Brighton Royal Pavilion And Museums' £235k "Lifeline"

The Royal Pavilion has received a National Lottery Heritage Emergency Fund grant of £235,000.

Royal Pavilion & Museums officials said today (September 9) that, like many cultural institutions, the financial repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic affected their institution, and the wider culture sector in Brighton & Hove.

Venues closed throughout the summer, cutting off income from visitors.  

Between April and June, Royal Pavilion & Museums said they lost £1.3m through closure, calling it a "heavy blow".

They explained this by noting that nearly 70% of the running costs are covered by earned income from ticket sales, retail, programmes, and events. 

Royal Pavilion & Museums were preparing to use the money to support making changes and adjustments to cope with Covid-19, such as implementing new Covid safety measures across the Royal Pavilion & Museums sites to assist with their phased reopening and expanding the digital and online experience for visitors.  

Staff added that the money will also go towards marketing to attract more UK visitors, because the city has been popular within the ‘staycation’ market, as well as supplying PPE to keep staff and visitors safe. 

The team claimed that it was "vital" to secure funding because Royal Pavilion & Museums is reliant on income (from admissions, retail and location hire) to support and maintain the Grade I and II listed historic buildings.

These include collections of millions of objects, and artworks, and are supplemented by cultural and community activities.

This funding will also be used to invest in a business review to explore new income streams, because it is not expected that income from overseas visitor admissions will recover for at least 3 years. 

Without this emergency support the service and its collections and the historic buildings, which need constant maintenance, are understood to have been at risk. 

Throughout the lockdown, staff have been working with Public Health England, Brighton & Hove City Council, the Royal Pavilion & Museums Trust and trade unions to follow government guidelines and ensure the buildings and work environments are safe for both visitors and staff.

The Royal Pavilion is now open, allowing visitors to see more than 120 original items of Royal Pavilion decorations on loan from Her Majesty the Queen. 

Elsewhere in Brighton and Hove, Preston Manor is set to re-open to the public on 11 September, and features a new animal trail for families.

Royal Pavilion officials said their Covid-19 precautions include:

• Pre-booked entry times to ensure safe social distancing
• Hand sanitiser stations at entry points
• Perspex screens and barriers
• New one-way visitor routes and reconfigured retail spaces

Councillor Marianna Ebel, joint chair of the Tourism, Equalities, Communities & Culture Committee said:

“This grant will provide a much-needed lifeline for the Royal Pavilion & Museums. 

“With the uncertainty that lies ahead for our cultural institutions and museums, this is great news for these buildings, the collections and those who look after them. They are part of the fabric of our city.

“I’d like to encourage everyone to have a look at what the Royal Pavilion & Museums have to offer as they have some unique collections and provide a warm welcome to all their visitors.”