Growing up in Brighton, I always thought the Royal Pavilion was the most marvellous, magical palace. With squat, onion-shaped domes, spiky minarets and lacy colonnades, it was like having the Taj Mahal in your garden. Even now, decades later, its bulbous silhouette, illuminated pink at night, thrills me every time I walk past. And the grandeur of its interiors is reflected in Buckingham Palace’s East Wing.

Next week, the Palace’s East Wing will open to the public for first time. After five years of renovations, the once private rooms, including the Centre Room where the royals gather before stepping out onto the Buckingham Palace balcony, will be open for tours for the first time in its 175-year history. It might look a little familiar to some visitors.

Many of the 19 rooms in the East Wing have been decorated in a distinctly Chinoiserie theme; think hand-painted wallpaper, imperial silk wall hangings, gilded dragons, and a huge ornate chandelier in the shape of a lotus flower – all furnishings largely lifted from the Royal Pavilion in Brighton.

Back in the 1780s, the young Prince George would visit Brighton for his medicinal saltwater dips in the English Channel and fell for the town’s charmingly frivolous and fun atmosphere. A regular face, the Prince’s presence had a stratospheric effect on the town and it quickly grew into a fashionable Regency resort.

When George was promoted to Prince Regent he drafted in architects Henry Holland, and then John Nash, to build an Indo-Sarenic palace near the beach as his seaside bolt-hole.

“When Prince George lived in London he had to behave in a certain way as he was under scrutiny from the Royal Family, so when he came to Brighton, he could relax and this became his pleasure palace,” says Pat Langford, an accredited Blue Badge tourist guide in Brighton.

As George was an exuberant man who loved the finer things in life, the royal palace was kitted out with all manner of kitsch objet d’art, porcelain, silk and lacquerware imported from India and China.

“Back in the 18th and 19th century – [when Britain was controlling India] and we had dealings with China – it suddenly become all the rage to have something Indian or Chinese without having been there,” says Pat.

“[George] would host parties that went on for three days, he’d drink, he’d gamble, it was a very louche existence.

“But when he died, and Queen Victoria inherited it, she went down to stay and tried to like it, but hated it because there was no privacy.

“In 1850, the monarch sold the royal palace to Brighton council for £50,000 and used the money to build Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, which she much preferred.”

The Pavilion’s sale also helped to finance the construction of part of the East Wing at Buckingham Palace. Its contents were moved to the Palace in 1850 and incorporated into the Chinese-themed interiors of the Centre Room, the Yellow Drawing Room and the Chinese Dining Room in the East Wing. Although, in September 2019, 120 items from the Royal Collection were returned on loan to the Pavilion to display.

Over the past two centuries, the Pavilion has survived fires, storms, gas explosions and has been intricately restored to its former somewhat gaudy glory.

“Brighton wouldn’t be Brighton without the Pavilion, we’d just be another seaside town if it hadn’t been built,” says Hove resident Sarah Bolam.

“It’s so very Brighton; a lot of fun and a bit of a show-off, but everyone loves it, from the grandparents who come for afternoon tea to the kids who come to meet Santa Claus at Christmas.”

Visitors can waltz around the Banqueting Room where Georgie held his legendary parties. They can also see the Great Kitchen, which was modern in its day, and the sexy Saloon, which, with its gold-and-red brocade and colourful carpeting, is easily the grandest room in the Pavilion. Upstairs are the Royal Bedrooms, including Queen Victoria‘s room, which is rather understated. A self-guided audio tour, which takes a couple of hours, really does it justice.

“I’ve always loved the Pavilion” says Maxine Sheppard, who was born-and-bred in Brighton.

“I remember it a kind of pale duck-egg green in the 70s, then covered in scaffolding on and off for years, and then born-again in a pristine cream.

“It’s really quite [wacky] when you consider it – a mass of domes and minarets and fancy ornamentation in the centre of town. It’s such a folly and that’s why, in my eyes, it’s the defining feature of Brighton.”

Booking it

Buckingham Palace East Wing tours. Spaces are limited to 20 visitors at a time and will cost £75 per person. From 15 July until 31 August. rct.uk

Brighton Pavilion is open every day apart from Christmas Day and Boxing Day, however, it’s a popular place so the best time to visit is during the week. Adults from £19 brightonmuseums.org.uk