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Best known for its seafront and piers (right), Brighton’s tourist attractions also include the stunningly weird Royal Pavilion (left) and the Lanes (below right)
The bright stuff
Festivals come and festivals go, but the funkiest Cities shine even when the party has moved out of town, as Morag Bruce discovers on a trip to the English seaside resort of Brighton.
oaches line the seafront.
grey and curly ladies troop
off in pairs. carefully picking their way along the pavement to get fish and chips on the pier. Kids eat massive ice creams which melt down their faces. Qmu/mpht'niu fans dot between mod and rocker landmarks. Beautiful people bask on the balconies of their Miami-like ocean-view apartments. next to candy coloured Victorian blocks and sleek Art Deco townhouses. ()n the 17th century streets you can buy vegetarian shoes. whips and £5000 costume jewellery.
The Victorians came in their thousands to Brighton. just as they did with countless other seaside spots in the UK. But today this place does much tnore than punt itself on a past of rock and knotted handkerchiefs. Maybe it's the sun: maybe it‘s that sea air; whatever it is. this town has been very busy exporting some very successful bands (Brakes. The Kooks and British Sea Power). record labels and artists to the rest of country. That they have a month long
celebration of this fact every May is no surprise. nor is the fact that the Brighton liestival is lingland‘s biggest ans extravaganza. this year celebrating its 40th anniversary with over 700 events.
Residents of lidinburgh will be familiar with the notion that a city does not produce art for just one month of the year. and that even during the course of that month it‘s equally possible to get involved or totally ignore the festivities around you. Just wander the streets to take in the permanent works on display: twisty buildings from the lo()0s next to clean-cut Regency squares and crumbly. salt-worn railings and
lampposts. The pier. that feat of
Victorian engineering which must have seemed miraculous at the time. really only serves as a reminder of a bygone age. It might be known locally as a “pound shop on stilts'. but it looks lovely in the sunshine. Wandering along its boardwalk past the machines that never grab the teddy makes me want to see it in January when storms tear at the coast.
But. like Edinburgh in August.
TRAVEL
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there is also a fair amount of shit produced in Brighton. You can see it if you join a Victorian Sewer Tour. taking in part of the system which handles about 100 million
TODAY BRIGHTON DOES MUCH MORE THAN PUNT ITSELF ON A PAST OF ROCK AND KNO'I'I' ED HANDKERCHIEFS
litres of the stuff a day. No. you will not be wading through anything. but you do have to wear a hard hat in case your head comes into contact with the (admittedly beautiful) brick tunnels during your history lesson in this messy but necessary structure.
After the sewers a bit of hedonism is in order. And there‘s no better place to find it than in George lV‘s
pleasure dome. the Royal Pavilion. boasting tlecor that would make lilton John blush. A bit like the 'l‘aj Mahal with more turrets and frilly bits. it makes Versailles look a tad Presbyterian. lt‘s decorated in the (‘hinoiserie style. popular with regency aristocrats who never visited China. and it veers merrily from the opulent to the macabre. The Booth Museum of Natural History was created from the collection of a gun-toting. taxidermy-loving Victorian. lidward Booth. lts glass cases are full of animals whose feather and fur is on the fade and there's also all manner of insects pinned to card. as well as skeletons ranging from whales to bats. It's a fascinating insight into the life of a man who was a staunch conservationist. despite his shoot- anything-that-moves ethic. And the fun doesn‘t end in the museum: you can actually hire the animals. Come on. a golden eagle would go beautifully with that new sofa.
All those attractions and promenading will leave you in need of food. drink and sleep. The Avalon Hotel takes care of the latter
2"; May—8 Jun 2008 THE LIST 97