UK’s first science-led Baby Colour Trail launched at Royal Pavilion
Research reveals better understanding of how babies perceive colour
Brighton’s historic Royal Pavilion is welcoming its youngest visitors in a bold new way with the launch of a new science-backed Baby Colour Trail, the first of its kind in the UK.
Inspired by the Royal Pavilion’s dazzling interiors and linked to its exhibition COLOUR, the Baby Colour Trail is designed especially for infants and their families. The exciting new initiative draws on ground-breaking scientific research from Sussex Baby Lab at the University of Sussex, which has discovered more about how babies respond to colour and pattern.
Built as the extravagant seaside palace of Prince George, the Prince Regent, later George IV, the Royal Pavilion is famous for its riot of pattern, gilded surfaces and exotic design. From glittering chandeliers and painted ceilings to dragons, phoenixes and rich textiles, it offers a sensory treat. And now science shows it’s also a feast for babies’ eyes.
From science to museums
The Baby Colour Trail was created in collaboration with Professor Anna Franklin and Dr Alice Skelton at the Sussex Baby Lab and Su Hepburn at Brighton & Hove Museums. The Baby Lab team used innovative eye-tracking technology and headcams to explore what babies notice most during cultural visits. Their findings are reshaping how museums and galleries across the UK engage their youngest audiences.
Professor Franklin said:
“Our research shows that babies are far more visually capable than once thought. They can see colour from birth and by four months their colour vision is already surprisingly sophisticated. Using the eye tracker we can see exactly where babies are looking and it’s amazing seeing things through a baby’s eyes. They’ll often be looking at the things that grownups take for granted, such as the curves and outlines of a vase of flowers, the patterns on the carpets, or the features on a portrait. The Pavilion is the perfect place to put this science into practice because it’s bursting with the colour, contrast and patterns that babies love to look at.”
Seeing the Royal Pavilion through baby eyes
The Baby Trail highlights features that fascinate infants most:
- Faces – figurines in the Great Hall, mythical dragons and phoenixes plus stained-glass figures on the staircse
- Shiny things – mirrors, decorative plates in the Banqueting Room and gleaming copper pans in the kitchen.
- Colour and pattern – from the sunflower carpet in the Saloon to the spectacular ceiling of the Music Room.
- Raising the Roof – babies can’t resist the Pavilion’s blue glass dome. In the research, this kept them gazing longest.
- The opulent Music Room will feature a special Baby Basket allowing babies to look up at one of the most colourful ceilings in the UK.
Su Hepburn, Head of Learning and Engagement at the Brighton & Hove Museums, said:
“It’s very exciting to be launching the UK’s first Baby Colour Trail here at the Royal Pavilion. This project combines cutting-edge science with our extraordinary building to create something truly unique for families. The research shows that the colours, objects and patterns in the Pavilion’s remarkable interior spark curiosity, wonder and joy in babies.”
A trail for families
The Baby Trail is also designed with parents and carers in mind. Tickets provide unlimited free re-entry for 12 months, meaning families can return again and again as their baby’s vision develops. There are buggy-friendly spaces, changing facilities, quiet areas, and even an emergency baby kit available at the ticket desk.
The Baby Colour Trail officially opens at the Royal Pavilion on Monday 22 September 2025. For more information on the science behind the trail click here.
