Weekends in January can be pretty rubbish, it’s cold, probably raining, everything that involves being inside costs money and everyone is trying to make it to the end of January without having to live on super-noodles. However, this Saturday is the Pavilion Annual Open Day, the one day the year the Pavilion is free. The Annual Open Day is a celebration of the purchase of the Pavilion in 1850 and gives the general public the chance to find out more about our iconic landmark. There will be talks by the staff throughout the day and you can also take an audio guide.
The Pavilion was the residence of George IV and ha an enormous impact on the prosperity and social development of Brighton in 1780s so much so that the population of the town went from 3,620 in 1786 to 40,634 in 1831. George became King in 1820 and was only able to visit the Pavilion twice before his death in 1830. In 1850 Queen Victoria sold the Pavilion to the town of Brighton for £50,000. Take a tour around The Great Kitchen, The Banqueting Room, Royal Bedrooms and the Indian Military Hospital gallery and find out more about the rich history of the Brighton Pavilion.
Due to the free admission, it is advised that if you did want to visit the Pavilion this Saturday, that you get there as early as possible. The Annual Open Day has proven to be extremely popular year after year therefore queues are very likely. You can find out more about the Brighton Pavilion at their website.
Holly Martin
