Brighton Museum & Art Gallery facts for kids

Brighton Museum & Art Gallery

Brighton Museum & Art Gallery building.
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Established	1805
Location	Brighton, East Sussex, England

The Brighton Museum & Art Gallery is a fantastic place to explore history, art, and culture in the city of Brighton and Hove in the South East of England. It's owned by the city and is part of a group of museums called "Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton and Hove." If you live in Brighton, it's free to visit!

History of the Museum

The building where the museum is located has a really interesting past. It's part of the famous Royal Pavilion Estate. It was first built in 1805 for the Prince of Wales, who later became King George IV.

From Tennis Court to Museum

Believe it or not, this building was originally meant to be a tennis court! But it was never finished for that purpose. Instead, it was used as barracks for cavalry soldiers. After King George IV passed away in 1830, his brother, King William IV, also stayed at the Royal Pavilion when he visited Brighton.

However, after Queen Victoria's last visit in 1845, the government decided to sell the Royal Pavilion and its grounds. Luckily, the people of Brighton really wanted to keep it. They successfully asked the government to sell the Pavilion to the town for £53,000 in 1850.

Early Exhibitions and Growth

Soon after Brighton bought the Pavilion, parts of it were used for art exhibitions. The first one was held in September 1851. It showed off art by local artists like Frederick Nash and Copley Fielding. These exhibitions even spread into the Great Kitchen!

The stable building of the Pavilion estate, which is next to the museum today, actually became a museum even earlier, in 1856. This building is now the Brighton Dome, a popular place for performances.

The museum and art gallery moved into its current spot in the building in 1902. In 2002, the museum had a huge makeover that cost £10 million. After this big change, the main entrance to the museum became the entrance to the Brighton Dome.

Part of a Museum Family

The Brighton Museum and Art Gallery is one of several amazing museums that are part of the Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove. These include:

• Royal Pavilion
• Brighton Museum and Art Gallery
• Booth Museum
• Hove Museum and Art Gallery
• Preston Manor

Amazing Collections

The museum has many different collections that tell stories about art, history, and the natural world.

Overview of Collections

• Decorative Art: This collection features beautiful art and designs from the 17th century to today. You can see ceramics, glass, metalwork, furniture, and jewelry from Britain, Europe, and America.
• Natural Sciences: Explore the natural world with collections of British birds, animals, and rocks. There are also half a million insects, including butterflies, and a huge library of natural history books.
• World Art: Discover over 15,000 objects and materials from Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and the Americas. One special part is from James Henry Green, who collected items from Burma in the 1920s and 30s.
• Fine Art: This collection includes sculptures, paintings, prints, and drawings from the 15th to the 20th century. You'll find important European paintings and modern American art. There are also items donated by Edward James, who collected surrealist art.
• Costume and Textile: See fashion and fabrics from the 18th century to today, including clothes and accessories from Britain, Europe, and North America.
• Toy Collection: This fun collection has toys, dolls, and games from the 18th century to now. It started with the National Toy Museum & Institute of Play, which had over 20,000 items!
• Film and Media: Learn about the early days of film in England (1896–1930). This collection has magic lantern projectors, old filmmaking equipment, and more.
• Local and Social History: Explore the history of Brighton & Hove through objects, photos, and recorded memories from the 18th century to today.
• Archaeology: See ancient items found in Brighton & Hove and from other places, including a large collection from Egypt.
• Oral History: Listen to audio recordings of people's personal memories and experiences of Brighton and Hove.
• Preston Manor Collection: These items were given to the museum with the manor house in 1932. They include furniture, silver, ceramics, pictures, and rare books.
• Royal Pavilion Collections: This collection includes original furniture and items that belonged to King George IV, along with records about the Royal Pavilion building.

Some of these collections, like Decorative Art, Natural Sciences, and World Art, are called "Designated collections." This means they are considered very important, even on a national and international level!

Cool Things to See

The museum has many unique and fascinating items on display. Here are just a few:

King George IV's Breeches

You can see a pair of breeches (a type of short trousers) worn by King George IV himself! They were made in 1827 from green wool. Breeches were popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries, but by 1810, longer trousers were becoming more common. King George IV preferred breeches and even banned trousers from his court until 1815!

Early Colour Film Camera

Check out a Kinemacolour camera made around 1910. Kinemacolour was invented by George Albert Smith, one of the first British filmmakers in Brighton & Hove. It was the very first successful way to show movies in colour! This camera is part of the film and media collection.

Clarice Cliff Wall Plaque

See a beautiful hand-enamelled wall plaque made between 1934 and 1939. It shows scenes from Imperial India and was designed by the famous artist Clarice Cliff. She adapted designs from larger panels created by Frank Brangwyn.

Lewis Carroll's Toy Toolbox

Imagine finding a tiny toolbox with miniature tools like a mallet, corkscrew, and screwdriver! This toy toolbox, from the toy collection, has "1846 Toolbox ELD from CLD" written on it. It was made by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, who you might know better as the author, photographer, and mathematician Lewis Carroll, who wrote "Alice in Wonderland"!

Ancient Egyptian Portrait

Discover a portrait painted in coloured beeswax from the 2nd century. It was found attached to a mummified body in a Roman cemetery in Hawara, Egypt. The white robes in the portrait show that this person was an important member of the Roman elite living in Egypt.

Vietnamese Water Puppets

See amazing Vietnamese water puppets from the mid-20th century. These puppets are hand-painted and carved from wood. Water is used to make the puppets move and hides the strings or rods that control them. Long ago, this art was a secret, passed down only from father to son.

Edward Thomas Booth's Hunting Outfit

Explore the hunting outfit of Edward Thomas Booth, including his leather wading boots, hat, and gun. Booth created a huge collection of British Birds, which later became the Booth Museum in 1874. He wanted to collect one example of every British bird species!

Old Brighton Drinking Beaker

Look at a drinking beaker made from horn, dating from the early 19th century. Back then, Brighton had many inns. This beaker has a faint inscription: "Greyhound Inn Brighton, 1821." The Greyhound Inn was a real place in Brighton.

The Hove Amber Cup

One of Britain's most important Bronze Age discoveries is the Hove amber cup. It was found in 1856 when a burial mound was dug up to build a road. Inside the mound was an oak coffin with bone fragments, a dagger, a sharpening stone, an axe head, and this incredible cup, made from a single piece of amber.