Reach Cambridge July 2016: Day 6

As it’s summer, we like our students to experience the great British seaside, and where better to do that than Brighton? This coastal resort first became fashionable during the Georgian era – the famous Royal Pavilion was built as a retreat for King George IV (when he was the Prince of Wales). Brighton’s popularity continued to grow over the following couple of centuries – the Victorians added more of the famous sites still seen in the town, such as Brighton Pier – and to this day tourists flock to the beach and surrounding areas. Brighton is well-known as a cultural hot-spot, and our students enjoyed visiting the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery. This has an eclectic collection of fashion, art, design, artefacts and more to give an enlightening overview of the history of Brighton and beyond. A number of students were particularly fascinated by the ‘blank canvas’ artwork, offering their own analysis of the piece as well as questioning whether it really deserved inclusion in the gallery… We were lucky enough to visit Brighton on a sunny day, so it was lovely to visit the beach under blue skies! Students ate ice-cream, visited the pier and tried out some of its many rides, and tried to avoid the many seagulls that were flying low in the hope of stealing a chip or two. A busy day was rounded off with games and a football match back in Cambridge, before an early night in preparation for tomorrow’s excursion to London. Written by Flossie, Director of Operations