Brighton Royal Pavilion launches UK-first Baby Colour Trail

Monday, 22 September 2025 11:00

Brighton’s Royal Pavilion is opening its doors to the very youngest visitors with a new Baby Colour Trail.

It’s the first scheme of its kind in the UK, inspired by the Pavilion’s vibrant interiors and current colour exhibition.

The trail is designed for infants and their families and is based on research from Sussex Baby Lab at the University of Sussex into how babies respond to colour and pattern.

Built as the extravagant seaside palace of Prince George, the Prince Regent, later George IV, the Royal Pavilion is famous for its riot of pattern, gilded surfaces and exotic design. From glittering chandeliers and painted ceilings to dragons, phoenixes and rich textiles, it offers a sensory treat. And now science shows it’s also a feast for babies’ eyes.

The Baby Colour Trail was created in collaboration with Professor Anna Franklin and Dr Alice Skelton at the Sussex Baby Lab and Su Hepburn at Brighton & Hove Museums. The Baby Lab team used innovative eye-tracking technology and headcams to explore what babies notice most during cultural visits. Their findings are reshaping how museums and galleries across the UK engage their youngest audiences.

Professor Franklin said: “Our research shows that babies are far more visually capable than once thought. They can see colour from birth and by four months their colour vision is already surprisingly sophisticated. Using the eye tracker we can see exactly where babies are looking and it's amazing seeing things through a baby’s eyes. They'll often be looking at the things that grownups take for granted, such as the curves and outlines of a vase of flowers, the patterns on the carpets, or the features on a portrait. The Pavilion is the perfect place to put this science into practice because it’s bursting with the colour, contrast and patterns that babies love to look at.”

Brighton Royal Pavilion launches UK-first Baby Colour Trail

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