspurs, peonies, hollyhocks and foxgloves.
With the fragrant scents of blooms in my nostrils I headed for the promenade beside the sea and as I sauntered along at a leisurely pace passing Brighton Pier, and with my ice cream cornet melting in my hand, I looked up at a flock of sea gulls squawking
LIVE24-SEVEN.COM
overhead and spotted another popular attraction. The British Airways i360 observation tower soars 162 metres into the blue sky and it’s a delightful experience. This ‘vertical pier’ features a fully enclosed glass viewing pod, which is very spacious, and as it gently glides up and down passengers are afforded spectacular panoramic views across Brighton, the South Downs and the glorious English Channel.
Back on terra firma I noticed the Regency Restaurant, a thriving family business, founded in 1963, which is located on the Kings Road overlooking the elegant Regency Square and opposite the i360. I selected an outside table and whilst bathed in the warmth of the sunlight I devoured the juicy Mediterranean platter, which includes the fish of the day, mussels, clams, scallops and king prawns and accompanied by the dry and elegant Chablis 2018, it was sublime.
TRAVE L BRIGHTON
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116
