A Prince Comes to Brighton

A small Saxon village founded in the 5th Century located on the southern sea coast of England in East Sussex, Brighton first came to prominence in the 1750’s when a Dr. Richard Russell wrote a book about the health benefits of bathing in seawater. Soon wealthy people started to flock to Brighton seeking cures by bathing in seawater and eventually establishing homes there. Its popularity grew substantially when George, Prince of Wales first visited the town in 1783 and then returned repeatedly.

The Prince of Wales first residence built in 1787, the ‘Marine Pavilion’ was a building of simple classical design with a central rotunda with north and south wings. This building would form the core of the present Pavilion and is represented by the existing Saloon, North Drawing Room and South Drawing Room. The Saloon a circular room had a small shallow dome with classical statues supported on Ionic columns on the exterior. The Prince spent a number of summers and winters here occupying his time hunting, racing and entertaining his friends.

References

Tim Lambert, A Brief History of Brighton, Sussex, www.localhistories.org

Clifford Musgrave, The Royal Pavilion (Royal Pavilion Committee, 1954)

Regina Scott, Brighton's Shining Star: The Royal Pavilion, nineteenteen.blogspot.com/2009/09/brightons-shining-star-royal-pavilion.html