Brighton

Good morning, everyone.  The sun is shining and it feels fresh and 'clean' in the morning air.  Very pleasant indeed.

First of all, a very, very big thank you to Annabeth.  We met in front of the pier and she made sure I had the best day, taking me here and there, explaining things and giving me nuggets of info while we got to know each other a bit.  She was so generous with her time and I think - I hope - we both feel we are proper friends now.  I felt so lucky to have someone who knew the place well.

Thank you, Annabeth.  Here's to the next time and I hope your bus journey home was easy.

At 7:30ish. I left home to arrive for the coach with plenty of time to park.  I don't like a last minute rush and the car park does fill up when there's a coach trip.

The journey there was great.  No hold ups, not even for the QE2 bridge; in fact the slowest point was once we were in Brighton.  There's a lot of works going on and, as one would expect for a Saturday, the place was teeming with people and traffic.

A bit of history.
Brighthelmstone was documented in the Domesday book although there is archaeological evidence of settlements in the Bronze Age, Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods.  Later on, it became known as a health resort through sea bathing.

Then the Prince Regent (later King George IV) discovered the place and it became THE in place to see and be seen.  He constructed the Royal Pavilion and anyone who was anyone made tracks to the town from time to time.

Now, of course, Brighton is famous, not only for its history but also as a seaside holiday resort and a safer place for various communities who have helped to create an energetic, vibrant and happy place.

I met up with Annabeth outside the Pier entrance and we headed straight for the Brighton Pavilion where we had a 'comfort stop' (well, I did!) and a coffee before going into the Pavilion.

You could take photos so I did, but flash photography was not allowed so the quality is debateable.  Never mind . . .

The Royal Pavilion was built as a seaside retreat (some retreat!!!) for the Prince Regent and remained so through the reigns of William IV and Victoria until the last decided to make Osborne House her holiday home.  In 1850, the city of Brighton bought the pavilion but not the contents which were removed and shared around other royal residences.  Some pieces have been returned since but some of the contents are not originals - but they work anyway.
As Annabeth said, really it is a fake, but a fake that has grown its own authenticity over time.  

The whole effect is of pseudo Indian/Islamic influences, very ornate, very lavish and very fanciful.  Mirrors, lights, glitter, colour - it's quite overwhelming really and I will definitely have another look round at some point in the future because it's easy for memories to become confused.

A fireplace in the long gallery.

Lights . . . originally candles, of course.

This chandelier was very impressive.  My photo in no way does it justice.

It was in the banqueting room over the table and is about nine metres high, suspended from the ceiling in the claws of a dragon.

This curved section of the ceiling is painted leather - absolutely beautiful.

The great kitchen was, sensibly, not very far from the banqueting hall and was typical of that sort of thing.  It was huge and I am very glad I didn't have to clean all the copper pots and pans, not to mention the solid topped stoves and the ovens.  Can you imagine the dust?

I think the next few photos were taken in the suite of rooms containing the Saloon.  Lots of lights, some very intricate wallpaper and rich floor to ceiling curtains.

More lights . . .

. . . and more!

There were some amazing coloured windows at ceiling height.

Most of the lower windows were blocked off the preserve the furnishings and artefacts, of course.

This one was interesting.  At first glance it is 'just' a painting, a portrait of the Prince Regent in his glad rags.

However, on reading the information below, we learned that it is really . . .

. . . a mosaic.  You can see the tiny painted glass 'tesserae' in this close up.
I forget how many tiny fragments were used but it is very, very heavy and stands on a ledge rather than hung on the wall.

Upstairs, there's what are called Queen Victoria's apartments.  These were restored in 1990 to reflect what they probably looked like when she used them.

They consist of the Queen's bedroom (lavish), the maid's room next door (very plain but still comfortable) and this - the Royal Bum must have rested itself upon this more than a few times.

I've copied this information from the Wiki page.

[the outside] is built in the Indo-Saracenic style prevalent in India for most of the 19th century. The current appearance, with its Mughal inspired features such as bulbous domes, chhatri-topped minarets and cusped arches, is the work of the architect John Nash, who extended the building starting in 1815.

So now we know!

Annabeth and I wandered through the gardens - nothing too fancy but plenty of grass and there were plenty of people enjoying the sunshine.  It looks a great place for a picnic or a get-together.

There were too many people to take a photo, sorry.

Once we had finished with the Pavilion, we stopped off at Pret for lunch (very tasty) before heading for the Lanes and some fabulous little shops.

Annabeth had, bless her, asked about fabric shops and, yes, I found one lot of fabric, a summery patterned viscose with a nice drape to it so I need to think carefully about what to do with it that will make the best of its qualities.

There were some lovely shops, all independent, different, boho type places, but the narrow lanes were jam packed and I was very careful to hang on to my bag very firmly indeed.

We stopped off in a very pleasant quadrangle for a most welcome cuppa - I can't remember what it was called but maybe Annabeth can.  It was good to sit down, chill and chat.

We headed back to the coast and just meandered along the beach for a short while before heading back to were the coach was picking me up and, conveniently, where Annabeth caught her bus home too.

While waiting for the coach, I took this one of a zip wire and, to the right, the pier (below).

Not a great view as it was over the roof of the Sealife place which I visited decades ago and which was really good then.

I bet there will be another trip organised next year and I really want to come back, maybe look at the sea life, take another nosey at those shops, maybe get the electric train to the Marina and back . . . there's so many things to do.

The coach trip back was just as trouble free as the one there, except for the inevitable slow traffic around the Dartford Tunnel.  We were home just after six, the sun was shining and I was shattered.

I came home with a length of fabric, a stick of rock and, you will be glad to know, my Memory Magnet.

And some really good memories of a great place visited and a friendship developed.  Thank you again, Annabeth.  xx

What a lovely day!