A Prince's Treasure: From Buckingham Palace to the Royal Pavilion. The Return of The Royal Collection to Brighton

David Beevers, FSA, Former Keeper Royal Pavilion, Brighton

Nicola Turner Inman, Curator of Decorative Arts at Royal Collection Trust

In September 2019 over 120 magnificent objects, commissioned or acquired by George IV for the Royal Pavilion in Brighton and removed by Queen Victoria in 1847-8, were returned on loan by Queen Elizabeth II. This lecture will examine the stripping of the Royal Pavilion in the 1840s and the subsequent installation of these objects in other royal palaces, most notably Buckingham Palace, where three rooms were created in the new east wing especially to house works of art once at Brighton. Here, under Prince Albert’s direction, a serious attempt was made to recreate in London the lost splendours of the Royal Pavilion.

The Reservicing Programme at Buckingham Palace, a project to overhaul the building’s essential services, began in the east wing and required the decanting of all the contents including all those once at Brighton. This presented a once in a lifetime opportunity for the return of some of the most spectacular objects back to the rooms at the Royal Pavilion where they were originally displayed.

The transfer and movement of objects between buildings is a complex matter and the lecturers will discuss the logistics of the loan and the benefits both to Brighton and the Royal Collection Trust.