Adam Trimingham looks back at how the Royal Pavilion faired in the 20th century

Brighton Corporation was bold to buy the Royal Pavilion in 1850 at a time when its fanciful architecture was not really appreciated.

The Victorians also carried out some conservation on John Nash’s extraordinary creation although to our eyes it would seem crude and crass.

But slowly the wonders of the palace began to be appreciated during the 20th century even though it had to endure many setbacks.

The first of these was the use of the building as a hospital during the First World War. While this was good for the patients it was less beneficial to the fabric of a fragile building.

A boost for the Pavilion was given by writer Osbert Sitwell in 1935 when he produced a book on Brighton. With co-author Margaret Barton, he praised the palace for having a dream like quality.

His brother Sacheverell a decade later called the palace a place of real excitement and it became one of the most visited historic buildings in Britain.

There were some suggestions during the inter war years of converting it into a conference centre or a casino but these were not generally taken seriously.

All the same, the Pavilion presented a rather drab appearance after the Second World War with some of its rooms being let for public meetings.

The formation of the Regency Society helped towards providing more original furniture during each summer for a special annual exhibition. It helped that among the society officials was the Pavilion director Clifford Musgrave.

There were some strange decisions such as repainting the exterior a vivid blue, a colour which remained for 20 years. Floodlights gave it a garish appearance.

Another was to replace some of the crumbling stone minarets with replicas in fibre glass but this was stopped when the new material failed to blend with the rest of the roofscape.

A thorough examination of the Pavilion in the 1970s showed that decay was far more rampant than had been expected. Nash had never really expected it to last that long.

The council agreed to spend £10 million on restoration. It took a decade to complete and at times much of the building was covered with scaffolding. There was never any political disagreement over this decision.

An arsonist torched the Music Room in 1975 causing enormous damage. Just when repair work had been completed, the 1987 storm sent a stone minaret crashing through the ceiling and the painstaking process of restoration had to start all over again.

The Pavilion grounds were remodelled to reflect the original design by Nash and the opportunity was taken to remove parked cars from the entrance.

More rooms were gradually opened to the public as the Pavilion slowly gained international appreciation as a unique masterpiece.

Keeping the palace in good condition is a never ending task but one to which the council is fully committed.

Doubts expressed during the 19th century about the Pavilion have all but disappeared and the palace is used by the council as its symbol of Brighton.