Thursday 20 April 2006. In Brighton on my own for the night. I have a wander around outside the Pavilion and find somewhere to eat.
This is such an extraordinary place. Built, in three stages, for the Prince of Wales, subsequently Prince Regent and King George IV it was started in 1787 and subsequent enlargements were undertaken before the building finally took the shape it is today in 1823.
Removed from the close scrutiny of his family George used it for numerous liaisons with his favourite, Maria Fitzherbert, eventually marrying her in secret as her being a Roman Catholic he was legally forbidden to marry her under the terms of the Royal Marriages Act of 1792.
It is a glorious (or appalling depending on your tastes) mix of Indian, Islamic, and Chinese influences and George was much satirised in contemporary cartoons and press for his outlandish tastes and gluttony. It was sold to the town of Brighton by the Government in 1853 for Queen Victoria, who had described the town's locals in 1841 as "very indescreet and troublesome". Perhaps the arrival of the railways, swelling eager sightseers may have influenced these comments a little. It was used as a military hospital during World War One, for men who had lost limbs.
Fed and watered, I had a walk up the mostly deserted seafront. These are the sad remains of Brighton's West Pier, destroyed by fire thought to be caused by arson in 2003. It had suffered damage in 1987 during the great storm of that year and access to the pier had been blocked due to safety reasons in 1991. There were two severe fires in March and May of 2003, both thought to be arson attacks and high winds caused the centre of the pier to collapse into the sea in 2004.
The pier seen in the distance is the Palace Pier.
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