One of my favourite rooms is The Great Kitchen at The Royal Pavilion, Brighton. If you've never been to the Royal Pavilion- or indeed, Brighton, I urge you to go.
The Pavilion was The Prince Regent's (later King George IV) saucy sea-side retreat; originally a relatively humble farmhouse, which the architect, John Nash, re-built as an extravagent "Hindoo" architectural fantasy between 1815 and 1822.
The Banqueting Room there is an extraordinarily grand dining room in the fashionable Chinoiserie taste, and unusually for time, the kitchen was built alongside so that dishes could be served without getting cold.
It's a tall room, taking its ight from skylights in the roof, and supported by four cast-iron and painted copper palm trees. The kitchen was designed to be innovative and modern for its day; gadgets included the latest steam heating technology and a a constant supply of water pumped from a nearby well into the Royal Pavilion’s own water tower.
The King loved entertaining and hosted many elaborate banquets, often involving up to thirty five courses. In 1816 he employed Marie Antonin Carême (a fashionable French chef at the top of his game) to work for him at his London residence, Carlton House, and also at the Royal Pavilion.
Carême created magnificent culinary works of art that would have amused George’s guests and stimulated conversation. Particularly impressive were his elaborate confectionery pieces that sometimes stood up to four feet high and up to two feet across.
In 1817 Carême made eight confectionery centrepieces for a banquet honouring the Grand Duke Nicholas of Russia. The menu also included thirty-six main dishes and thirty-two side dishes. It's not difficult to imagine the kitchen as it then was: a working kitchen full of life; chefs and kitchen hands springing into action as Carême barked out his orders.
It's slightly spooky to think that the kitchen was used as an operating theatre during the First World War. The Pavilion was commandered as a military hospital; most appropriately for Indian troops from the British Empire.
