Brighton Dome

Brighton Dome stands in the Royal Pavilion Estate in Brighton and Hove. It is a Grade I listed arts venue made up of the Concert Hall, the Corn Exchange and the Studio Theatre. All three buildings connect to the Royal Pavilion through shared corridors and a tunnel. The Concert Hall began as the Prince Regent’s stables, designed by William Porden in the early 19th century. The Corn Exchange was once the Prince Regent’s riding school, while the Studio Theatre replaced stables built for Maria Fitzherbert. The complex has been shaped by royal commissions and later civic uses. The venue has played a key role in Brighton’s cultural life. In the First World War it housed over 4,000 wounded Indian soldiers in makeshift hospitals. Pink Floyd premiered *The Dark Side of the Moon* there in 1972, and ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest at the Dome in 1974. The organ in the Concert Hall, built by Hill, Norman and Beard in 1935, is one of the most famous in the country. The Who performed there in 1967, and the national Eurovision selection show was held there in 2018. Visitors find a grand Concert Hall with richly coloured paintings and a large gas-powered chandelier. The Corn Exchange displays a sculpture of Ceres by James Woodford. The Studio Theatre occupies the site of former supper rooms. The buildings share elegant corridors and a tunnel to the Royal Pavilion. The organ’s 178 stops and percussion effects fill the hall with sound. The complex remains a lively centre for music, theatre and public events.