I am amazed to see the glass in the Dome's roof had been replaced with lead. This has significantly altered the Dome's outward appearance.
The vertical emphasis of the skylight panels gave it an impression of lightness and buoyancy. Without this emphasis, the Dome appears to squat rather than soar.
A former director of the Royal Pavilion Estate in his book The History Of The Royal Pavilion (l939) - written at the request of the Corporation of Brighton - states, regarding the alterations to the Dome in 1934-35: "At the commencement it was decided that no alteration should be made in its external appearance."
It would seem our predecessors realised the importance of retaining the Dome's external features.
Roberts also quotes an undated manuscript in John Nash's handwriting in the Royal Archives: "The Dome itself is extremely imposing from its magnitude; and the Area or Stable Court which it covers and which is lighted from sky-lights in the Dome is extremely handsome."
The replacement of glazing with lead for whatever reasons in a Grade I listed building is not a minor matter.
-Marion Waller, Eton College Road, London
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