Brighton Dome

The Brighton Dome is an arts venue in Brighton, England that contains the Concert Hall, the Corn Exchange and the Studio Theatre (formerly the Pavilion Theatre). All three venues are linked to the rest of the Royal Pavilion Estate by an underground tunnel and through shared corridors to Brighton Museum.

One of the Dome’s most famous features is its pipe organ. The first pipe organ in the Dome’s Concert Hall was built in 1870 by the famous London firm Henry Willis & Sons to a specification of forty-four stops spread over four manuals and pedal. The present instrument which replaced it in 1935 has four manuals and one hundred and seventy-eight stops.

Music has always been one of the most endearing qualities of the Brighton Dome. For 153 years and counting, the venue has welcomed an all-star list of performers and classical music orchestras from across the globe. Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, Ella Fitzgerald and more have graced the stage, as well as Pink Floyd for the debut of their iconic album Dark Side of the Moon in January 1972.

But did you know that Brighton Dome has skeletons in its closet? Actually, they’re buried underneath the Royal Pavilion Estate. An 1803 map confirmed the area that is now the Royal Pavilion Estate was first “Quaker’s Croft,” a Quaker meeting house. During a 2017 renovation, archaeologists investigated the myth and found it to be true: a total of 18 burials were found.