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Brighton Pavilion Trip, 20th June 2009 On 20th June a small but select group of CIArb SE Branch members and guests assembled at Brighton Pavilion for a private tour. As with all our events, this one involved much eating and drinking and began with coffee and biscuits as we arrived from all different directions. Brighton Pavilion was developed from a modest country house into its current form by George IV, born Prince of Wales in 1762 and later to become Prince Regent when his father George III was thought to be mad. George IV rebelled against his strict upbringing and embarked on a life of drinking, womanising and gambling that scandalised the country and got him heavily into debt. You will be pleased to hear that we all behaved ourselves impeccably compared to George's friends who did most of their partying in the lavish surroundings of this very place. During the reign of Queen Victoria much of the furniture and decorations were removed and the place was sadly neglected. However, in recent years great amounts of money, care and attention have gone into the refurbishment of this unique building and our excellent guide pointed out the highlights to us. The Pavilion's lavish interiors combine Chinese-style decorations with magnificent furniture and furnishings. Adorned with gilded dragons, carved palm trees and imitation bamboo staircases, the Palace's unique style mixes Oriental exoticism with English eccentricity. Daring and inventive colours feature throughout and there are many original items on loan from Her Majesty the Queen. There is a great amount to see and immense detail wherever you turn. The main areas where the partying took place were The Banqueting Room with its magnificent chandeliers and shallow dome and The Long Gallery with walls painted with trees, rocks, shrubs and birds against a pink background with glass panels in the ceiling to let in the light during the day and reflect the candlelight during the evenings. One of George IV's great passions was music which is indicated in the extraordinary interior of the Music Room. The room is decorated in rich reds and gold, lit by nine chandeliers and here the King's own band entertained guests with selections from Handel or from Italian opera. Of equal interest were the 'behind the scenes' areas such as the Great Kitchen which was state of the art for its time. One quite innovative feature was that it was situated just behind The Banqueting Room and, rarely for these times, food therefore arrived hot to the table. The kitchen has an array of original kitchenware and examples of the menus from the lavish banquets produces by the highly prized French chef. Talking of food it was now time to go to the restaurant area and sample some tasty local fare which I am pleased to say did not include such items as swan and dolphin featured on the menus we had just seen in the kitchens below. We were then free to explore more of the Pavilion on our own or, as we did, go to the Museum next door which had an extremely interesting design section with iconic pieces from the twentieth century. More eating followed with a delicious cream tea before we all went our separate ways. Thanks to Anne Kenny for researching and organising this fascinating trip. Amanda Lovell Reported by Amanda Lovell |
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