The Royal Pavillion

Prinny, a.k.a, The Prince of Wales, later The Prince Regent, and even later HM King George IV, was really a charmingly spoiled little boy at heart, desperate for comfort and love; but also the sovereign of the British Empire, and quite a prolific royal builder.

George IV is remembered largely for his enormous contribution to art and architecture, even if during his life these pursuits put him at odds with parliament, and certainly his father when he was alive (and sane). He gave us Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle's present form, the National Gallery, Carleton House Terrace, Regent's Street and Park, and embellished the Royal Collection of fine (if not exuberant) Regency furnishings. He also built (and demolished) his famous house at the foot of Regent's Street, Carleton House, and racked up enormous debts transforming it into the most exuberant display of interior decoration the era knew. And he gave us what was and is the greatest flight of architectural fancy any King or Queen has in British history: The Royal Pavillion Brighton.

The Pavillion began life as a relatively modest double-bow-fronted house along Brighton's fashionable promenade, the Steine, which was attracting royalty even before Georgey-Peorgy made his way down. In fact, in a bid to escape his parents' rather rigid court, and to evade his creditors for awhile, George first started venturing south to visit his uncle the Duke of Cumberland by the seaside. It was not long before George decided to purchase his very own 'beach hut' (put so well in Blackadder the Third). Here he could enjoy a liberated atmosphere amongst his own court, the company of his illegal wife Mrs. Fitzherbert, as well as the chance to promenade along the Steine being seen. However, his modest house with its two bows was not sufficient for a Prince of Wales, and Henry Holland was commissioned to enlarge the shack; an enfilade of reception suites along the Steine mapped out the plan for future embellishments. At the same time, The PoW bought the adjoining land beside and behind the house; and stables were erected to house his elaborate equipage.

It must be noted that the dawn of the nineteenth century was a period of architectural innovation and stylistic daring. Of course, the era is largely remembered for its plain white stucco terraces, but it was also a period when Strawberry Hill heralded in the intricate Gothic Style, and when Prinny's own Carelton House's neo-Classical exterior belied its lush hodge-podge interiors; which included gothic and oriental influences. Georgy was innovative of spirit, and fashion forward. As PoW, George also did everything he could to oppose his parents' court, from supporting Whig politics to encouraging extravagance in the arts. Certainly, nobody could accuse George III and Queen Charlotte of exoticism at their court or palaces. Thus, when John Nash was commissioned to carry out further alterations to the Pavillion, it was no ordianry building Georgy had in mind; rather, a fantasy-spired Mogul's palace. And that is just what George got.

By 1822 George had ascended the throne, and work in Brighton was completed. However, as King, George evolved into a less rebellious creature, and began towing the traditional Tory line. All the reasons for the Pavillion's extistence in his life ceased to be relevant. He was no longer the figurehead of the opposition, he was soveriegn majesty of all Britain and Empire. He no longer cavorted with Mrs. Fitzherbert; after the very public debacle of his marriage to Caroline of Brunswick he carried out rather public affairs with rather bourgeois ladies. His focus shifted from everything he cared for as Prince, and concentrated upon his legacy as King. His opulent headquarters as PoW, Carelton House, was demolished in 1827 in order to fund the aggrandizement of his parents beloved Buckingham house into a palace (much of the furniture from the former still resides in the latter). And, he set upon a major course of modernisation and embelishment at Windsor Castle. In his own way, George rose to the station of King and left his own distinct mark. And what of the Mogul's dream on the Sussex coast? Yes, it was still used to play a game of fantastic domesticity, and, after the death of his daughter Charlotte, gouty George spent lonely hours in his ground floor apartment lamenting times past. Brighton was no longer the fashionable seaside town. It was a growing town, and the Pavillion was already a tourist attraction. There was no privacy for a King who grew fatter by the hour, and whose vanity precluded any long forays into the public's view. Windsor became his new haunt, and his trips around the Great Park, stopping at Sand Pit Gate for Cherry Brandy replaced the fashionable promenades of his youth. It was in this castle, in the same Blue Room Queen Victoria would enshrine in memory of her Albert, that George IV died.

The Brighton Pavillion was an immediate bete noire; for a variety of reaosns. Georgy's successor was not of the same character as his brother; quite the opposite. William IV was a sailor, a duty-bound, hard working prince and King. He was a bit like stale old toast and porridge, to Georgy's haute cuisine. William was happy at Clarence House (built for him as Duke of Clarence) adjoining St. Jame's Palace and refused to live in the new Buckingham Palace. He was known to have visited the Pavillion as King, but it held no significance to him other than providing, perhaps, nostalgia of his visits to his brother. When he died, his successor Victoria made occasional visits to the Sussex coast, staying in her 'uncle King's' palace. However, as her brood of princes and princesses grew, and her own childlike exuberance subsided into a restrained Victorian reserve, her presence in Brighton became more and more incongruous with her position as Queen. Indeed, the Pavillion was never intended to be the home of a King, but rather was built as a representation of the oppositional forces at play in British politics; as well as within the Royal Family itself. Victoria, despite her balls at Buckingham Palace as a young unmarried Queen, quickly became the very centre of respectability for her nation. So, when funds were required to expand Buckingham Palace, the Royal Pavilion went up for sale.

The Brighton Improvement (Purchase of the Royal Pavilion and Grounds) Act 1850 was drawn up in order to facilitate a fair purchase price for the Town of Brighton, as well as ensure the Pavillion would not be demolished by speculators. The final purchase price was £53 000. Today, the Brighton Pavillion draws tourists from around the world. The palace is in a remarkable state of preservation. Despite the absence of Prinny and his court, walking through the Pavillion provides one with a remarkably intimate sense of the earliest decades of the nineteenth century. While opulent in its decor, it nonetheless retains a coziness one would expect from a vacation home. Again, despite its opulence, it is not pretentious, but simply representative a highly refined individual who had the means at his disposal to create a true fantasy land. What we glean of George IV's personality here is that he was an apparent pleasing combination of grand scale and intimate comfort!