Brighton

Since my sister and brother in law are in town the three of us took a day trip to Brighton on Sunday. It was really cold and rained in the afternoon so the pier was pretty empty. 

The only pier left in Brighton is the one featured in the photos below. When it was opened in 1899 it was known as the "Palace Pier" and was the third pier at the time. Originally there was a concert hall that was soon converted into a theatre but was removed in 1986. 

I was really excited about getting some Brighton Rock, which is a hard candy that is ubiquitous in seaside towns. The name of the town is worked into the centre of the candy. There were a variety of flavours including mint, liquorice, strawberry, lime, pineapple, etc. 

We stopped into Catwalk Cakes and got a slice of lemon cake and a slice of banoffee cake to take home for later. Banoffee is a combination of banana and toffee and is wildly popular here in the UK. Both cakes were good but the lemon was outstanding. 

The unexpected highlight of Brighton was the Royal Pavilion. This was the summer home to the royals starting with George III through Victoria but is primarily associated with George IV because he spent so much time here and put a lot into the design. 

The exterior is inspired by architecture from northern India and the interior is intended to look like it is from China. George IV had never actually been to either place and enjoyed the illusion of exotic materials and the allure of those far off places. 

One of the best illusions is this palm tree frond chandelier in the dining room which has both parts painted and 3-D leaves. Since photography was forbidden I had to sneak these few photos because it was the most spectacular interior design I had ever seen. 

Below is a photo of a painted ceiling and elaborate chandelier in one of the parlours.

The most magnificent was the music room with 10,000 gilded cockle shells on the ceiling and the intricate chandeliers with dancers on the glass panels. In the lower part of the photo below you can see wooden rods painted to look like bamboo which was part of the illusion George IV was going for. 

The stables at the Royal Pavilion have been converted to a free modern art museum and theatre. The tile work can still be seen and was absolutely incredible. 

Brighton is a great example of a former getaway town and still maintains a bit of that throw back charm. It evoked thoughts of Coney Island where it had an important past that is still fascinating in its faded glory. I'll be interested to visit again during the summer to see if it at its seasonal peak.