Accessible Britain

available on request, subject to availability and a £20 refundable deposit: you’ll need
to book in advance on 01323 874100. How much of the play equipment is accessible
depends on a child’s individual mobility, but the trampoline in the Go Bananas area is
flush to the ground, and there are two round team swings and some boat-style swings
that a smaller child could lie in. The Thomas the Tank Engine steam ride – that can be
enjoyed endlessly! – has an accessible carriage and, because it has a separate queue,
there is less of a wait for a ride. There are a number of accessible toilets around the park,
but by far the most spacious are in the toilet block next to Amazon Adventure.
FOOD & DRINK aa The Explorer’s Café provides decent family meals such as pasta, fish and
chips or sausages, at a reasonable price.
038–039 Brighton Royal Pavilion and Museum
Address: The Royal Pavilion, 4–5 Pavilion Buildings, Brighton BN1 1EE; Museum and Art Gallery, Royal
Pavilion Gardens, Brighton BN1 1EE Web: www.brightonmuseums.org.uk Tel: 0300 0290900 Hours:
pavilion: Apr–Sep daily 9.30am–5.45pm, Oct–Mar daily 10am–5.15pm, last admission 45 minutes before
closing; museum: Tue–Sun 10am–5pm Dates: pavilion closed at 2.30pm 24 Dec, all day 25 & 26 Dec;
museum closed Mon (except bank hols), 1 Jan & 24–26 Dec Entry: pavilion [D]£9.50 [C]free [A]£11.50
[5–15s]£6.20 [Con]£9.50 [Fam]£17.70–£29.20, discounts for local residents with ID (utility or council tax
bill). Museum [D]£4 [C]free [A]£5 [Con]£4 [Fam]£7.80–£10.60, local residents free
THE SOUTHEAST
Built to impress by the Prince Regent, later George IV, the Royal Pavilion in Brighton
is a unique combination of eccentric architecture and sumptuous interior design. From
outside, with its Palladian symmetry and meringue-like topping of onion-shaped
domes, the Pavilion looks like a cross between Buckingham Palace and the Taj Mahal.
Inside the Chinese styling is as extravagant as George IV’s lifestyle was scandalous.
And while it may not be to your taste, you can’t fail to be impressed by the opulence
of the decoration – known as Chinoiserie – the quality of the craftsmanship and the
ambition of the design. Probably the most impressive example is the Banqueting
Room. Here, suspended from the domed ceiling, a red-tongued silver dragon clutches
a thirty-foot chandelier, weighing more than a tonne, from which extend six more
fire-breathing dragons. The grandeur persists as you move through the ground floor
rooms and culminates when you arrive at the Music Room with its breathtaking domed
ceiling, lined with 26,000 individually made hand-gilded scallop shells.
There aren’t many places to sit and rest on the way round, but manual wheelchairs are
available to borrow, and the staff are helpful and happy to lend a hand. Unfortunately,
the first floor is only accessible by a flight of thirty shallow stairs with a handrail. If you
can manage the stairs, you can visit the bedrooms used by George IV’s brothers and
Queen Victoria’s bedroom. But if you can’t, rest assured the highlights are downstairs.
Just across the beautiful Pavilion Gardens – about one hundred yards away – you’ll
find the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery. The museum is free and small enough to
be a perfect addition to your visit. Inside you will find collections of world art, fashion
and style, local Willett’s pottery, and a fascinating collection of photos of old Brighton.
The most eye-catching exhibits are in the museum’s diverse twentieth-century collec-
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