Brighton Royal Pavilion Restoration of the Saloon Picture by Jim Holden
Decorated for King George IV in 1823, the Saloon at the Royal Pavilion, an ornate centrepiece of Brighton’s famous royal palace by the sea, has been returned to the dazzling splendour of its original interior design at a cost of £390,000. It is the culmination of ongoing conservation work taking place since 2004. In 2002, glimpses of the designer Jones’s silvered leaves scheme were revealed on the ceiling of the saloon during work to address a water leak. The reinstatement of this design in the recess opened up the possibility of a complete and faithful restoration of the Saloon to its original appearance in 1823, as recorded in a water colour by AC Pugin for John Nash’s book, ‘Views of the Pavilion’. Continue reading A Royal Room Restored→
A new exhibition at the Royal Pavilion will explore how animals considered exotic by the Georgians and early Victorians were depicted, kept and presented. Exotic Creatures looks at animals owned by the Royal Family and in menageries and early zoos, as well as the ‘political beasts’ of the period (c.1740-1850). Continue reading Exotic Creatures→
At the heart of our vibrant city lies the Royal Pavilion. Once the seaside home of the Prince Regent and afterwards Queen Victoria, this world famous building has played an important role in Brighton’s history. Today it embodies many aspects of our city’s culture: fun, extravagance, eccentricity and beauty.
This Christmas the Royal Pavilion & Museums Foundation, the charity that supports the Royal Pavilion is asking residents to support the Royal Pavilion by becoming members. As a member you’ll receive a great range of benefits including FREE entry to our city’s historic royal palace, invitations to Private Views, discounts in the Pavilion shop and much more. Importantly, you’ll be doing your bit to help conserve our city’s greatest icon. Since the Foundation formed it has raised monies through membership, donations and grants, to help conserve the Royal Pavilion, purchase important works of art, showcase exhibitions, and support learning and education programmes in our city’s museums. Membership starts from as little as £23 and you can also treat someone special to a truly unique Christmas gift membership. Continue reading Our City’s Greatest Icon Needs You!→
and see ‘A Dark Day in Paradise’ for FREE this summer
As you know, Brighton is a fabulous place to live, a vibrant cultural city with its very own historic royal palace. It also boasts a host of museums bursting with a wealth of art, culture and history all on your doorstep. You can enjoy it all for FREE by becoming a Member of the Royal Pavilion & Museums Foundation. Not only will you be making a fantastic contribution towards the upkeep of the Royal Pavilion and the city’s museums but you’ll receive some great benefits too.
Membership can cost as little as £23 a year, that’s less than £2 a month.
Benefits include:
Free entry to the Royal Pavilion and Preston Manor
Free entry to paying museum exhibitions
Invitations to private views
10% discount in the Royal Pavilion & Museums shops
Exclusive Members only events
Members’ Newsletter
The Royal Pavilion & Museums Foundation is a Brighton-based charity that supports the work of the Royal Pavilion, Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, Hove Museum & Art Gallery, The Booth Museum of Natural History and Preston Manor. The support of local people is critical in helping to fund vital conservation work at the Royal Pavilion, showcase exciting exhibitions throughout our museums, purchase new works of art to enhance our collections and to build an exciting and secure future for our Royal Pavilion & Museums.
It’s our city and our Pavilion. Join us now and be part of our future.
For more information or to join call Abigail now on 01273 292789, email Abigail@pavilionfoundation.org or visit www.pavilionfoundation.org
Become a Member before August 31 2010 and we’ll give you a copy of our book, The Royal Pavilion Brighton, The Palace of King George IV absolutely FREE! It’s a must-have for all local households!
Clare Twomey puts the finishing touches to the installation
On a beautiful midsummer’s evening The Whistler was invited to the launch of an exciting installation at the Royal Pavilion which is part of a nationwide museumaker project and runs until 16 January 2011. This the first time a contemporary artist has been commissioned to create an installation for the interior of the Royal Pavilion. Clare Twomey has installed a swarm of 3000 exquisitely made, black-glazed ceramic butterflies in the Banqueting Room, Great Kitchen, Entrance Hall and other rooms in the Royal Pavilion. The butterflies cluster on the banqueting table, across window panes, inside grand lights, on mantelpieces and other surfaces.
The Royal Pavilion was created by John Nash for the Prince Regent. An exotic, oriental pleasure palace, its magnificent interior is a reflection of the monarch’s personality and the Regency period. Clare Twomey’s ‘swarm of beautiful menace’ provides a ‘veil of mourning’, enabling visitors to reflect on this building’s past culture of hedonism, as well as inviting them to consider their own values and priorities. The butterflies can be seen across several sites in the Royal Pavilion, with the greatest numbers suspended in ‘angry flurries’ at the windows of the Banqueting Room, between the columns in the Great Kitchen and in the Entrance Hall vestibule. They are all individually finished: some with wings open, some almost completely folded in on themselves, some in flight, others looking sedentary.
Clare Twomey explains, “I was drawn to the Royal Pavilion because of its profound beauty and excess. As I studied the interior, I noticed the icon of the butterfly. It is very temporal and, if you see one, it is for a moment – magical and frivolous. The black silhouettes of my butterflies are very graphic and will be a prominent contrast against the vibrancy of the Pavilion’s colourful interiors.” David Beevers, Keeper of the Royal Pavilion, reflects, “In Antiquity the butterfly, emerging from the chrysalis, came to symbolise the soul leaving the body at death. Christian art’s depiction of the life cycle of the caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly is equated with life, death, and resurrection. The transient beauty of the butterfly could be a metaphor for the transience of life and the vanity of earthly things. The swarms of butterflies in the Pavilion, at once beautiful and threatening, will both seduce and disturb the visitor and will add another perspective within the narrative of the building.”
Everything you ever wanted to know about life in Brighton (OK, and Hove)
The Whistler 