The exterior of the former Hippodrome is in three parts and is stuccoed, but there is apparently brickwork, terracotta and stone underneath.
 The original (1897) section is symmetrical, but the extension northwards in 1939 took in two houses which make the composition unbalanced.
 The central section has a stepped pediment above a dentil cornice and a rectangular panel with the letters hippodrome projecting.
 Below this, a three-part awning projects as a lean-to, forming a low roof.
 This obscures the centre bay, which has three arches with entrances below.
 The middle entrance has a porch flanked by fluted pilasters and topped by an entablature with a pulvinated (convex) frieze.
 The arch has a decorative archivolt.
 Between the porch and the two plain outer entrances in the centre bay are single straight-headed windows divided into two lights by a single mullion.

A pair of short towers stand alongside the centre bay.
 They each have a simple straight-headed entrance with pilasters, a cornice and a pediment at ground-floor level, and two more windows and a door above.
 A wide dentil cornice runs around each tower, and on the inside an extra section projects inwards and upwards beyond the cornice line.
 Elaborate single-storey entrance bays flank the towers, with chamfered arches, ornate mouldings, Ionic columns and a cornice.
 Above the frieze is a scroll-moulded cartouche which is framed by the upper sections of the columns.

Inside, much of Frank Matcham's original work remains, and the design is considered to be one of his finest and to display "his hallmark decorative richness".
 A narrow foyer leads to an auditorium shaped like a horseshoe, with seats arranged in a circle around it and in front of the stage.
 Above this is a proscenium arch featuring elaborate Rococo-style moulded plasterwork showing dolphins and female figures, and with egg-and-dart decoration to the architrave.
 Above the auditorium is an intricately patterned dome, and there are Indo-Saracenic-style onion domes on top of the two-part stage-boxes—evoking the style of the nearby Royal Pavilion.
 The stage and proscenium arch are now partly obscured by the new floor inserted in 1967.
 More Rococo decoration is found on the panelled segmented ceiling, from which a large lantern also hangs.
 The newer rooms on the northern side, all decorated in an elaborate Middle Eastern style, include a conservatory and bars.
The exterior of the former Hippodrome is in three parts and is stuccoed, but there is apparently brickwork, terracotta and stone underneath.  The original (1897) section is symmetrical, but the extension northwards in 1939 took in two houses which make the composition unbalanced.  The central section has a stepped pediment above a dentil cornice and a rectangular panel with the letters hippodrome projecting.  Below this, a three-part awning projects as a lean-to, forming a low roof.  This obscures the centre bay, which has three arches with entrances below.  The middle entrance has a porch flanked by fluted pilasters and topped by an entablature with a pulvinated (convex) frieze.  The arch has a decorative archivolt.  Between the porch and the two plain outer entrances in the centre bay are single straight-headed windows divided into two lights by a single mullion.
A pair of short towers stand alongside the centre bay.  They each have a simple straight-headed entrance with pilasters, a cornice and a pediment at ground-floor level, and two more windows and a door above.  A wide dentil cornice runs around each tower, and on the inside an extra section projects inwards and upwards beyond the cornice line.  Elaborate single-storey entrance bays flank the towers, with chamfered arches, ornate mouldings, Ionic columns and a cornice.  Above the frieze is a scroll-moulded cartouche which is framed by the upper sections of the columns.
Inside, much of Frank Matcham's original work remains, and the design is considered to be one of his finest and to display "his hallmark decorative richness".  A narrow foyer leads to an auditorium shaped like a horseshoe, with seats arranged in a circle around it and in front of the stage.  Above this is a proscenium arch featuring elaborate Rococo-style moulded plasterwork showing dolphins and female figures, and with egg-and-dart decoration to the architrave.  Above the auditorium is an intricately patterned dome, and there are Indo-Saracenic-style onion domes on top of the two-part stage-boxes—evoking the style of the nearby Royal Pavilion.  The stage and proscenium arch are now partly obscured by the new floor inserted in 1967.  More Rococo decoration is found on the panelled segmented ceiling, from which a large lantern also hangs.  The newer rooms on the northern side, all decorated in an elaborate Middle Eastern style, include a conservatory and bars.
Brighton Hippodrome