Accommodation in Brighton - Your guide to the best Hotels in Brighton
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Places to visit in Brighton
The Royal Pavilion is a former royal residence located in Brighton, England. It was built in the 19th Century as a seaside retreat for the then Prince Regent. It is often referred to as the Brighton Pavilion.
History
The Prince Regent, who later became King George IV, first visited Brighton in the year of 1783, due to his physician advising him that the seawater would be beneficial to his gout. In 1786 he rented a farmhouse in the Old Steine area of Brighton. Being remote from the Royal Court in London, the Pavilion was also a discreet location for the Prince to enjoy liaisons with his first wife, Mrs Fitzherbert, his marriage to whom was illegal, due to her Catholic religion.
Henry Holland was soon employed to enlarge the building. The Prince also purchased land surrounding the property, on which was built in 1803 a grand riding school and stables in an Indian style, to designs by William Porden.
Between 1815 and 1822 the designer John Nash redesigned the palace, and it is the work of Nash which can be seen today. The palace looks rather striking in the middle of Brighton, having a very Indian appearance on the outside. However, the fanciful interior design, primarily by Frederick Crace and Robert Jones firm, is heavily influenced by both Chinese and Indian fashion (with Moghul and Islamic architectural elements). It is a prime example of the exoticism that was an alternative to more classicizing mainstream taste in the Regency style.
Purchase by Brighton
After the death of George IV in 1830, his successor King William IV also stayed in the Pavilion on his visits to Brighton. However after Queen Victoria's last visit to Brighton in 1845, the Government planned to sell the building and grounds. However the Brighton Commissioners and the Brighton Vestry successfully petitioned the government to sell the Pavilion to the town for £53,000 in 1849 under the Brighton Improvement (Purchase of the Royal Pavilion and Grounds) Act 1850.
Modern use
During the First World War the Pavilion was used as a hospital for wounded Indian and West Indian servicemen. The Pavilion is open to visitors and is also made available for education purposes, banqueting, and weddings.
For more information please contact 01258 881274
Brighton Pier
Generally known as the Palace Pier before being unofficially renamed by its current owners as Brighton Pier in 2000 (a change not recognised by the National Piers Society), it was begun in 1891 and opened in May 1899 after costing a record £137,000 to build. A concert hall opened two years later. By 1911 this had become a theatre, but it was later controversially removed, under an understanding that it would be replaced. This never happened, and the present seaward end building looks fairly modern in comparison with the rest of the structure.
It was Brighton's third pier. A condition to be met by its builders, in exchange for permission to build, was that the first, The Royal Suspension Chain Pier of 1823, which had fallen into a state of disrepair, was to be demolished. They were saved this task by a storm which largely destroyed the Chain Pier.
Volks Railway
Volk's Electric Railway (VER) is the oldest operating electric railway in the world. It is a narrow gauge railway that runs along a length of the seafront of the English seaside resort of Brighton. It was built by Magnus Volk, with the first section being completed in 1883.
Today the line runs between terminal stations at Aquarium (adjacent to the Palace Pier) and Black Rock (adjacent to Brighton Marina), with an intermediate station and depot at Paston Place. The line has a gauge of 2ft 8½in (825mm), is electrified at 110 V DC using a third rail, and is 1¼ miles (2 km) long.
The initial 1883 line was intended as a temporary summer attraction and ran for only ¼ mile (400 m) between Swimming Arch and Chain Pier. It was built to a gauge of 2ft (609mm) and electrical power was supplied to the cars using the two running rails, at 50 V DC. In 1884 the line was extended from Chain Pier to Paston Place, the gauge widened to 2ft 9in (838mm), and the electrical supply still was 110V DC. In 1886 a third rail was added to avoid power loss along the extended line, and the gauge tightened up to its current 2ft 8½in.
In 1896 the unusual Brighton and Rottingdean Seashore Electric Railway was built by Volk. This was unsuccessful and closed in 1901, when the Volks Electric Railway was extended from Paston Place to Black Rock. In 1933 the line was cut back from Swimming Arch to Aquarium.
In 1938 the Brighton Corporation took control of the line. It was closed during the Second World War but reopened in 1948. Winter operation ceased since 1954. 2-car multiple operation was introduced in 1964. There was a decline in visitor numbers due to package holidays. In 1995 the Volk's Electric Railway Association was formed to help preserve the line.
Hotels Near Royal Pavilion |
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Hotels Near Brighton Pier |
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Hotels Near Volks Railway |
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Booth Museum of Natural History |
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