Preston Manor, Brighton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Preston Manor
Main (north) façade of Preston Manor, looking south
Location	Preston Drove, Preston Village, Brighton and Hove BN1 6SD, United Kingdom
Founded	13th century
Built	1250
Built for	Lord of the manor of Preston
Rebuilt	1738
Restored	1905
Restored by	Charles Stanley Peach
Architect	Thomas Western
Architectural style(s)	Palladian/Georgian
Visitors	8,000 (in 2012)
Governing body	Brighton & Hove City Council
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official name: Preston Manor and attached railings
Designated	13 October 1952
Reference no.	1380750
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Preston Manor is an old country house in Preston, a village that is now part of the city of Brighton and Hove, England. The house you see today was mostly built in 1738. It was rebuilt by Thomas Western, who was the Lord of the manor (the main landowner). Some parts of the original 13th-century building are still inside. In 1905, Charles Stanley Peach made more changes, giving the house its current look.

Over the years, Preston Manor had many different owners. These included the Diocese of Chichester (a church group) and even the King or Queen of England for a while. Later, it was owned by the Stanford family, who were said to be the richest family in Sussex.

Since 1932, Preston Manor has been a museum. The Stanford family gave the building to Brighton Corporation (the local council at the time). Today, it shows what life was like for wealthy families during the Edwardian period (the early 1900s). The manor also has a historic walled garden with old flint walls and a special graveyard for pets. Many people believe Preston Manor is one of the most haunted buildings in Britain. It has been featured on ghost tours and TV shows because of all the spooky stories. The house is considered very important for its history and architecture.

History of Preston Manor

Early Days and the Domesday Book

Preston village started a very long time ago, probably around the 800s or 900s. Its name, Preste-tun, means "priest's farmstead." This shows it was an important place for the church. In 1877, people found proof that the Romans also lived in this area.

By 1086, Preston was an important manor (a large estate). The Domesday Book, a famous survey from that time, recorded Preston. It mentioned a church, a manor house, and a mill. The first manor house was likely a simple wooden building, but no parts of it remain today. The manor belonged to the Bishop of Chichester, a high-ranking church leader.

From Church to Crown Ownership

The Bishop of Chichester owned Preston Manor for a long time. They rented out the land to farmers. In 1510, the Elrington family became the first tenants.

After the Dissolution of the Monasteries (when King Henry VIII took control of church lands), the King or Queen of England took over Preston Manor in 1561. The Elrington family then rented the land from the Crown. When Richard Elrington died in 1569 without sons, the manor went to his wife. She then left it to her son, Anthony Shirley.

The Shirley Family and First Changes

Anthony Shirley and his son Thomas made the first big changes to the manor house in the 1600s. They added fancy entrance doors with Classical designs. Parts of these doors are still there today. A walled garden was also created around this time.

In 1628, Thomas Shirley bought the lease from the Crown. This made him the first Lord of the manor who actually owned the land, not just rented it. His son, Sir Anthony Shirley, became a baronet (a special title of honor) in 1666. He was also a Member of Parliament, meaning he helped make laws for the country.

The Western Family Rebuilds the Manor

The manor eventually passed to Sir Anthony's grandson, Richard. When Richard died in 1705, his three sisters inherited the property. Two of them married into the Western family. By the early 1700s, the Western family owned Preston Manor.

In 1738, Thomas Western (the son of one of the sisters) rebuilt Preston Manor. He kept parts of the 13th-century building inside. He gave the house a new, grand look with a symmetrical (balanced) front, typical of Palladian and Georgian styles. He might have even designed some of the changes himself!

The Stanford Family's Influence

In 1794, the Western family sold Preston Manor and its lands to William Stanford. He was a very wealthy farmer from nearby Horsham. The house was redecorated in the popular Adam style. William Stanford became a very important person in the area. He sold farm products to the growing town of Brighton. In 1808, he became High Sheriff of Sussex, a high-ranking official.

When William Stanford died in 1841, he was one of the richest people in the county. His son, William Stanford the younger, inherited the estate. His daughter, Ellen, later became the heir. The Stanford family became very powerful. They owned a lot of land around Brighton and Hove. This meant they could control how the towns grew by deciding when and how to sell their land.

The Thomas-Stanfords and the Museum Gift

Ellen married Vere Fane Benett-Stanford. They lived in other family homes, but their son, John, would later have a difficult relationship with his mother.

In 1903, Ellen's mother died. By 1905, Ellen and her second husband, Charles Thomas, decided to make Preston Manor their main home. They hired Charles Stanley Peach, an architect, to make big changes. He added new rooms, a verandah, and made the house more luxurious for entertaining guests.

Charles Thomas became the Mayor of Brighton in 1910 and later a Member of Parliament. Preston Manor became a place for important social events. During World War I, Ellen and Charles helped the war effort.

By 1918, Ellen wanted to sell Preston Manor to Brighton Corporation. She had problems with her son and worried he might demolish the house. In 1925, Charles bought the manor from Ellen's family. He made a will saying that after he and Ellen died, Preston Manor and its land should be given to Brighton Corporation. The condition was that it must be kept as a historic building and used as a museum about Brighton and Sussex.

Sir Charles and Lady Ellen Thomas-Stanford lived at Preston Manor until they died in 1932. Charles left his books and historical papers about Sussex to the Corporation. Ellen left all the furniture and contents of the house.

In January 1933, Preston Manor opened to the public as a museum. It showed how a wealthy family and their servants lived during the Edwardian period. During World War II, the manor was used as an air raid control center. Today, it continues to show visitors what life was like for a rich family and their staff before and after World War I.

Architecture of the Manor House

Preston Manor is a two-story building. Its front is covered in a smooth finish called stucco. The roof is made of Welsh slates. The design is very balanced and typical of houses built in the mid-1700s.

The house has a basement, where you can still see parts of the original medieval building. It also has an attic with windows that stick out from the roof, called dormer windows. The main entrance is on the north side. It has a grand porch with Doric columns (a type of classical pillar). This porch was updated in 1905 but dates back to around 1800. On either side of the porch are glass-enclosed areas called verandahs, added in the early 1900s.

The back of the house, facing the garden, also has a central porch made of flint and stone. The windows throughout the house have their original sash windows (windows that slide up and down) and louvre-style shutters. The roof is a hipped roof (sloping on all sides) with chimneys.

When you visit, you can explore four levels of the house. This includes the entrance hall, the former library, drawing room, dining room, and many bedrooms. You can also see the servants' rooms in the basement and the maids' workroom in the attic.

Gardens and Other Structures

The Walled Garden

The manor's 18th-century walled garden is located between the house and St Peter's Church. Its old flint walls are still standing from that time. A wooden bridge leads into the garden.

The garden is designed on a slope and has four different areas:

• The main walled section.
• A formal lawn at a lower level.
• A sensory garden designed for people who are blind.
• An area with lily ponds.

One unique feature is a pet cemetery, which is thought to be the only one in Sussex. Four cats and 16 dogs are buried there in the southwest corner of the garden. The entire grounds of Preston Manor are recognized as a "Garden of Historic Interest."

Historic Walls and Wellhouse

The 18th-century flint walls around the garden are about 280 feet (85 meters) long. They are protected as a Grade II-listed structure. When the manor house was rebuilt in 1738, an old arched doorway from the 16th century was moved from the house and placed in the south-facing garden wall.

East of the manor house is a wellhouse, also a Grade II-listed building. It was built in the 1730s. It's now in poor condition and has lost its original pump, which was operated by a horse. The wellhouse is made mostly of flint with some red brick.

Haunted Reputation

Preston Manor is famous for being a very haunted place. Many people say it's one of Britain's most haunted houses. Since the 1800s, people have reported seeing many different ghosts. These include a woman in grey, a blonde woman who said she was a nun, a floating hand, and even a phantom riding a toy tractor!

The White Lady Nun

The most famous ghost is the blonde nun, often called "The White Lady." Stories about her started in the 1500s. She was seen most often in the late 1800s, with the last sighting reported in 1903.

One of Eleanor Stanford's daughters claimed to see the White Lady in 1896. She said the ghost walked from the drawing room to the staircase and disappeared when she tried to touch it. Another daughter saw the same figure at the top of the stairs. Later that year, a friend of the Stanford family also saw the White Lady in the entrance hall. This friend supposedly talked to the ghost and learned she was a nun who had been excommunicated (kicked out of the church) and buried in unholy ground.

A séance (a meeting to talk to spirits) in 1896 suggested there were two nun ghosts. In 1897, during building work, the skeleton of a middle-aged woman from the 1500s was found behind the house. The Stanford family secretly buried it in the churchyard, on holy ground. After this, a séance in 1898 claimed the spirits were now at peace. Only two more sightings of a blonde spirit happened in 1903. Later, in 1976 and 1992, people reported seeing white-clad female spirits in the manor grounds.

Other Spooky Sightings

The same daughter who saw the White Lady also reported seeing two phantom men fighting on another staircase. In the early 1900s, she felt an "immensely evil" presence in a southwest bedroom. A visitor in that room once saw a floating hand, not attached to an arm, moving on her four-poster bed. Another visitor had the same experience and said the bed was shaking. The southwest part of the house seemed to be a hotspot for strange events: odd noises, objects moving, dresses getting cut, and doors opening and closing by themselves.

A grey-clad female ghost has been reported many times throughout the 1900s. Sightings include one in the boiler room, and two by a World War II firewatcher on the main staircase and the roof. A security guard also reported seeing her. Another guard saw a ghost in old-fashioned black clothes walking across a landing in the 1990s. In the 1960s, someone even reported a ghost riding a toy tractor in the grounds!

Because of all these ghost stories, Preston Manor offers regular "ghost tours." The TV show Most Haunted also filmed an episode there in 2006.

Preston Manor Today

Preston Manor is a very important historic building. It was given a special status called Grade II* in 1952. This means it is "particularly important" and has "more than special interest." The garden walls and the ruined wellhouse are also listed as Grade II, meaning they are "nationally important buildings of special interest."

The manor house is part of the Preston Village Conservation Area. This is a protected area that helps keep the historic character of the village. Preston Manor and the nearby St Peter's Church are considered the most important buildings in this area.

Today, Brighton & Hove City Council owns Preston Manor. It is managed by the Royal Pavilion and Museums Trust, which also looks after other famous places like the Royal Pavilion. The manor is run as a museum that teaches visitors about the Edwardian period and the Stanford family. It shows what daily life was like for both the wealthy residents and their servants.

See also

• Grade II* listed buildings in Brighton and Hove