A project to restore the historic Royal Pavilion Garden has received £4.3m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The Grade II listed garden, designed for King George IV, is one of the only Regency gardens in the world, and is considered a garden of national significance.
Led by Brighton & Hove City Council and Brighton & Hove Museums, the project will transform the garden to its original Regency glory while enhancing its accessibility and improving facilities for visitors and residents.
The plans include the restoration of the Regency planting design using the original plans designed for George IV, and new visitor and community facilities, including an outdoor learning space and public toilet facilities with a Changing Places toilet.
The project will also include repairing and conserving historic structures, such as the garden's Grade II listed lampposts, which are amongst the first streetlights in the country.
More information about the garden through the ages will be provided onsite and online through new signs and information, as well as a creative programme of events, tours, and activities.
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The garden will benefit from more efficient irrigation, drought resistant planting, protecting the roots of the heritage elm trees, promoting local biodiversity and wildlife.
The project aims to increase community engagement to the garden, with a focus on improving mental health and wellbeing.
The project is part of a wider plan developed by Brighton & Hove City Council to enhance the Royal Pavilion Estate as a key cultural destination.
Hedley Swain, CEO of Brighton & Hove Museums, said: “We are thrilled to have received this support thanks to National Lottery players and are confident the project will transform the garden, restore it to its full beauty and remain a haven of beauty and heritage in the middle of the city.”
Dorset Museum & Art Gallery
Meanwhile the Heritage Fund has also announced a £250,000 grant to support long-term resilience at the Dorset Museum & Art Gallery in Dorchester.
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The funding will be invested in marketing and public relations so that the museum can advertise its exhibitions, events and educational programmes to a wider audience.
The grant will also help the museum to diversify its retail operations, selecting shop products that connect more closely to the collections and temporary exhibitions in order to boost the museum’s income and make it more resilient to any future changes in circumstance.
The museum plans to use the grant to support a strategic governance review, while new training programmes for employees will be introduced to help staff retention.
Claire Dixon, the executive director of the museum, said: “This financial support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund has come at a critical time. After significant investment in the transformation of Dorset Museum & Art Gallery we re-opened in a climate of the Covid-19 pandemic, cost of living crisis, Brexit and the war in Ukraine, all of which have had a significant impact on our ability to drive visitor growth.
“Faced with significantly higher running costs, this support will enable us to focus on a small number of key areas to increase footfall, diversify income and ensure we are in the best possible position to survive long term.”
Dorset Museum is an independent charity managed by members of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society. The museum cares for four million artefacts connected to the local area. It reopened in 2021 following a three-year, £16.4m transformation.
Hoping Royal Pavillion Gardens in Brighton still provides some public access during its restoration , it’s very well used by the public and its loss would be restrictive even if temporary though it sounds like temporary could be long lasting.