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    The Royal Pavilion

    4.3 (68 reviews)
    Open 9:30 am - 5:30 pm

    The Royal Pavilion Photos

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    Matt G.

    Built as a summer resort house for a king back in the old days. The exterior is quite something looking like it was in another country. Now it's owned by Brighton city and operated as a museum. It's the main thing to do in Brighton. Shows all the original rooms and their purpose, you can listen to an audio guide on your phone. This king was obsessed with Chinese culture. There's a lot of Chinese style ornaments. It's a bit expensive to enter at £16, but you get money's worth by getting insight to how it was at that time. The pavilion is in the city centre, the surrounding gardens can be accessed free of charge. No problem getting tickets at the door on the day.

    David J.

    New photos added 01/08/2007 *********************** It's hard to know what to say about the Royal Pavilion in Brighton. Mere words don't seem adequate to get across just how extraordinary this place is. But here goes Originally a humble farm-house, it was bought and done up as a Palace for the Prince Regent, later George IV. This decadent, spend-thrift, womanising and corpulent Prince made Brighton the fashionable resort of its day, but he was also a cultured lover of the arts, and he wanted somewhere appropriate to entertain his guests that would reflect his tastes and status. So, between 1815 and 1823, John Nash transformed the original building into the fantastical Moghul Palace we see to-day, containing sumptuous room after sumptuous room, decorated in the Oriental style so fashionable in the early 19th century. No expense was spared. The decoration and detail are uncompromising and lavish, and the vivid colour combinations can make modern eyes water. Minimalism, this is not: but it's a veritable feast for the senses. The style of architecture is also reflected in nearby buildings that served the Palace, which are now the musuem and Brighton Dome theatre. Together, they provide a unique architectural ensemble. And yet, somehow, given modern Brighton's gay credentials, this monument to hedonism seems very modern and appropriate indeed. If you are visiting Brighton, a tour is a must.

    Exhibit
    Rosquete B.

    5* Royal Pavilions Former Queen Victoria palace in Chinese and Indian style Can buy tickets online with concessions for seniors No photos allowed inside Audio guide available The kitchen was quite lovely Check out the royal dinner menu Beautiful handwoven floor carpets George IV was a profligate and the ultimate foodie The property was sold off because it was so gaudy

    Tom C.

    I have never seen so much opulence housed within a building of such grandeur, the splendour on show here is really to be marvelled at. As a resident of Brighton with a postcode of BN1/2/3, you can get a wonderful 50% discount on your entry fee, but even without the discount I would recommend a visit here. You get a free audio tour with every entry fee, and would strongly advise you to take the tour to hear the rich and intriguing history of this iconic Brighton landmark. Of all the exquisite rooms you'll see on the tour, possibly my favourite is the grand hall. Resplendent with dragons and palm leaf chandelier, they really have to be seen to be believed. The cafe here is a nice treat, with a lovely terrace overlooking the gardens perfect for tea on a sunny afternoon.

    Alice C.

    The Pavillion is 'the' Brighton landmark. It's form even adorns Brighton and Hove City council's insignia, it dominates the area around the Old Steine with its domes and towers. Yes, it's ridiculous in many ways, a structure built more for vanity than anything, but it has become part of the fabric of our city. Inside, there are colourful bedrooms, a banqueting hall, huge kitchen - all the things you'd need if you were the Prince Regent. Most impressive though, is the music room, with its domed ceiling, silk dragons and multiple chandeliers. If you can't afford to pay, Brighton residents can come here on the annual 'free day' - definitely worth doing if you haven't yet explored the place.

    nighttime
    Minh-An C.

    This was my landmark to note during my travels around Brighton. It was the meeting spot for my group of friends because our bus picks us up here and it is close to all the tourist activities around Brighton. The Royal Pavilion is really pretty and the architecture is very unique to its surroundings. I do find the location of the Royal Pavilion a bit odd, but that's what makes it stand out! I did not get a chance to go outside but they do have a small adorable garden around it so you can definitely just take a stroll and get a glimpse of the decors around the area. You definitely cannot miss this landmark when you are in Brighton!

    TootTootTootsie G.

    This magnificent structure, built as a seaside retreat by King George IV in the early 19th Century, definitely is unlike any beach bungalow you've ever seen. The exterior architecture is reminiscent of the Taj Mahal, and the opulent interiors, which were seen in the Barbra Streisand film "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever," were influenced by both Chinese and Indian designs. All the rooms have been restored to resemble as closely as possible their original decor. A gift shop sells a wide variety of merchandise, from post cards and prints to fine china to jewelry to books about British history, architecture, and design. Every visitor to Brighton should plan to spend a few hours wandering through this historical compound.

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    the queen statue was so fucking sexy and hot it made me so horny i was as hard as a rock i stuck my nob in it and i started to bleed

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    Page 1 of 2

    The Royal Pavilion Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - The Royal Pavilion

    The music room is out of this world, well designed as music was a great passion of George IV.

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    Penny Arcade Museum

    Penny Arcade Museum

    4.0(2 reviews)
    0.7 mi

    A must for anyone interested in old fairgrounds and amusement arcades, Brighton's Penny Arcade…read moreMuseum is a small arcade housed in one of the arches on the sea-front. A few minutes walk from Brighton Pier, it's also a great place to take kids for half an hour's fun. There's funny mirrors that make you look taller, shorter and fatter and over 50 vintage penny slot machines. Since most of the machines were manufactured between 1895-1950 some of them seem to break down occasionally but most of them are in good working order. There's strength machines that test your endurance, fortune tellers that predict your future and love life and quirky machines like What The Butler Saw. For £1 you get 7 old pennies to play whatever machines you like. The arcade is open every day from 12am-6pm Easter til September and fine weekends in the winter. If you're planning to make a special trip, it's worth phoning to check.

    This is a great break from beachlife and a true homage to the path that laid the way for xboxes and…read moreplaystations. Set in the King's Road arches and slap between the piers, you will find the museum. Inside are a wide range of truely oldschool arcades and eccentricities from the late Victorian era to the mid Twentieth Century. I especially find the 'What the Butler Saw' machines funny. I also like that they give you large old pennies to play, rather than have converted the machines to take contemporary currency. I'm sure a number of these end up leaving the arcade as souveniers, so I suppose they have them made to order or something! You are unlikely to find all the machines working at any one time, but there will certainly be at least £2-£3's worth of pennies to play with. The only thing I missed not being present was an old style automated organ or some 'traditional' snacks to buy. Certainly a fun way to spend a few quid doing something a little different.

    Hove Museum & Art Gallery

    Hove Museum & Art Gallery

    4.7(6 reviews)
    2.0 mi

    Hove museum and art gallery is small, but perfectly formed…read more It's not somewhere you'd make a beeline for, unless there was something of specific interest to you personally to see, but it can provide a pleasant enough distraction for an hour or so on a rainy day. It has recently been refurbished and upgraded to provide high quality temporary exhibition space. The museum is housed in one of Hove's grandest former mansions, a large Italianate house just to the west of the shopping area, half a mile from St Andrew's old church on Church Road. The highlight of the permanent collections is actually outside the museum: the Jaipur Gate. This was made for the Colonial and Indian Exhibition of 1886 held in South Kensington, and moved here in 1926. It was paid for by the Maharaja of Jaipur, whose motto is inscribed on the front, in English, Sanskrit and Latin: 'where virtue is, there is victory'. It was carved by Indian craftsmen, although its design was concieved by two Englishment, and it combines both Mughal and Rajput elements. After recent conservation work, it is now in excellent condition. Inside, the ground floor provides two temporary exhibition spaces, a small shop and a tea room, which seemed very popular on my visit, and is probably worth knowing about in its own right. Upstairs are the four main areas of the permanent collection. Most important of these is the collection of early film and cinematic equipment. Brighton and Hove were important in early British film making, and a small film industry was based at Shoreham Beach in the days of silent films. The collection includes a wide selection of early film-making and projection equipment, and a small 8-seat 'cinema' where excerpts from early films and items for children are shown. The art gallery contains a handful of attractive works by European (mostly British) artists, although none are in the 'top flight' of European painting. Details of the collection are on the website (note that this covers Brighton's collection, too, which is wider ranging and more impressive). Next comes a small display of local history, which includes a small number of objects from local excavations from the bronze age to the mediaeval period, and includes the skull of a Saxon woman, important amber Bronze-age grave goods, items from a Saxon warrior burial, and pottery from a Roman villa excavated in nearby Southwick. Finally, there a lovely toy collection, displayed in an area especially designed for children, which seems very well done -the collection covers quite a wide range from the 18th to the present. The temporary collections cover local arts and crafts and, as ever with this kind of display, the quality varies a bit, although the presentation is excellently done. The shop sells cards, postcards and toys as well as small souvenir items. Entrance is free.

    Whether you're visiting to see the museum's fascinating exhibits or tp sample the quaint delights…read moreof it's small but charming tea rooms you're sure to be satisfied by Hove Museum and Art gallery. I went a few months ago during a bike ride with the simple intention of grabbing a tea before heading home. Not only did I extend my order to include a slice of carrot cake and a scone but I had to take a trip round their free exhibitions including a fascinating collection of photos and extracts from Brighton's Herald Newspaper during Word War II. This is open until Jan 10th 2010 so head down soon. Of you're reading this after that date then I would imagine they've set up an equally interesting exhibition by now, as Brighton & Hove council seem to be quite skilled in such areas. If you've lived in Brighton for a while and not yet visited then you're missing out on a very educational and cost-effective excursion. I'd happily go again just for the cream tea and scones!

    Photos
    Hove Museum & Art Gallery - Photo from http://www.brighton-hove-rpml.org.uk/Museums/hovemuseum/Pages/home.aspx

    Photo from http://www.brighton-hove-rpml.org.uk/Museums/hovemuseum/Pages/home.aspx

    Hove Museum & Art Gallery
    Hove Museum & Art Gallery

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    Fabrica

    Fabrica

    4.4(5 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    £

    As well as artwork and exhibitions, Fabrica is also an amazing venue to hire out for Weddings,…read morecivil ceremonies, conferences and launch nights. My brother was married here 2 years ago, and Fabrica as a venue was absolutely top notch. From the outside, it is a beautiful old church situated right in the South Laines, which could look as though services are still taking place. Once inside, the venue's space is one massive room with a striking viewing gallery, which give it so much potential to make into something beautiful. My brother and his wife had ivy leaves and lights draped across the viewing gallery, giving the wedding an old fashioned Pagan feeling, which inside an old church was truly unique. The events people from Fabrica were really well organised and truly interested and concerned in the look and feel of the wedding, which thankfully went incredibly well, due in large part to the atmosphere created by the beauty of the venue itself.

    Established thirteen years ago, Fabrica are a visual arts organisation that support and promote…read morecontemporary artists. Their home on Duke Street is an incredible Regency church with high ceilings and ornate windows. The main space is used as a gallery with free regular installations and exhibitions whilst the smaller spaces on the ground and first floor are used for meetings, one to one mentoring with staff and workshops. Painters, sculptors and visual artists should note they have a terrific Artist Resource Library where you can find upto date lists of national and international galleries, information about available grants and arts funding and lots of current art magazines and quarterlies. The art itself is also pretty inspiring. I saw the Amish Kapoor installation as part of the Brighton Festival earlier this year and was both freaked out and blown away. Which is probably how he'd want people to feel given the subject matter and scale of the work!

    Photos
    Fabrica - Picture courtesy of Fabrica Website

    Picture courtesy of Fabrica Website

    Fabrica - Picture courtesy of Fabrica Website

    Picture courtesy of Fabrica Website

    Fabrica

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    Brighton Toy & Model Museum - courtesy of museum website

    Brighton Toy & Model Museum

    3.7(11 reviews)
    0.5 mi

    The location of this museum couldn't be more appropriate...as you enter the little door way from…read moreunder the the railway bridge, you feel as if you've opened a children's toy chest and walked right in! Whether toys are your thing or not, you won't be able to resist a pang of nostalgia as you look back at a hundred years of toy-making history. If you're too young to get excited by memories of toy train sets and wooden puppets, this is probably a perfect place to take your parents! And even if you don't remember the toys on display yourself, some of them are just plain amazing to look at- toy theatres and old-fashioned arcade games are among my favourite items on display. I'm no toy fanatic, but I like this place...it's really interesting to see how toy-making practices have evolved over the years. The central location and smaller size of the museum makes it a great place to pop into for a mini history lesson, when you've got a spare 10 minutes or an idle afternoon of wandering the Lanes. It also means you wont get museum fatigue!

    Tucked away in one of the arches under Brighton's splendid Victorian railway station is this small,…read morebut perfectly formed, museum, housing the UK's foremost collection of toys and models. Centrepiece of the more than 10,000 items in its catalogue is a rare 'O' guage model railway layout, which runs at selected times (see web-site). But there are also substantial displays of puppets, dolls, tin-plate boats and buses, and dioramas of toy farms and military re-enactments. Many of the items are very rare, and the museum acts as a centre of expertise on such toys for the likes of Christie's auctioneers. The museum has a substantial education programme for children, and hosts visits by schools as well as individuals and families. As you'd expect, it's an excellent place to bring children, and the museum's web-site focuses very much on their needs. There's also a small shop to provide temptation afterwards! The museum also lays on events from time to time - see web-site for details. The museum can be a little difficult to find: emerging from the station, leave the entrance portico on the right hand side (by Marks & Spencer's), and Trafalgar Street is the road which descends steeply under the station's forecourt - the museum is actually underneath. Public transport (train and bus) is excellent, but car parking is a bit more tricky: however, there's an NCP car park a few blocks away.

    Photos
    Brighton Toy & Model Museum - Boom boom!

    Boom boom!

    Brighton Toy & Model Museum
    Brighton Toy & Model Museum

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    The Royal Pavilion - museums - Updated May 2026

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