Facebook post #049 (Dec 2020)
Where did the Kings of England always spend Christmas?
The National Portrait Gallery has a portrait of Henry Roberts, nephew of gt-gt-grandmother Brittain, the glassmaker’s wife from last week’s post. In 1891, he was a librarian at an early public library in Durham in 1891. By 1901, he’d moved 300 miles south to Southwark, and in 1907, 50 miles further to Brighton.
Possibly by coincidence, there were other Meaden family members in town. Certainly by coincidence, my gt-grandmother Wheaver had a first cousin who was a heavy blacksmith at the Railway Works (which pre-dated even Swindon’s)(pic). And another first cousin became the inaugural orchestra leader on Brighton West Pier (post 28) in 1916.
The Brighton move was a definite promotion for Henry though – by 1911, he was Director of the Public Library, Museums and Fine Art Galleries for Brighton Borough Council! The main collections had been housed in the old stables of the Royal Pavilion, specially extended ten years earlier.
When war intervened, Henry was closely involved in the decision to hand the Pavilion over to the authorities for use as a military hospital. 12,000 Indian soldiers were treated there. As he observed, it was “necessary to arrange that men from every one of the fighting classes… could be taken in, possibly large numbers of different castes at the same time; yet each must find within the hospital the possibility of living according to his own custom and religion.” This means that he opened what was probably Brighton’s first vegetarian restaurant… 
The British Library has a copy of a book he edited, A Short History in English, Gurmukhi & Urdu of the Royal Pavilion, Brighton, and a Description of it as a hospital for Indian soldiers, 1915. After the war, the Pavilion was used to rehabilitate disabled soldiers. In 1918, he was Honorary Secretary of the Inter-Allied Exhibition which explained this work; Henry was given an MBE.
After this work was complete, Henry became the first Director of the Royal Pavilion Estate. From 1920, he oversaw the restoration of the Pavilion and the neighbouring Corn Exchange. His work included improvements to the dome theatre, removing post-1864 decorations, and extending the public areas around the Pavilion. Randomly, he was made a chevalier of the Order of the Crown of Italy…
In 1939, he wrote the definitive book on the Pavilion, The History of the Royal Pavilion, Brighton. He describes how the building met its original purpose as a seaside retreat for George, Prince of Wales. Brighton was a place where George could discretely meet his Catholic girlfriend, Mrs FitzHerbert. This is mentioned in passing by our Henry, whose preferred explanation for the choice of Brighton was a prescription for sea air for a glandular affliction.
The building’s distinctly Unregency “Indo-Saracenic” appearance, detailed in the book, had not been completed by John Nash by the time George became King. However, he and his successor, William IV, continued to spend their winters there.
Queen Victoria, however, was not amused by the fanciful Pavilion and observed of Brighton that “the people here are very indiscreet and troublesome”. Since the coming of the railway, Brighton was much less of a retreat. She had Osborne House built as a replacement, and in 1845, it took vigorous lobbying to prevent the Pavilion being sold off privately. It passed to the Council who held it until 2020, when it passed to a charitable trust.
Footnote: the buildings deteriorated during WWII, but were rescued all over again by successor librarian/curator Clifford Musgrave, who was given the OBE for his efforts, and wrote another definitive history. Clifford was probably a distant relative on Mum’s side (though sadly not as close as some researchers thought!).
The pics are mine.
