Palace by the SeaBy Robin Tulley
Come with me and you will see A Regency folly of renown With bulbous domes and minarets It is an icon in the town When the Prince of Wales came visiting And decreed it fashionable to reside by the sea He instructed Nash an Architect of fame To visualise a palace of oriental symmetry In 1815 the building begun in earnest Converting the once royal marine residence The brief was plain and simple To create a ‘pleasure dome’ at no expense With an authentic Indian exterior And a Chinese interior by contrast, The prince sent out a statement The cost of indulging his fantasy was vast Its opulence and grandeur became the talk of the town With a chandeliered banqueting room, A Saloon and a Music Room en suite The hoi polloi indulged their fantasy And Mrs Fitzherbert swept the Prince off his feet They went through a form of marriage That was declared illegal from the start Princess Caroline of Brunswick Maintained she had his majesty’s heart The great Chef Careme was employed To provide cuisine at its best Musical soirees were convened And enjoyed at the Prince’s behest Brighton soon became a magnet For society to be seen and flattered What was good for them and the Prince Was the only thing that mattered Time moved on, then Victoria took the throne She was “not amused” with her seaside home The corporation then purchased the unwanted folly With what is now, the Museum, Library and Dome The ravages of time played havoc with the palace Restoration was the only thing they all decreed Thousands of visitors now view its revitalised interior It was a cultural triumph they all agreed You may either like it or loath it But I’m sure your bound to agree There’s no building more compelling Than this sumptuous palace by the sea Robin Tulley 14/02/2012
This page was amended on 16/07/2012 | 
