Dragons, baubles and Ronan Keating: we spend five minutes with East Sussex's pleasure palace.
Exterior of the Royal Pavilion, Brighton
Age: I’m over 200 years old – I was built in stages between 1787 and 1823.
Describe yourself in three words: Exotic, extravagant, extraordinary.
What is your most treasured possession? The spectacular chandelier in my Banqueting Room – 30 feet high, it weighs one tonne and hangs from the claw of a silvered dragon.
Your most famous visitors are: My creator George IV, his brother William IV and their niece Queen Victoria. More recently, Ronan Keating and the Hairy Bikers.
What is your greatest shop success? The Royal Pavilion Christmas bauble – these hand-painted glass baubles have become a collectors’ item with a new design every year.
Any museum pets? George the cat, who lived here for 12 years until his death in 1980.
One thing that could make you better is... More contemporary art – my first Pavilion Contemporary opens on 27 October with work by Geraldine Pilgrim.
You have a museum crush on... The Taj Mahal.
What do you most dislike about your appearance? Seagull poo.
You’re most happy when… I hear the oohs and aahs of astonished visitors.
Venue details
Entry details
Free entry with National Art Pass (standard entry charge is £10)
1 Apr – 30 Sep
Open daily, 9.30am – 5.45pm
1 Oct – 31 Mar
Daily, 10am – 5.15pm
Closed 24 Dec (from 2.30pm) – 26 Dec
Brighton’s historic Royal Pavilion will close temporarily for a few days from Monday 21 to Friday 25 January 2013, to enable essential restoration work, maintenance and repairs to take place. The Royal Pavilion will re-open to visitors at 10am on Saturday 26 January.