The Royal Pavilion is a MUST SEE in Brighton. This eccentric and extraordinarily unique former…read moreroyal residence stands out for its captivating and unexpected architectural style, which blends Victorian grandeur with the exotic influences of Indian and Chinese design...for some odd reason King George IV, Prince of Wales, was fascinating by all things Chinese and Asian cultures...the interior is full of Asian design influences with art, decor, architecture, statues, fabrics, and just about everything. So colorful, so unbelievable, so lavish, and so sad for the average British citizen having to pay for all this outlandish extravagance for the rich and wealthy Royalty...at least us modern folks get to enjoy it at the expense of their suffering for a rather pricy £20 entry fee.

This is a historical landmark and "must-see" sight in Brighton for visitors. It was the vision of…read moreKing George IV (when he was prince-regent) to create a Western interpretation of themes from India and China. Be sure to give yourself 1-2 hours to tour the rooms. I would strongly recommend the audio guide handset (it's worth the extra pound). If you're in Brighton for a conference, they'll give you a 10%-20% discount if you show your lanyard. Otherwise, the adult price of admission gives you free access up to a year (so you can visit a second day if you run out time). Lots of pluses - the opulent decorations are visually stunning and a bit fun and whimsical. The painful relationship between George IV and Caroline was quite sad to read. It was also interesting to learn that Victoria was a niece of George IV and his brother William did not have any legitimate heirs. The audio tour provides a lot of background context - and in my opinion, helps to fill in many details of the Royal Pavilion Tour. The music room is stunning - but also tragic given the arsonist and the damage from a minaret which collapsed and fell through the roof. At the end, there's a gift shop where you can pick up a tea towel and a coffee shop which also has iced tea and gelato. The town of Brighton now operates the Royal Pavilion - so your funds help to support the town. Enjoy!

Hove museum and art gallery is small, but perfectly formed…read more It's not somewhere you'd make a beeline for, unless there was something of specific interest to you personally to see, but it can provide a pleasant enough distraction for an hour or so on a rainy day. It has recently been refurbished and upgraded to provide high quality temporary exhibition space. The museum is housed in one of Hove's grandest former mansions, a large Italianate house just to the west of the shopping area, half a mile from St Andrew's old church on Church Road. The highlight of the permanent collections is actually outside the museum: the Jaipur Gate. This was made for the Colonial and Indian Exhibition of 1886 held in South Kensington, and moved here in 1926. It was paid for by the Maharaja of Jaipur, whose motto is inscribed on the front, in English, Sanskrit and Latin: 'where virtue is, there is victory'. It was carved by Indian craftsmen, although its design was concieved by two Englishment, and it combines both Mughal and Rajput elements. After recent conservation work, it is now in excellent condition. Inside, the ground floor provides two temporary exhibition spaces, a small shop and a tea room, which seemed very popular on my visit, and is probably worth knowing about in its own right. Upstairs are the four main areas of the permanent collection. Most important of these is the collection of early film and cinematic equipment. Brighton and Hove were important in early British film making, and a small film industry was based at Shoreham Beach in the days of silent films. The collection includes a wide selection of early film-making and projection equipment, and a small 8-seat 'cinema' where excerpts from early films and items for children are shown. The art gallery contains a handful of attractive works by European (mostly British) artists, although none are in the 'top flight' of European painting. Details of the collection are on the website (note that this covers Brighton's collection, too, which is wider ranging and more impressive). Next comes a small display of local history, which includes a small number of objects from local excavations from the bronze age to the mediaeval period, and includes the skull of a Saxon woman, important amber Bronze-age grave goods, items from a Saxon warrior burial, and pottery from a Roman villa excavated in nearby Southwick. Finally, there a lovely toy collection, displayed in an area especially designed for children, which seems very well done -the collection covers quite a wide range from the 18th to the present. The temporary collections cover local arts and crafts and, as ever with this kind of display, the quality varies a bit, although the presentation is excellently done. The shop sells cards, postcards and toys as well as small souvenir items. Entrance is free.

Whether you're visiting to see the museum's fascinating exhibits or tp sample the quaint delights…read moreof it's small but charming tea rooms you're sure to be satisfied by Hove Museum and Art gallery. I went a few months ago during a bike ride with the simple intention of grabbing a tea before heading home. Not only did I extend my order to include a slice of carrot cake and a scone but I had to take a trip round their free exhibitions including a fascinating collection of photos and extracts from Brighton's Herald Newspaper during Word War II. This is open until Jan 10th 2010 so head down soon. Of you're reading this after that date then I would imagine they've set up an equally interesting exhibition by now, as Brighton & Hove council seem to be quite skilled in such areas. If you've lived in Brighton for a while and not yet visited then you're missing out on a very educational and cost-effective excursion. I'd happily go again just for the cream tea and scones!

This is a small, local museum in the centre of the historic fishing town of Shoreham-by-Sea…read more Although Shoreham can feel these days more like a suburb of Brighton, it was by far the more important town for most of recorded history, being an important port from Saxon times, and probably before. Marlipins Museum is housed in a charming old building, dating from the 12th ans 13th centuries. It's one of the oldest secular buildings in Sussex, with a facade decorated with an attractive chequerboard design of Caen stone and flints. Oddly, the Museum's strange name isn't explained anywhere. The museum traces Shoreham's history as a trading town and fishing port from the 11th century onwards, and much of the small collection focuses on ships and shipping, with a fine series of watercolour and oil paintings of the harbour and various ships, and various bits of shipping paraphernalia. But the museum records much else besides: Shoreham was the departure point from which the future Charles II escaped after the English Civil War, and it played a key role in the defences of the South Coast until recent times - the remains of a 19th fort are still visible on the shoreline, as are the more scant remains of the World War II anti-aircraft radar station situated here. Shoreham was also - incredibly - a major centre of the early British film industry, and over a dozen films were made in Shoreham studios in the silent film era. This attracted a suitably bohemian set of actors and hangers on, who established the 'bungalow town' on Shoreham beach. And, of course, Shoreham's famous and beautiful art deco airport was the UK's first licensed airport, still in regular use. But the strangest story belongs to the building itself: recent excavations found an unexplained pit under the oldest part of the building, in which was buried the skeleton of a cat. Further digging uncovered the remain of a another three cats. Theories for these strange burials range from the ancient practice of burying cats to bring good luck, to the more prosaic idea that in mediaeval times the building housed a furrier manufacturer. One of the skeletons makes for a grisly display. The museum is small enough to keep the attention of children as you go around, and is fully accessible for wheelchairs, thanks to the lift in a small modern extension.

Marlipins Museum, on the Shoreham High Street (right next to the Marlipins Pub) is a brilliant…read morecombination of old and new, with one of the oldest lay buildings in Sussex linked to a modern two-storey building in a really tasteful manner. The displays are permanently running and mainly concentrate on Shoreham's maritime history and that of the River Adur. Also, which is a little known fact, Shoreham was once the hub for the UK's silent movie industry! They offer a popular Monday coffee morning so its the perfect place to head after a nice walk around Shoreham to find out some of the area's fascinating history.

Preston Manor is a former stately home just north of Preston Park in Brighton. Now cared for by…read moreBrighton and Hove City Council, it is a fine example of an Edwardian Country House and is open to the public. History Mentioned in the Domesday Book, the manor was owned by the Bishops of Chichester until the dissolution in 1559, when it passed to the Crown. It was leased to the Shirley family in 1628 and passed to the Western family in 1705, before being sold in 1794 to the then tenant, William Stanford, head of a farming family who had acquired substantial land holdings in the area. The manor stretched to modern Hove, and its sale during the 19th century for development added substantially to the family's wealth. The Stanfords had a colourful history: the last occupier, Lady Ellen Thomas-Stanford, had planned to bequeath it to her beloved grandson, Vere, but he died from the effects of mustard gas in the First World War. She had already fallen out with her son (and Vere's father), John mad Jack Benett-Stanford, for, among other things, his plans to turn the house into a casino. She therefore bequeathed the house to Brighton Corporation, having dissipated much of the wealth of the estate on high living. John, meanwhile, still lived in some comfort, in the other family estate, Pythouse in Wiltshire. The house There is evidence of a two-roomed building on the site dating from the 13th century, possibly a Priest's House for the adjacent church. In 1600 a large manor house was built, some doorways of which can still be found in the basement. The present house was erected in 1738, with five bays and two single-storey extensions on each side. This was further expanded in 1905, and the interior modernised, to give us the house we see today. Visitors can now see four floors of the house, furnished very much as a comfortable Edwardian country house. The ground floor has a series of impressive reception rooms, with family bedrooms, a bathroom and maids' rooms on the second floor, and a nursery, more bathrooms and maids' store-rooms on the third floor. The staircase is particularly impressive. Afterwards, staff show visitors to the recently restored basement, which contains the kitchen and other working rooms of the house, as well as male servants' quarters which are still currently off limits. Edwardian mod-cons on view include an early vacuum cleaner, refrigerator and knife-sharpener, together with an enormous and unwieldy Victorian clothes-press. Visitors can therefore get a clear idea of 'Upstairs' and 'Downstairs': the house had over 20 staff at its height. The house is well furnished with antiques, paintings, silver and a unique collection of porcelain temple lions from China, said to be the largest single collection in existence. Hauntings Of particular interest is the Cleves Room, with its Flemish gilt-leather wall covering; here, in 1896, a seance was famously held to establish the cause of extensive hauntings, and particularly of a mysterious woman in white. It is said the seance established that the ghost was of a woman had been expelled from the church in the 16th century, and buried in unhallowed ground; workmen discovered the skeleton of a woman shortly in the grounds afterwards. When the remains were reburied, it is said the hauntings stopped, although it reputedly remains one of Britain's most haunted places. Practicalities The house is open to the public from April to September. The site has a small car park, and is easily accessible on bus route 5, or by a ten minute walk from Preston Park station. Inside, there is a small gift shop at reception. There is wheelchair access to the ground floor and basement only. The 13th century mediaeval church of St Peter next door has the remains of wall paintings, and is in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.

On an idle weekend, or any time really, this 16th century manor is a great place to visit. Having…read moreundergone many refurbishments it's grown to be a terrific example of Edwardian design and architecture. As all tickets are under £5 it's great value, especially because the building is supposed to be haunted. If you're into the paranormal you can also book yourself in for a ghost tour. Situated beside Preston Park it's a little way out of town but not far enough to make it not worth the journey.

Now a museum, this excellent example of a 16th-century timber-framed house formed part of the…read moredivorce settlement to Anne of Cleves from Henry VIII in 1541. Although there is no evidence that she ever visited it, it is a fascinating example of a substantial Wealden Hall-house. Some of the rooms are furnished to reflect the period when it was built. The house also contains a museum with a varied collection of historic artifacts from Sussex's past, though I found these only mildly diverting.

There's tons of ancient history to be seen here. A beautiful old timber-framed house that formed…read morepart of Anne's divorce settlement from Henry VIII in 1541. If you are interested in your Sussex history, this place is steeped in it. Old pottery and iron work are dotted all around the place. Strangely enough, for a property that was involved in a very famous divorce, the house is licensed for weddings and is very popular indeed. Personally though I'd find that a bit odd but it is a very beautiful place indeed. Please note, due to the age of the house, its not the best place to bring anyone in a wheel chair, they have installed ramps where they can but you may find it a little difficult.

Lovely small museum on the lives (and deaths) of fishermen in the area. Hastings was an important…read morefishing port back in the day, and this place offers a fascinating glimpse into its history, albeit often tragic. There are countless items to explore, most of them donated by local people over the years. Heart and centre of the exhibit is an original fishing boat, but there are numerous tools, memorabilia, newspaper articles and historical photos to see. Entry is free, you're welcome to take photos, please leave a small donation before your departure. When in Hastings, this place is a must. Hastings Contemporary (art gallery) and the Shipwreck Museum are close by, too.

This small Hastings Museum in what was the Fisherman's church documents what may be a passing way…read moreof life, and of course the maritime history of this seaside town. Inside is a large boat, the Lugger, and around it are photos, paintings and all sorts of fishing artifacts. We had a short time for tourist activities, so we popped in just to see a stereo viewer donated by a local artist, Peter Creswell. His exhibit is not to be missed. What you have is a modern view master, and photos of old fisherman and fishing life in 3D. The photos, seen under the view, are amazing works of art. The photo of the old fisherman was awesome. Every line, hair and detail stood out.You can sense how a tough way of life took its toll on the subject and his grit and commitment to his life in every wrinkle. You feel as if you can touch the subjects in the photo. It should be noted that Peter Creswell did the photography himself and also designed the Viewer, itself a optical marvel. Ask the friendly person at the counter to change the photos for you so you see them all. It's a chance to see life as it was, all in 3D. The Creswell viewer will only have one photo in it(or rather 2 of the same, to get the 3D effect). If you have any interest in photography and optics, this is one of the exhibits that will rock your world. The museum is free of charge. You may donate what you wish or the suggested. The museum has lovely souvenirs.

This is a lovely small town museum, with exhibits covering a whole range of issues, from the…read morehistory and development of the town to famous inhabitants, aspects from daily life, and reproductions of things like old shops, a saddlers, a smithy, the old prison, and the like. The curiosity cabinet will delight children with its skull and mummified cat, but there are ceramics, fossils, clothes, an eclectic collection of 19th Century objects from the Orient. A fact I learned was that Horsham was one of two last places to have hanged someone for 'homosexual acts' in the early 19th century, and also one of the last to press someone to death: essentially they put a door on them, and put weights on top to crush the offender to death, a process that could take days (they even fed them for the first few days). Worth a good half hour of ayone's time. Free entry. The building has the town's tourist information office as well.

This is a great museum! I've been going here for years, and always enjoy taking visitors around, my…read morefavourite exhibit is the mummified cat. Not very large, but plenty packed in, and always had changing exhibitions. I went a month or so back and there was a great one on witchcraft.

This is a small museum and art gallery. It has displays that are very boring. I hate places that…read morethink they can just shove something in a glass case and then label it. There is no interaction with the history on display here. It is an old style museum that hopefully will disappear soon. The art gallery has some interesting pieces on display. But, it is on such a small scale that it really is not worth the effort! The library is on the ground floor.

The Tunbridge Wells museum on Mount Pleasant Road is quite a cool museum. Not as exciting as the…read moretypes of museum's found in London or other major cities across the UK but it is home to some rather interesting artefacts and exhibitions. It's free so you can't complain to much and it's worth checking it our for something to do because even if you're not keen on it, you won't have wasted any money. Although I have to say that the dolls and toys section was really cool! There is also a collection of natural history and some great textiles and costumes available to view. It's not at all bad and I really recommend it because, as I said before, IT'S FREEEE!!