Royal Pavilion

Brighton and Hove, England, United Kingdom

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The Royal Pavilion in Brighton and Hove is a Grade I‑listed former royal seaside residence built in the late 18th and early 19th centuries for the future King George IV, who first visited Brighton as Prince of Wales hoping to ease his gout.

Originally a modest farmhouse by the seafront, it was transformed in stages into an extravagant fantasy palace in the Indo‑Saracenic style, with onion domes, minarets, and Indian‑inspired exteriors designed mainly by architect John Nash. Inside, the building is lavishly decorated in Chinese and Indian‑style interiors, with richly patterned walls, gilded details, and showy rooms such as the Music Room and the Grand Saloon, which hosted lavish royal entertainments.

Over time the Pavilion passed to other monarchs, then to the town of Brighton, and after periods as a civic venue and a World War I Indian soldiers’ hospital underwent major restoration; today it operates as a museum and cultural attraction, drawing visitors for its dramatic architecture, opulent interiors, and place in the history of the English seaside resort.