The Royal Pavilion is a former royal residence located in Brighton, England. It was built in three campaigns, beginning in 1787, as a seaside retreat for George, Prince of Wales, from 1811 Prince Regent. It is often referred to as the Brighton Pavilion. It is built in the Indo-Saracenic style prevalent in India for most of the 19th century, with the most extravagant chinoiserie interiors ever executed in the British Isles.
Between 1815 and 1822 the designer John Nash
redesigned and greatly extended the Pavilion, and it is the work of
Nash which can be seen today. The palace looks rather striking in the
middle of Brighton, having a very Indian appearance on the outside. However, the fanciful interior design, primarily by Frederick Crace and the little-known decorative painter Robert Jones, is heavily influenced by both Chinese and Indian fashion (with Mughal and Islamic architectural elements). It is a prime example of the exoticism that was an alternative to more classicising mainstream taste in the Regency style. The purchase of the Royal Pavilion from Queen Victoria, by Brighton,
marked the beginnings of the site’s tourism dominance through the Royal
Pavilion’s transition from a private residence to a public attraction
under civic ownership. Today, the Royal Pavilion is the main tourist
attraction in Brighton, with around 400,000 people visiting it annually.
Source & More Information: Wikipedia, Royal Pavilion, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Pavilion