Our Collections

The Royal Pavilion's collections include archaeology, decorative art, costume, fine art, geological, local and social history, film and media, and musical instruments. The archaeology collection spans from the Palaeolithic to post-Medieval Britain and features several complete large-scale excavation archives. The decorative art collection includes a huge range of furniture, ceramics, glass, metalwork, and textiles from around 1750 to the present day. The costume collection is of considerable national significance and includes men's, women's, and children's dress and accessories from the 16th century to the present day. The fine art collection features European old masters, 18th-20th century British watercolours, and 20th century American Post Abstract Expressionist paintings. The geological collections contain specimens such as chalk fossils, minerals, and rock samples. The local and social history collections tell the story of the people, politics, and culture of Brighton, Hove, and Sussex. The film and media collections record the history of image-making and the development of the moving image. The musical instrument collection contains approximately 900 instruments from all over the world.