Community rallies to save damaged dome at historic Royal Pavilion

Target exceeded in just one weekend with appeal now being extended to include other critical restoration work.

An urgent appeal for donations to save a damaged dome on the Royal Pavilion raised more than double the amount in just one weekend.

The Royal Pavilion last month asked the public to donate £10,000 to restore a dome on the palace’s roof. Appeal organisers were amazed when online donations flooded in, raising over £27,500 in just three days. The support was so overwhelming, Brighton & Hove Museums has now increased the fundraising target to include another critical piece of restoration work that is needed on the ceiling of the historic Banqueting Room at the Royal Pavilion.

Specialist repairs are needed to restore the room’s copper canopy and its windows which are failing, causing water damage to the spectacular ceiling beneath and putting the three-tonne dragon chandelier at risk. Records dating back to the early 18th century show that, even at the time it was built, the complex roof design was problematic to maintain.

Once the external repairs have been undertaken, the Banqueting Room will need to be scaffolded so the water damage surrounding the dragon chandelier can be repaired. The total costs of works are expected to amount to around £28,000, which alongside the dome repairs takes the overall appeal total to £38,000.

The appeal is still running and people can donate here: Royal Pavilion Roof Appeal – Brighton & Hove Museums (brightonmuseums.org.uk)

Hedley Swain, CEO of Brighton & Hove Museums, the charity which manages the Royal Pavilion, admits he has been stunned by the generosity of supporters, saying: “The domes and canopies of the Royal Pavilion remain a striking and iconic example of early 19th-century British architecture.

“Our conservation team works tirelessly to keep on top of the huge amount of maintenance this 200-year-old building requires. As a charity, our reserves are limited, especially as we have spent the last few years in recovery following the pandemic.

“Ongoing financial support, no matter how small, allows us to not only preserve our magnificent venues, but fund the many education, community and cultural outreach programmes we deliver every year. We are overwhelmed by the amazing response following our initial dome repair appeal. We’ve smashed our target of £10,000 with the total reaching £30,000 to date. We can’t thank our supporters enough.”

It costs around £900,000 a year to look after the 200-year-old Royal Pavilion, without the addition of repairs, renovations and upgrading.

Brighton & Hove Museums is a registered charity that relies on donations, grants and admission to operate its five heritage venues which include Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, Preston Manor & Garden, Booth Museum of Natural History and Hove Museum of Creativity.