Brighton is a city on the south coast of England, on the sea. Since the 1700s it has been a famous place to go for holidays: people came to swim, to walk on the beach, and to be seen. The most famous building is the Royal Pavilion, a huge palace with an unusual Indian-and-Chinese look, built for a prince. The city also has two universities, many English-language schools, and a well-known centre for conferences, so students and visitors are part of everyday life there. People often say Brighton and Hove now, because the two towns were joined. Brighton has a reputation as lively, a bit arty, and very open, which is why some Londoners treat it as a seaside escape. The name does not mean “bright town”, even though it looks that way. It was shortened from the older name Brighthelmstone, from Old English Beorthelmestūn, “Beorthelm’s farm”, after a person. The short form Brighton became the official name in the early 1800s. Always a capital B; it is a place name.