£35m
plans for Pavilion
Consequently, it faces some equally as
unique challenges; while the buildings
are magnificent, they are in need of
restoration and upgrade. Vandalism and
anti-social behaviour in the gardens
themselves also proves to be an issue.
The two custodians of the estate Brighton & Hove City Council’s Royal
Pavilion and Museums and Brighton
Dome & Brighton Festival - are working
together in a wide reaching partnership
helping to put in place a plan for the
estate which will secure the future of this
gem in the heart of our city.
Recognised by its iconic
domes and its designated
Cultural Quarter status, the
Royal Pavilion Estate is the
heart of Brighton & Hove’s
city centre. Comprised of
the Royal Pavilion, Museum
& Art Gallery, Pavilion
Gardens and Brighton
Dome Concert Hall, Corn
Ex change and Studio
Theatre, the estate is truly
unique.
Brighton & Hove City Council’s Royal
Pavilion and Museums and Brighton
Dome and Brighton Festival are
working together on a development
project for the estate. What is the
vision for this project overall?
At its core, this is about preserving and
conserving the wonderful heritage that
exists in the Royal Pavilion Estate. These
are incredibly important buildings for the
country and for the world. They come at
an incredible cost. There is real need to
restore, repair and preserve them.
However, such a huge project
necessitates significant investment.
We spoke to Andrew Comben, Chief
Executive of Brighton Dome & Brighton
Festival, about the new vision for the
Royal Pavilion Estate and how its
sustainable future can be achieved.
What is the Royal Pavilion Estate?
In bold terms the Royal Pavilion Estate
is the Royal Pavilion - the extraordinary
summer palace of George IV - and
Brighton Dome, which originally was
the stables and the riding school. From
those two basic elements, a museum,
art gallery, a concert hall, a corn
exchange, a studio theatre and the
gardens themselves have grown. As a
whole, it is an extraordinary resource in
the middle of city.
Everybody will know the Royal Pavilion
itself - it has become the symbol of
the city of Brighton and Hove - but
few people realise that the Royal
Pavilion Estate is this much wider set of
buildings, creative resources and public
spaces.
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What we want to do is use those
resources to create a wonderful crosscultural experience for audiences… but
what does that mean? It means that for
the casual visitor who wouldn’t otherwise
experience the arts, they will have a way
of encountering these buildings which
also reveals some of the activity that
goes on within them. We have over 650
performances at Brighton Dome in the
Concert Hall, the Corn Exchange and the
Studio Theatre each year; extraordinary
temporary exhibitions that take place in
the art gallery; a wonderful museum with
an incredibly eclectic and important set of
designated collections; and, obviously, the
interior of the Pavilion itself.
Part of our plans for the estate is
to make it clear to both visitors and
residents that all of these different
parts connect and inform each other.
The activities and events that go on
inside these buildings offer incredibly
rich cultural experiences. That means
that the experience for visitors needs to
be improved, and it needs to be more
accessible. We need to create ways
in which more people can come to
this place, whilst preserving the fabric