John Nash

First published in Yoga Magazine - Mind Body Spirit

At one end of Brighton, tucked under the cliff tops below Roedean School for Girls, lies a vast boating marina.  This combines moorings for yachts and motor launches with elegant residential accommodation, entertainment aplenty, and designer outlet shopping.

Central to the city is King George’s opulent Royal Pavilion.  Its story begins with the arrival in 1783 of 21-year-old George, Prince of Wales, in pursuit of pleasure, freedom, and a rather special Roman Catholic actress.

To the chagrin of the establishment, he secretly married Mrs. Fitzherbert.  This was not what the Prince’s physician had in mind when he recommended the sea air for George’s gout!

Designed by John Nash, The Pavilion has an Indian exterior while its interior leans on exotic Chinoiserie, Mogul and Islamic influences.  If its furnishings were extravagant, the Regent’s personal luxuries seemed limitless.  An army of staff was on hand to administer to every whim, and the biggest ‘Royal Whim’ of all took 30 years to complete.

After emerging butterfly-like from its scaffolding in 1818, The Pavilion became inextricably linked with the identity of Brighton. It lent itself to a more practical cause during the First World War when it was used as a hospital for wounded Indian and West Indian servicemen.  However, it has now reverted to the ‘Regency dream’.

Created to give and celebrate pleasure, The Royal Pavilion continues as it began, entertaining over a quarter of a million visitors each year.  Its luxurious staterooms are also used for corporate and private entertaining. The Pavilion’s sheer extravagance might lead the modern mind to another, more recent Brighton success story.

Offering a treasure trove of edible delights, Choccywoccyydoodah is just a short walk away in the North Laines.  Alongside this accolade to Brig

hton taste buds, you will find numerous jewellery shops, quaint bazaars, restaurants, nightclubs, and hotels verging onto the seafront

Brighton Pier is still functional but the once graceful West Pier now sinks slowly into the sea opposite another extravaganza, The Grand Hotel.  Here, Mrs. Thatcher narrowly escaped being bombed by the Provisional IRA during a Conservative Party conference in 1984.  They do a wonderful afternoon tea.

Like many others who have escaped from London, I came south for health reasons, seeking the fresh sea air, and a little light amusement.

Every May, Brighton hosts the biggest and brightest mixed arts festival in England.  It unveils many kinds of theatre, dance, and music, bringing with it books and debate, children’s and family shows, and outdoor spectacle.

In a spirit of counterbalance, the Brighton Fringe Festival runs alongside the main programme, often proving a harbinger of trends to come.

One favourite place in Brighton is Hotel du Vin.  Its 37 bedrooms are housed in a collection of eccentric, gothic revival and mock Tudor buildings erected, appropriately, by a wine merchant on the site of an old Brighton inn, in Ship Street.

Here, in the capacious Louis Roederer Suite, I spent a night recovering from a less than glorious visit earlier in the day to a practitioner of sound therapy - who shall remain nameless - in Brighton’s Alternative Laines.

Later, I returned to Hotel du Vin to visit its Bistro in the company of a cherished Australian friend (UKTV).  I had seared Tuna Nicoise, although the menu generally tends to heartier classics.  Allow a couple of hours for lunch, and leave your corset at home.

I took the same friend (we try a different restaurant whenever he visits) to the hugely popular, almost wholly organic Coriander Restaurant & Deli at Hove.  This has some of the best food in Brighton although the décor is a ‘tad rustic’, in the Australian vernacular.  And you can take some of the tastes you like with you, by visiting the deli on the way out.

The highlight of my first visit to Coriander saw a delicate entrée of beetroot and pear salsa with herb salad, followed by a heavenly chickpea, sweet potato & apricot Tagine with couscous, cucumber-mint-yoghurt, and preserved lemon on the side.  Dessert was something light and creamy with lavender flavouring.

Another worthy place to stay in Brighton is Paskins’ Town House in Kemp Town.  A ‘green’ hotel, Paskins serves organic food, and has an eclectic array of bedrooms ranging from large, rather grand boudoirs to a tiny, chic room for the minimalist.

Vegetarians will appreciate starting their day on a breakfast that is both imaginative and varied, whilst carnivores can enjoy themselves as well.  Sadly, you are not allowed to mix your menus at breakfast!

Lest you wonder whether my view of Brighton is fixated on food and comfort, after my original visit to Ship Street, I discovered Natural Bodies and a therapeutic yoga practice under Gary Carter’s careful eye.  His unique teaching follows Vanda Scaravelli’s lead, and is a gentle yet profound form of yoga.

In general, yoga long ago made the transition from alternative to mainstream in Brighton, and you can find it all- Bikram, Iyengar, Astanga, Hatha, and Kundalini.

You, too, may visit on holiday and decide to stay.

CONTACTS

The Pavilion
Open year round except for Christmas and Boxing Day
www.royalpavilion.org.uk/

Choccywoccydoodah, Brighton (also in London)
www.choccywoccydoodah.com/

Hotel du Vin and Bistro
www.hotelduvin.com/hotellanding.aspx?HotelId=3

Natural Bodies
www.naturalbodies.org.uk/

The Grand Afternoon Tea
www.devere-hotels.com/our-hotels/the-grand-brighton/the-hotel/
T: 1273 224300, E: reservations@grandbrighton.co.uk
Served daily between 3.00pm and 6.00pm

Coriander Restaurant & Deli
5 Hove Manor Parade, Hove Street, B3 2DF,
T: 01273 730850

Paskins Town House
18/19 Charlotte Street, Brighton, East Sussex, BN2 1AG
T: 01273 601203, E: welcome@paskins.co.uk