Publications
Designs for the Pavilion at Brighton, by Humphrey Repton, John Adey Repton and G. S. Repton, published 1808 (London: J. C. Stadler) View Online
A Form for the Consecration of the Royal Chapel, founded by … King George the IVth. in his Majesty's Royal Palace, at Brighthelmston, January the 1st. 1822, published 1822 (14 pp., Brighton: T. Ruddock) accessible at: British Library
An Excursion to Brighton, with an account of the Royal Pavilion: a visit to Tunbridge Wells; and a trip to Southend. In a series of letters to a pupil in Wales, by John Evans, L.L.D., published 1823 (304 pp., London: C. S. Arnold) accessible at: British Library & East Sussex Libraries
The Royal Pavilion at Brighton, by John Nash, published 1826 (published by the author)
Illustrations of Her Majesty's Palace at Brighton; formerly the Pavilion: executed by the command of King George the Fourth, under the superintedence of John Nash … To which is prefixed, a History of the Palace, by Edward Wedlake Brayley, published 1838 (17 pp., London: J. B. Nichols & Son) accessible at: British Library
Illustrations of Her Majesty's palace at Brighton, formerly the Pavilion, executed by the command of King George the Fourth under the superintendence of John Nash: to which is prefixed a history of the palace, by Edward Wedlake Brayley, published 1838 (London: J. B. Nichols & Son)
The Stranger's Guide in Brighton: Being a Complete Companion to that Fashionable Watering Place, and the Rides and Drives in Its Vicinity, the Royal Pavilion and the German Spa Waters, by W. Saunders, published 1852 (106 pp., Brighton: W. Saunders & Son) accessible at: East Sussex Libraries
Catalogue of the Royal Library, Brighton. Established nearly a century, by George Wakeling, published 1864 (xix + 205 pp., London: Spottiswoode and Co.) accessible at: British Library
Jeffs' Guide to the Royal Pavilion and Museum, Brighton: Containing a History of the Building, and a Descriptive Account of the Original Decorations Presented to the Corporation by Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen. With Illustrations after the Original Drawings by Tony Dury, Painter to H.M. Louis Philippe, Late King of the French, by S. D. Jeffs, published 1864 (Brighton, Royal Pavilion)
Brighton Free Public Library and Museum, Royal Pavilion. Catalogue of Books in the Library, published 1873 (263 pp., Brighton) accessible at: British Library
The Brighton Pavilion and its royal associations. To which is added a Guide to that portion of the edifice open to the public. [With plates.], by John George Bishop, published 1875 (viii + 116 pp., Brighton: Fleet & Co.) accessible at: British Library
The History of the Royal Pavilion at Brighton, by Frederick E. Sawyer, published 1886 (16 pp., Brighton: D. B. Friend) accessible at: British Library
Florizel's Folly … With thirteen illustrations, by John Ashton, published 1899 (xii + 308 pp., London: Chatto & Windus) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
Anecdotes of the life of George IV, with special reference to his interest in Brighton and its development.
A History of the Royal Pavilion Brighton. With an account of its original furniture and decoration, by Henry D. Roberts, published 1939 (xvii + 224 pp., London: Country Life) accessible at: R.I.B.A. Library & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
Royal Pavilion: an episode in the Romantic , by Clifford Musgrave, published 1959 (revised and enlarged edition, xiv + 172 pp., London: Leonard Hill) accessible at: R.I.B.A. Library & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
The Pictorial History of Brighton & the Royal Pavilion, by Clifford Musgrave, published 1962 (Pitkin Pictorials) accessible at: East Sussex Libraries View Online
Royal Pavilion: a brief history and guide, by Clifford Musgrave, published 1964 (Brighton: Royal Pavillion) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/501653] & East Sussex Libraries
The Royal Pavilion at Brighton, by David Higginbottom with photographs by Eric de Mare, Louis Klemantaski and John Barrow, published 1976 (52 pp., Amenities Committee of the Brighton Borough Council) accessible at: R.I.B.A. Library & West Sussex Libraries
The Royal Pavilion, Brighton, by Martin Goff, published 24 May 1976 (32 pp. & 16 plates, London: Michael Joseph Ltd., ISBN-10: 0718114779 & ISBN-13: 9780718114770) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/503766] & R.I.B.A. Library & East Sussex Libraries
The Royal Pavilion at Brighton, by Royal Pavilion Art Gallery & Museum, published 1979 (52 pp., Brighton Borough Council) accessible at: R.I.B.A. Library
The approach to restoration of the music room, Brighton Pavilion, following arson in 1975, by Julian Rogers, published 1980 in The Conservator (vol. 4, issue 1, article, pp.5-11) View Online
Chimney-pieces at the Royal Pavilion, Brighton, by John Anthoy Kiechler, published 1981 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 119, historical note, pp.227-229) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7989] & The Keep [LIB/500306] & S.A.S. library
Paintings and Drawings: Concise Catalogue, published 1982 (pamphlet, Brighton: Royal Pavilion, Art Gallery and Museums) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 12520]
The Physical Development of the Royal Pavilion Estate and its Influence on Brighton, 1785-1823, by S. Farrant, published 1982 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 120, article, pp.171-184) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8620] & The Keep [LIB/500307] & S.A.S. library
The Royal Pavilion, Brighton, by J. M. Dinkel, published 1983 (144 pp., London: Philip Wilson Publishers Ltd.) accessible at: R.I.B.A. Library
The Making of the Royal Pavilion, Brighton: Design and Drawings, by John Morley, published 1 December 1984 (280 pp., London: Philip Wilson, ISBN-10: 0856671738 & ISBN-13: 9780856671739) accessible at: R.I.B.A. Library
Art Nouveau, Art Deco, The Twenties, The Thirties and Post-War Design, The Ceramic, Glass and Metalwork Collection at Brighton Museum , by Jessica Rutherford, published 1986 (Royal Pavillion) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries
John Nash - Views of the Royal Pavilion, by Gervase Jackson-Stops, published 17 October 1991 (128 pp., Pavilion Books, ISBN-10: 1851455833 & ISBN-13: 9781851455836) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/503770] & R.I.B.A. Library & West Sussex Libraries
Abstract:In 1820, before the Royal Pavilion at Brighton was completed, the Prince Regent commissioned the architect John Nash to compile a picture book in celebration of his pleasure palace. This edition reproduces the complete series of aquatints for the first time since they were executed.
Royal Pavilion, the Palace of George IV, by Jessica Rutherford, published 1994 (65 pp., Royal Pavillion, ISBN-10: 0948723211 & ISBN-13: 9780948723216) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries
The Re-Creation of John Nash's Regency Gardens at the Royal Pavilion, Brighton, by Virginia Hinze, published 1996 in Garden History (vol. 24, no. 1, article, pp.45-53) View Online
Dr Brighton's Indian Patients December 1914-January 1916, by Joyce Collins, published 1997 (33 pp., Brighton: Brighton Books Publishing, ISBN-13: 9781901454017) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/502506] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
Palaces: V: The Royal Pavilion: George IV's residence at Brighton, by Jessica Rutherford, published 1998 in The Court Historian (3(1), article, pp.9-15)
A Prince's Passion: The Life of the Royal Pavilion, by Jessica Rutherford, published 2003 (192 pp., Royal Pavillion, ISBN-10: 0948723548 & ISBN-13: 9780948723544) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
John Nash - Views of the Royal Pavilion, by Gervase Jackson-Stops, published 28 February 2003 (Royal Pavilion Edition, Pavilion Books, ISBN-10: 1862055246 & ISBN-13: 9781862055247) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries
Views of the Royal Pavilion, by John Nash, published 28 February 2003 (128 pp., Pavilion Books, ISBN-10: 1862055246 & ISBN-13: 9781862055247) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries
Abstract:Book of reproduced illustrations showing the architecture and interior design of the Royal Pavilion. The original watercolours were painted by A. C. Pugin and commissioned by John Nash, the architect of the Royal Pavilion, to celebrate the building's completion in 1823.
The Making of the Royal Pavilion, Brighton: Design and Drawings, by John Morley, published 21 November 2003 (reprint, 280 pp., London: Philip Wilson, ISBN-10: 0856675571 & ISBN-13: 9780856675577) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries
Abstract:The Royal Pavilion, Brighton, is one of the most famous and opulent royal extravaganzas in existence. First built in 1787 for the Prince of Wales as a neo-classical marine villa, by the time the Prince became king in 1820 it had grown into the extraordinary Indian-Chinese fantasy that it is today. This study reproduces all of the important surviving designs, for the exterior and interior of the Pavilion, revealing the great variety of brilliant exotic schemes devised for its construction and decoration. The projects for the exterior include the pretty but chaste designs of Henry Holland and the wilder Indian and Chinese fantasies of William Pordent and Humphry. The interior designs are often astonishing; they include schemes for whole rooms as well as for individual details such as windows, skylights, doorways, carpets and curtains.
Set for a King: 200 Years of Gardening at the Royal Pavilion, by Mike Jones, published 8 November 2006 (192 pp., Brighton: Royal Pavilion, Libraries & Museums, ISBN-10: 0948723629 & ISBN-13: 9780948723629)
Abstract:The Royal Pavilion and its extraordinary interiors and collections have been the subject of much study. As a building of international importance it is unique in Britain in being run by a local authority. This is the first attempt to record the development of its setting. The Regency garden's evolution and the theories behind its creation are explained here, with reference to period publications. Drawings of the plants used in the restored gardens show the cycle of flowers throughout the seasons, an innovation at the time.The plant combinations offer inspiration to visitors and gardeners today.
Art and design at Brighton 1859-2009: from arts and manufactures to the creative and cultural industries, edited by Philippa Lyon and Jonathan Woodham, published 16 January 2009 (408 pp., Brighton: University of Brighton, ISBN-10: 1905593589 & ISBN-13: 9781905593583) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/502262] & British Library
Abstract:The anniversary book examines the role that the School of Art, now the Faculty of Arts & Architecture, has played since it was first established in rooms within the Brighton Royal Pavilion in 1859. It maps the development of the School against a variety of significant regional, national and international contexts, including interactions with local educational authorities, changes in art and design education and the symbiotic relationship between design and industry.
Features on a selection of staff and alumni of the School are a major part of the book, as is an account of the School's dynamic and integral role in the social and cultural life of Brighton and the South East over the last 150 years: from the art students' seaside pageants in the 1920s to alternative performance at the Zap Club.
Features on a selection of staff and alumni of the School are a major part of the book, as is an account of the School's dynamic and integral role in the social and cultural life of Brighton and the South East over the last 150 years: from the art students' seaside pageants in the 1920s to alternative performance at the Zap Club.
Teatime Tales: The Pavilion Gardens Café Interviews, published 30 April 2011 (64 pp., Brighton: QueenSpark Books, ISBN-10: 0904733645 & ISBN-13: 9780904733648) accessible at: The Keep archive of QueenSpark Books
Abstract:The Pavilion Gardens Café, like the Royal Pavilion across the Gardens, is a unique Brighton institution. Throughout the last seventy years, it has offered refreshment, relaxation and a certain kind of charm to tens of thousands of visitors from around the world.
The Café also attracts a fascinating clientele of local people who are regular visitors to the venue. It is some of their 'Teatime Tales' about lives and Brighton and Hove's history, that are featured here for the very first time
The Café also attracts a fascinating clientele of local people who are regular visitors to the venue. It is some of their 'Teatime Tales' about lives and Brighton and Hove's history, that are featured here for the very first time
Xanadu-on-Sea: After a long restoration by the city council, Brighton Pavilion continues to flourish, by Geoffrey Tyack, published August 2013 in Country Life (vol. 207 no. 33, article, pp.34-41)
Inspiration, appropriation, creation: sources of Chinoiserie imagery, colour schemes and designs in the Royal Pavilion, Brighton (1802 - 1823), by Alexandra Loske, published 2014 in The Dimension of Civilisation. Museum of Contemporary Art, Yinchuan, Yinchuan, China, (pp.323-359, Museum of Contemporary Art, Yinchuan, China, ISBN-13: 9787515326863) Download PDF
Abstract:This paper identifies key figures and artistic methods involved in the creation of the Chinoiserie interiors of the Royal Pavilion in Brighton and discusses to what extent personal taste and fashion informed George IV's collecting habits and design decisions, as well as those of his designers. None of the members of the Royal Family, nor George IV's architects and designers had travelled to the Far East and thus created these oriental interiors by using Chinese export art as reference points and inspiration, thus appropriating a foreign and "exotic" culture, resulting in the creation of highly inventive and playful interiors. The aim is to establish how far these key figures reflect wider trends and developments in design and colour choices in interior design and the decorative arts in early nineteenth century British interiors.
The paper begins by focussing on the influence of other members of the Royal Family on the look of the Royal Pavilion, with particular focus on Chinoiserie interiors or collections created by George IV's mother, sisters and other relatives, either before or alongside the creation of the Royal Pavilion. Based on close analysis of primary archival sources, the paper will also discuss to what extent George IV was actively involved in design decisions and their implementation. In this context the significance of royal palaces with Chinoiserie interiors preceding the Royal Pavilion or developing alongside it, notably the interiors of Carlton House and Frogmore House, will also be considered. Finally, the paper brings together information on the work of George IV's designers Robert Jones and the Crace family of decorators, relating to colour, colour theory, export ware, and their specific design styles and painting techniques. While much is known about the Crace family, Robert Jones's life and work has until now not been comprehensively researched and is here presented for the first time.
The paper begins by focussing on the influence of other members of the Royal Family on the look of the Royal Pavilion, with particular focus on Chinoiserie interiors or collections created by George IV's mother, sisters and other relatives, either before or alongside the creation of the Royal Pavilion. Based on close analysis of primary archival sources, the paper will also discuss to what extent George IV was actively involved in design decisions and their implementation. In this context the significance of royal palaces with Chinoiserie interiors preceding the Royal Pavilion or developing alongside it, notably the interiors of Carlton House and Frogmore House, will also be considered. Finally, the paper brings together information on the work of George IV's designers Robert Jones and the Crace family of decorators, relating to colour, colour theory, export ware, and their specific design styles and painting techniques. While much is known about the Crace family, Robert Jones's life and work has until now not been comprehensively researched and is here presented for the first time.
The decorative scheme of the Royal Pavilion, Brighton: George IV's design ideas in the context of European colour theory, 1765-1845 , by Alexandra Loske, 2014 at Sussex University (Ph.D. thesis) View Online
Abstract:This thesis investigates the use of colour in the interior decorations of the Royal Pavilion, Brighton. The building was created between 1785 and c.1823 by the Prince of Wales (1762 - 1830), later Prince Regent and George IV. The main aims of the thesis are firstly, to analyse the intense colour scheme of the building and set it in the historical context of colour theory and pigment production, and secondly, to establish to what extent personal tastes and fashion influenced these designs. Chapter 1 brings together nineteenth century descriptions of and reactions to the building from early guidebooks and visitors' accounts, followed by brief outlines of restoration work carried out since 1850 and observations on how the building is experienced by visitors today. The aim of Chapter 2 is to provide an overview of colour theory and literature in Europe between c.1765 and c.1845, in order to highlight the cultural, social and scientific background to the use of colour in art and interior design. Chapter 3 outlines the role of key figures involved in the creation of the building. It first discusses the Prince's tastes in art and considers to what extent he may have drawn inspiration from other members of the Royal Family and earlier Oriental buildings and interiors. The chapter then discusses the artists and designers John and Frederick Crace, Robert Jones and Humphry Repton. Chapter 4 describes the colour schemes and chromatic layout of the interior of the building in its various stages from the 1780 to the 1820s. The chapter includes a case study of the conspicuous and varied use of silver as a colour in the building, discussed in the context of the use of silver in other European interiors. Three appendices provide detailed information of colour terms found in contemporary account books, pigments identified in the Royal Pavilion so far, their historical context and where they are found in the interiors. The thesis thus analyses the multi-sensory experience of an interior in relation to new ideas about colour as a crucial element of interior design.
A Pantheon for Horses: The Prince Regent's Dome and Stables at Brighton, by Geoffrey Tyack, published January 2015 in Architectural History the journal the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain (vol. 58, article, pp.141-158) View Online
Abstract:Domed rotundas have fascinated and challenged architects and engineers for the last two millennia. Examples can be found throughout the world, most commonly in religious and commemorative buildings, but also in the palaces and bath complexes of ancient Rome and in more recent government and legislative buildings. In modern times technological advances have allowed new and increasingly ambitious kinds of rotunda to be built - markets and exchanges, greenhouses and conservatories, concert and exhibition halls, sports arenas. The roots of this latter development lie in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, and one of the pioneering buildings still survives in the unexpected setting of the Royal Pavilion gardens at Brighton.
The Brighton Pavilion has always been mainly associated with two people: George, Prince of Wales (the Prince Regent), who commissioned it, and John Nash, the architect who gave it its present exotic appearance. But it is easy to forget that the most distinctive features of the Nash exterior - the Indian-style domes and minarets - took their stylistic character from a building that was completed before he became involved with the Pavilion. This was the royal stables, designed by William Porden for the Prince, built in 1804-08, and now an arts complex.
The Brighton Pavilion has always been mainly associated with two people: George, Prince of Wales (the Prince Regent), who commissioned it, and John Nash, the architect who gave it its present exotic appearance. But it is easy to forget that the most distinctive features of the Nash exterior - the Indian-style domes and minarets - took their stylistic character from a building that was completed before he became involved with the Pavilion. This was the royal stables, designed by William Porden for the Prince, built in 1804-08, and now an arts complex.
Brighton in the Great War, by Douglas D'Enno, published 30 November 2015 (176 pp., Pen & Sword Books ltd., ISBN-10: 1783032995 & ISBN-13: 9781783032990) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/509151] & West Sussex Libraries
Abstract:Although the impact of the Great War on Brighton was profound, the seaside town was spared any direct attack by the enemy. The fear of spies and sabotage, however, was widespread at first and aliens were an issue which had to be swiftly resolved under new legislation. Allies, of course, were warmly welcomed, and accommodation was swiftly found for those fleeing the catastrophic events in Belgium.Between 1914 and 1918, Brighton made major contributions to the war effort in many ways: by responding readily to the call to arms, by caring for great numbers of wounded (the story of the exotic Royal Pavilion being used as a hospital for Indian casualties is widely known locally) and by simply being itself - an open and welcoming resort that offered sanctuary, respite and entertainment to besieged Londoners and to other visitors, from every stratum of society. The book looks at the fascinating wartime roles of Brighton's women, who quietly played a vital part in transport services, industrial output and food production. Non-combatant menfolk also kept the wheels turning under very trying circumstances. When the meat shortage became acute, the mayor himself took direct action, requisitioning ninety sheep at Brighton Station for the town which were destined for butchers' shops in London.The names of no fewer than 2,597 men and three women who made the supreme sacrifice were inscribed on the town's memorial, which was unveiled at the Old Steine on 7 October 1922 by Earl Beatty. At the ceremony, the earl acknowledged that 'it was by duty and self-sacrifice that the war was won.' It remained, he said, for those who had survived the conflict to ensure that the great sacrifices of the past, both by the dead and the living, should not have been made in vain. We remember them in this book.
The quest for His Majesty's silk: The current restoration of the Saloon at the Brighton Pavilion faced a major challenge, by Annabel Westman, published 10 August 2016 in Country Life (vol. 210 no. 32, article, pp.74-77)