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As the years went by, all the while with George throwing parties and showing off the Chinese furnishings, this ‘Marine Pavilion’ grew. Most notably, he added extravagant glass-domed stables, large enough for 62 horses, and sleeping quarters for the grooms. (They are now home to a museum and concert hall.)

The major redesign that transformed the pavilion into today’s structure began in 1815, after George became Regent. Using cast-iron frames, architect John Nash built a host of domes, minarets and towers on top of the original roof, giving it an Indian aesthetic. New rooms for entertaining were luxuriously decorated and state-of-the-art heating, gas lighting and plumbing installed. The garden similarly received an overhaul, complete with Regency-style winding paths, flower beds, shrubs and lawns.

Nash needed eight years and a fortune to finish, by which time George was King. In a cruel twist, though, George had grown so overweight and suffered from numerous maladies that he could only visit his magnificent, eccentric palace twice more before his death in 1830.

The Music Room at the Royal Pavilion, Brighton, East Sussex — The Music Room at the Royal Pavilion. The room was badly damaged by a fire in 1975 but has since been restored. (Photo by English Heritage/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

People's palace

Ultimately, it would be the people of Brighton who benefited from the Royal Pavilion, not least because it helped the town’s reputation as a fashionable destination. William IV visited regularly and his successor, Victoria, first stayed there shortly after her coronation. The 18-year- old Queen, however, described the palace in her diary as “a strange, odd Chinese-looking thing”.

Although Victoria’s impression did improve over successive trips with Albert and their growing family, she never felt at ease there. In 1850, she sold the pavilion to the town of Brighton for £53,000. Less than a year later, the palace re-opened to the public for the cost of sixpence, but having lost much of its splendour, as Victoria had ordered the decorations and fittings to be stripped – they supposedly filled 143 wagons. Yet as the Royal Pavilion continued to be maintained and used for a host of functions, from balls and exhibitions to lectures by Oscar Wilde, many royal items returned.

Restoration gathered momentum in the 20th century, bringing the Royal Pavilion and its gardens back to the Regency-era style, but there was still another unexpected use for the buildings. During World War I, the lavish rooms became a hospital – at first for wounded Indian soldiers, and then British Army amputees. Stories and photographs from this remarkable chapter are on display in one of the pavilion’s galleries.

The whole history of the Royal Pavilion can be explored by walking its rooms or strolling the gardens, preferably with the audio guide. The pavilion may have been built as a personal pleasure palace, but it is now part of the city’s image and a charming feature in anyone’s trip to Brighton.

What to look for...

Banqueting room

A fitting space for a royal feast, even one of George IV’s. The chandelier is held in the talons of a dragon, one of the many that can be spotted around the hall.

Great kitchen

So sophisticated were the kitchen’s facilities that George would take his guests for a tour. Later, during World War I, it would be used as an operating theatre.

Music room

The elaborate decoration, including a ceiling of some 26,000 gilded cockleshells, has been badly damaged twice – in a fire in 1975 and a storm in 1987.

King's apartments

These had to be moved to the ground floor to prevent the portly George from climbing stairs. His bed has a tipping mechanism to make it easier to get in and out.

Gardens

The Regency-style garden underwent major restoration in the 1980s and ’90s using John Nash’s plans, and they are still maintained with George’s original plant lists.

India gate

The gateway at the southern entrance was unveiled on 26 October 1921 as a gesture of thanks for the care shown to Indian soldiers in World War I.