We shall spend the morning visiting the Royal Pavilion & Garden. The Pavilion was constructed as the seaside pleasure palace of King George IV. The modest villa transformed by architect Henry Holland in 1787 became known as Marine Pavilion. With his love of visual arts and fascination with the mythical orient, George set about lavishly furnishing and decorating his seaside home. He especially chose Chinese export furniture and objects, and hand-painted Chinese wallpapers.
1808 the new stable complex was completed with an impressive lead and glass-domed roof, providing stabling for 62 horses.
In 1815, George commissioned John Nash to begin the transformation from modest villa into the magnificent oriental palace that we see today. Many of the handsome seafront squares and crescents that still stand today are attributable to the arrival of George IV and the fashionable Regency era.
The Pavilion was sold by Queen Victoria to the town of Brighton in 1850 and has since had many restorations. In 1920 a programme began to revive the regency era. With Queen Mary returning many of the original decorations including furniture from Buckingham Palace. The most recent restoration project has been the Saloon. After years of research and meticulous conservation, the Saloon was returned to its original design in 2018.
The afternoon you are free to explore the many other delights of Brighton, the art deco Aquarium, the Lanes with it interesting shops, or the Museum and Art Gallery.