The Palace Pier

Brighton's

The Palace Pier

The Palace Pier in Brighton started its life as an old chain pier in 1823. The pier was mainly use as a landing stage for passenger ships that sailed from Dieppe in France. The owners of the chain pier realized the potential of the pier and started charging a fee of 2d to walk along the pier. The owners also decided to add some kiosks, selling souvenirs and confectionery along with entertainment stalls that featured fortune tellers and silhouettists. This prove very popular and fashionable with the public. When the pier was open which was less often that you would think. This was because of the major storms that battered the pier over the next ten years from 1824 to 1834. The storms caused irreparable damage to the piers structure. When the storms had finally finished the pier carried on as a fashionable and popular attraction for another 55 years

 In 1889 the Pier was sold to The Marine Palace &Pier Company. Later on that year in early December the pier was totally destroyed again by a raging storm. Over the next decade The Marine Palace & Pier Company suffered lots of set backs. One storm resulted in the old chain pier being completely washed away and they had to start again. There were lots of building and construction work going in that ten year period, till the pier was finally finished in1899. The Palace Pier officially opened on the 20^th May 1899 and the final cost for all the building and construction work was £27,000. This was a small fortune at that time in history. The open night saw the pier lit up with 3,000 light bulbs on the steel arches, which still can be seen today by the Palm Court and the fish and chip restaurant.

In 1905 it was thought that the pier would benefit from having some amusements machines installed on it. The amusements became a great success and put Brighton on the map for being the first to have the latest video games and amusements. The pier was the first place in England to have the video game Space Invaders in stalled. This was back in the eighties. After the amusements came the idea to build a concert hall. The hall open in 1907 and by 1911 it had become a theatre, which was a big success. Over the years Brighton Palace Pier has developed by introducing all sorts of entertainment. There was a bandstand that stage free concerts throughout the summer months. The theatre hall brought to Brighton a wealth of stars including Dick Emery, Tommy Trinder and Doris &Elsie Waters throughout the summer months. They all played at the theatre well into the late 1970's.

These days the pier is still a great place to go and visit. On a warm summer day with a gentle breeze or on a warm summers evening. The pier with its fun fair, arcades and restaurants as become a great British tradition. Just to go and walk along the pier admiring the view and taking in that lovely clean fresh sea air. A chance to get away from hustle and bustle of the city life and do something different for a change. If you have the chance to visit Brighton I highly recommender to visit the Palace Pier.

The Royal Pavilion

Royal Pavilion

Brighton

The Brighton Royal Pavilion Was built in three stages between 1787 and 1882. Starting life as an old farm house when the Prince of Wales rented it as a seaside retreat. The farmhouse over looked the very fashionable promenade. The Prince's physicians advised him that it would be beneficial for he's health. This was because Brighton had a fortunate climate and the sea water treatments which included “dipping” was very good for your health.

The Prince of Wales had a taste for fine architecture, decorative arts and fashion which he liked to show off at Windsor and his residences in London. The Prince had a very strict childhood and in early adulthood he started to rebel against this, by drinking, womanising and gambling. This kind of lifestyle started to take its toll on the Prince's pocket and he soon found that he was accumulating quiet a large debt. The Prince started to pleaded to the house of commons for a rise in he's income. After the Prince had made many promises to parliament, the house decided to settle the prince's debts and increase he's income this was in 1787.

The architect Henry Holland the designer of CarltonHouse was hired to transform the farmhouse into something a bit more glamours and grand. After the building was finished the prince would refer to the new house as the Marine Pavilion. The Prince lavishly furnished and decorated the residence with Chinese exported furniture and objects and the walls were covered in hand painted Chinese wall paper. The Marine Pavilion had three main rooms all coming off the central rotunda. There was a breakfast room, Dinning room and a library. All the rooms had oil paintings by Biagio Rebecca and were decorative in Holland's French neoclassic style. The prince also decided to buy the land that surround the Marine Pavilion to build more buildings. In 1801-02 the Pavilion was enlarged to incorporate a new dining room and conservatory all designed by Peter FrederickRobinson an architect from Holland's offices.

After the Pavilion was enlarged the Prince employed an architect called William Porden to design some stables that were to be a grand riding school. Porden's design dwarfed the Marine Pavilion and was designed with a Indian influence. The stables took around fives years to complete between 1803-08. A few years after the stables were finished a designer called John Nash was hired to redesign the all ready large pavilion and it is he's work that we can see today as you walk around Brighton. The Royal Pavilion is a great example of exoticism and was an alternative to the Regency style that was very popular at the time. George IV was determined for the pavilion to be extremely comfortable. The architect was given instructions that he should pay special attention to heating, lighting and the sanitation as well as using the latest equipment of the day to fit out the kitchen.

The presence of George IV in Brighton gave the town its prosperity and a very fashionable place to live. The population in Brighton grew after the Prince decided to take up residence. The population went from 3,620 in 1786 to 40,634 in 1831. The rebuilding of The Pavilion also provided work for local tradesmen and the arrival of The Princes guest in the town to attend the Royal court provided valuable income for local businesses. The sea fronts promenade with its many elegant terraced houses, crescents and squares that you can still see today were build as a direct result of royalty taking up residence in Brighton. Many of these large houses were designed in the regency style that was very popular and very fashionable at the time. George IV became king in 1820 and shortly after the Royal Pavilion was finally finished 1823. The king could only visit the Royal Pavilion a further two times this was because he had a lot more responsibilities and he's health was failing him. In 1830 the king who had made Brighton a very fashionable place died and was succeeded by his younger brother William IV.

William IV continued to stay at the Royal Pavilion and visit Brighton throughout he's short rein. He's wife Queen Adelaide household was to big for the Pavilion and extra rooms and further buildings were add. Nearly all these buildings were demolished and only a few survive today. William IV died in 1837 and he's young niece Victoria became queen. Queen Victoria visited The Pavilion in the same year for the first time. Queen Victoria found The Pavilion to be to small for her and the elegant styled rooms made her feel uncomfortable and uneasy. The queen decided to sell The Pavilion in1850 to the town of Brighton for £50,000. As she thought that the building would be demolished she order the Pavilion to be strip of all its furnishing, decorations and fittings for use in other Royal households throughout the country.

Brighton and its people were aware of the Pavilion's importance as an tourist attraction for the town especially as the new railway had just reached Brighton. Towards the end of that year the main ground floor rooms had been completely redecorated in a similar style as before but not so lavish and the Pavilion opened to the public. The fee to enter The Pavilion was sixpence and stay that amount until the 1920's. In 1864 Queen Victoria returned some of the fixtures and fittings including chandeliers and wall paintings. Victoria made further gifts to The Pavilion in1889. During the WW1 the Pavilion was used as an hospital for Indian solders which lead to damage and neglect. In 1920 the government funded a settlement for the damage done during the war.

The Royal Pavilion in Brighton is a magnificence building and totally out of style with all the other buildings in Brighton. As you walk around Brighton this building stands out and brings a bit of charm to the town and it is a monument to George IV and he's Regency dream and Brighton would not have the same charm without it.