It may have taken three years of hard graft, but finally, George IV’s 1823 room has been reformed to its former shining glory.
The room was initially created at the Royal Pavilion in Brighton when George IV was crowned King, following his years as the Prince of Wales.
The saloon displays an array of gorgeous crimson and gold silks along with silver walls, palm trees, gold dragons and winged solar disks.
And despite their still being more to come, it is already an explosion of royal riches and blindingly bright colours.
David Beevers is the is the keeper of the Royal Pavilion.
As reported in The Guardian, he said:
“It was the ultimate expression of his taste, and it is quite something, certainly.
“The work was carried out by Robert Jones, a man of genius, and it is his masterpiece – but do you wonder if he was on something?”
Years of careful research have gone into restoring the room to the best possible standard.
Textile historian Annabel Westman even managed to track down a pattern for the crimson silk woven with flowers and golden birds.
The walls, which look as though they have been layered in a fancy paper, are actually covered in 17,000 hand-stencilled diamond shapes which have then been decorated with platinum leaf totalling £10,000.
Platinum being the choice, as according to Beevers, silver would have tarnished over time.
The carpet is a mesmerising concoction of flowers, stars, dragons and exotic Chinese birds and was reinvented after a 19th-century watercolour was discovered.
In total the restoration has cost around £380,000 and money has been raised by outside sources, not the council.
And Dave Beevers was sad to confirm that many of the fantastic talents involved in the restoration are about to retire.
“There are other rooms, other projects – how we are going to manage without these people I just don’t know.”
The room will reopen for members of the public to admire in the autumn.
