Brighton is famous for many things – its nightlife, gay scene, beautiful beaches and cultural depictions as in Richard Attenborough’s depiction of the killer Pinky in the film Brighton Rock, adapted by the novel by Graham Greene.
Brighton Pier is one of the most iconic landmarks of the town. It evokes the era of the seaside fair with its candyfloss kiosks, flashing rides and fairground games such as fishing for ducks. You can walk along the pier and admire the starlings flocking and seagulls wheeling overhead.
The Booth Museum of Natural History homes the collection of Edward Booth, a Victorian scientist of birds (or ornithologist). In this museum you can discover over half a million insects, birds and animal skeletons. Among the collection is a supposed “merman” and a 140-million-year-old skeleton of a local dinosaur.
Why not visit King’s Road Arches, the centre of the town’s fishing quarter. Here you can wander down the seafront and even visit the Brighton Shellfish and Oyster Bar at no.199 for some maritime food.
Brighton Royal Pavilion was designed by John Nash, the same architect of Marble Arch. It was the Prince Regent’s farmhouse which was then converted into a mock-Mughal palace. The original purpose was a love nest for the prince. The mixture of Chinese, Gothic and Indian aspect embodies this excess. The inside is full of chinoiserie – gilded dragons and imitation bamboo staircases.