Royal Pavilion

I. History
King George IV first visited Brighton in 1783 because his doctor told him that the
seawater would be good for his gout (Gicht). In 1786 he rented a farmhouse in the
Old Steine area of Brighton. Being far away from the Royal Court in London, the
Pavilion was also a good location for the Prince to enjoy time with his long-time
companion, Mrs. Fitzherbert. The Prince had wished to marry her secretly against
the Catholic Religion.

Henry Holland was soon employed to enlarge the building. The Prince also
bought land around the property, on which a grand riding school and stables were
built in an Indian style in 1803, designed 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 remarkable in the
middle of Brighton, having a very Indian appearance on the outside. However, the
fanciful interior design (Innengestaltung) is heavily influenced by both Chinese
and Indian fashion. It is an example of the exotic Regency style.

When the work was completed in 1823, the Pavilion was a modern palace, with
bathing facilities, toilets and dazzling lighting effects.

George IV died in 1830 and the Pavilion passed to William IV. He used it as a
winter palace. Then the crown passed to George IV’s niece Victoria in 1837. As
well as furniture, Victoria removed wallpaper, carvings and fireplaces, leaving
little more than a shell (Mauerwerk).

The Pavilion remained a functional building, although for less royal purposes,
used for exhibitions, business events and as a hospital for Indian soldiers
wounded in the First World War.

Today you can rent it for special events like weddings and films.

II. George IV.

George IV, eldest son of George III and Charlotte, was born August 12, 1762. He
secretly married his first wife, the Catholic widow Maria Fitzherbert, in 1785
without his father's permission. The marriage was declared illegal at his father's
behest; had the marriage been allowed to continue, George would have been
ineligible to reign with a Catholic wife. In 1795, he married again, this time to his
cousin Caroline of Brunswick, who bore him one daughter, Charlotte. He died on
June 26, 1830 after a series of strokes attacks (Schlaganfälle).
 III. Regency Style
The Regency style of architecture refers primarily to buildings built in Britain
during the period in the early 19th century when George IV was Prince Regent,
and also to later buildings following the same style.

The style follows closely on from the neo-classical Georgian Style of architecture,
adding an elegance and lightness of touch. Note that the Georgian style takes its
name from the four Kings George of the period circa 1720–1840, including King
George IV. Many buildings of the Regency style have a white painted stucco
facade and an entryway to the main front door (usually colored black) which is
framed by two columns. Regency residences typically are built as terraces. Elegant
iron balconies and bow windows came into fashion as part of this style.