Royal Pavilion

Engraving of the Pavilion c. 1820 by J. Bruce

Image reproduced with kind permission from Brighton and Hove in Pictures by Brighton and Hove City Council

A brief history 1783-1851

History notes from the original 'My Brighton' exhibit

The Prince of Wales, later George IV, first visited Brighton in 1783. Three years later, he took out a 21 year lease on a large farmhouse on the Steine with a sea view.

The architect Henry Holland was employed to enlarge and convert the farmhouse at a cost of £22,000. The Prince commissioned a French style interior and gradually, as his finances permitted, bought the surrounding land.

Between 1815 and 1822 John Nash created the Indian-style exterior and Chinese interior of today's Pavilion. In 1850, Queen Victoria sold the Pavilion to Brighton's municipal authority - she had not shared George IV's taste for Brighton! From 1851 the rate-paying public were admitted free on two days a month.