Generous public save skyline of historic Royal Palace in one day
- Urgent appeal to save damaged Royal Pavilion dome on roof beats goal in one day.
- Huge public response and outpouring of support.
- Donations flood in from around the world in just one day raising more than 150% of original target.
- Brighton & Hove Museums overwhelmed by positive response.
An 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 asked the public on Thursday (15 August) to donate £10k to restore a dome on the palace’s roof. They were amazed when online donations flooded in raising over £27.5k in just three days.
Overwhelming support
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 copper Banqueting Room canopy and its windows which are failing, causing water damage to the spectacular ceiling beneath, putting the one-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 £28K, which alongside the dome repairs takes the overall total to £38K.
Thank you to supporters
Hedley Swain, CEO of Brighton & Hove Museums, the charity which manages the Royal Pavilion admits he has been stunned by the generosity of supporters.
He said: “We are overwhelmed by the amazing response following our initial dome repair appeal. We’ve smashed our target of £10k with the total reaching £27.5k. We can’t thank our supporters enough for their generosity. It shows how much people love and care for the Royal Pavilion.
“The extra money raised will go towards specialist repairs needed for the copper Banqueting Room canopy. Water damage to the spectacular ceiling beneath is putting the breathtaking dragon chandelier at risk.”
On Friday Brighton & Hove Museums (B&HM) launched the urgent appeal to close the £10K funding shortfall to restore a 200-year-old dome on the palace’s roof.
Routine restoration work uncovered failure in stone render and substantial decay in one of the iconic royal palace’s 200-year-old pinnacles following water damage.
Close examination of the domes and minarets of the Royal Pavilion roofline is only feasible when areas of the building are scaffolded for routine maintenance. Contractors were shocked when routine restoration work unexpectedly identified that a crack in the dome’s exterior was letting more water inside than previously thought. On closer inspection, it was revealed that there was significant rotting on the central timber post and framework that support the structure of the dome.
Urgent repairs will now start this week to stop the dome from collapsing. The dome is part of the iconic skyline of the 19th century seaside ‘pleasure palace’ of George IV, which was designed by British architect John Nash and completed in 1823.
Hedley Swain, CEO of Brighton & Hove Museums said: “The domes and canopies of the Royal Pavilion remain a striking and iconic example of early 19th-century British architecture. Our conservation team work 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.
“The additional funding will allow us to fix another major problem in the building which has been causing us great concern.”
Running costs for heritage venues are an ongoing concern for operators across the UK and beyond, especially with rising costs for electricity, supplies and repairs. 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.
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