'Hidden Nature' in the Prince Regent's Chinese wallpaper

The Royal Pavilion Estate is renowned for its distinctive architectural style, drawing on a variety of oriental influences. This week, as we celebrate the theme of ‘hidden nature’ as part of Heritage Open Days 2020, we will be looking at how these Asian influences informed the design of the Pavilion gardens.

In 1802, the Prince Regent was presented with several pieces of beautiful Chinese wallpaper depicting exotic flowers and birds, many of which were unfamiliar to Europeans and piqued his interest in Eastern art.

Over the course of the week we will be looking in detail at some of the flowers that appear in the wallpaper design and exploring the stories behind their journey from across the world to Brighton.

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