Preston Manor
I love this house. I remember visiting as a child with my junior school, and a handful of times as an adult, and every time I have visited I have learnt something new. Its one of those historical places that doesn't feel like a museum or too grand to be inside, it feels like a friend-of-the-family's home. Home... is the just the right word, it is not pompous or assuming, but rather, a home of love - warm and friendly. The staff are great and very informative if you get them talking expect your visit to be extended by at least an hour :) I was lucky as although photographs are NOT PERMITTED one of the staff curated as I walked around allowing me to take images on the first and lower floors as we were the only people in these areas at the time. Happy days :)
All the following information has been collected, copied and written from various sources including 'word-of-mouth' of the curators, the official guide book for the Preston Manor, the Brighton and Hove city Councils website on the Royal Pavilion, museum and libraries, and Wikipedia.
All images except those labelled have been taken by myself
Laurel Alexandra Photography - you can also follow me on Facebook, Blog or Website.
In around 1500 the Bishops gave up farming and started renting their estates out and in 1510 the Bishop granted a lease on the Manor of Preston to Edward Erlington. In an Act of Parliament, Queen Elizabeth I, enforced an exchange of properties with the Bishops and in 1561 Preston Manor was acquired by the crown. The Elrington's continued with their lease of the manor under the crown.
In 1569 Anthony Shirley (step grandson of Edward Erlington) inherited the Preston Estate and went on to buy the lease from the crown in 1628; it then remained in the Shirley family for four generations. Through the death of Anthony's grandson the property was passed to his three grand-daughters, one of which Mary and her husband Thomas Western, acquired sole ownership in 1712.
Thomas died in 1733 passing Preston Manor on to the son Thomas Western (Jr), who became the Lord Mayor. The Manor was rebuilt by him in 1738, and as a stone plaque on the chimney breast in the cellar is inscribed 'Tho.Western Efq 1738 Aug 15', it is believed Thomas was also the architect of this huge project. The 17th Century house was demolished and the orientation of the house changed from west to north. The remains of the old house were converted into a semi-basement.
In 1750 two wings were added to this relatively modest house. When Thomas died the house was passed to his two sons, Thomas and Charles. Thomas exchanged his share of the estate for lands in Essex and Charles, now sole owner, went onto marry Frances in 1766. Sadly Charles died soon after in an phaeton ride when the horse stumbled, and shortly after Francis left for Essex, taking her two sons, and never returned to the house.
In 1794 the house which was included in the large estate of approximately 1000 acres of land were sold to William Stanford for £17,600, ending a long association of Preston Manor and the Western family.
William Stanford was a successful farmer and achieved great wealth and standing, even rising to become the High Sheriff of Sussex in 1808. Dying in 1841 William left the manor house to his son William Stanford (Jr), who in turn continued the life of a rich country farmer. He married Eleanor Montague Morris in 1842 and they produced two children a boy who died at only five months old and a girl named Ellen. William died in 1853 leaving his daughter heir to the Stanford Estate. The following year Eleanor remarried to Captain Varnham Macdonald and the couple went on to produce three daughters.
Ellen herself married Vere Fane Benett-Stanford at St.Peters Church, where under the terms of William Stanford's will, Vere took the Stanford name. Their marriage produced one son, John Montague Bennett-Stanford. Who after a laboured education at Eton, undertook an apprenticeship with the railways and later joined the army. It is reported that his behaviour became quite eccentric which resulted in a difficult relationship with his mother. With the profits from the sale of other estates, Vere and Ellen purchased a yacht and due to Vere's poor health spent much time in Madeira in the sunshine. There is much evidence of their travels within the Manor, Paintings, ornaments and such like. Vere died in 1894.
The widowed Ellen went on to marry Charles Thomas whom she met whilst staying in Madeira; Charles took on the Stanford name in-line with Williams will. By now John her son had become one of the earliest newsreel photographers but was wounded whilst filming during the Boer War, some say making his behaviour even more intolerable. During this time he had married Evelyn Hume in 1893, producing two children Vere and Patience.
Plans and Ordnance survey maps of the house and estate indicate that a service wing was attached; it appears in 1838 and later disappears again in 1896. Various unspecified payments to builders are lodged in the accounts throughout the nineteenth century. It is known however that alterations were made to the stables, lodges and gardeners cottage, (all of which were demolished by 1936.)
Ellen's mother Eleanor died in 1903 leaving Preston Manor empty, and by 1905, Ellen and Charles had decided to make the manor their main residence. On doing so Ellen commissioned the couples personal friend and architect, Charles Stanley Peach, to make substantial additions Preston Manor. New servants' and vistors' wings were added along with a new family dining room. The existing servants rooms in the basement were remodelled along the widening of the entrance hall, new attic rooms and a veranda. All of which had a big impact on changing the character of the house, and enabled the Stanford's to entertain influential people in impressive style which became particularly important as Charles became involved in local politics, and was elected Mayor of Brighton in 1910, and a member of the Conservative Member of Parliament 1922.
Due to the constant feuding with her son, by 1918 Ellen was thinking of selling Preston Manor to Brighton Corporation, as she feared, on inheriting the estate Vere would demolish the house and turn it into an all-girls school. In 1925 Charles bought Preston Manor from his wife's trustees and made provision in his will that, subject to the respective life interests of himself and Ellen, Preston manor and four acres of adjoining land should pass to Brighton Corporation by deed of gift on the condition that it be preserved in its historic condition and be used as a museum. Charles and Ellen both died in 1932, March and November respectively, and by January 1933 the transfer of the estate to the corporation was complete. The Stanford estate also included two churches, and a guest house. The church in the grounds was used by the staff and the much larger family church sits grandly on the corner of Preston Road and Knoyle Road. Both have a completely different feel. The guests house sits across Preston Road on the back of the now Petrol Garage, and is clearly labelled Stanford House; this has been divided and let to local businesses.
I love this house. I remember visiting as a child with my junior school, and a handful of times as an adult, and every time I have visited I have learnt something new. Its one of those historical places that doesn't feel like a museum or too grand to be inside, it feels like a friend-of-the-family's home. Home... is the just the right word, it is not pompous or assuming, but rather, a home of love - warm and friendly. The staff are great and very informative if you get them talking expect your visit to be extended by at least an hour :) I was lucky as although photographs are NOT PERMITTED one of the staff curated as I walked around allowing me to take images on the first and lower floors as we were the only people in these areas at the time. Happy days :)
All the following information has been collected, copied and written from various sources including 'word-of-mouth' of the curators, the official guide book for the Preston Manor, the Brighton and Hove city Councils website on the Royal Pavilion, museum and libraries, and Wikipedia.
All images except those labelled have been taken by myself
Laurel Alexandra Photography - you can also follow me on Facebook, Blog or Website.
The History
The name Preston derives from the Anglo-Saxon for 'priests- holdings' and suggests that maybe there was an original dwelling on this site in Saxon time. The Domesday book of 1086 states that the Bishops held up to eight Manor houses, and Preston in particular was held for approximately 470 years.In around 1500 the Bishops gave up farming and started renting their estates out and in 1510 the Bishop granted a lease on the Manor of Preston to Edward Erlington. In an Act of Parliament, Queen Elizabeth I, enforced an exchange of properties with the Bishops and in 1561 Preston Manor was acquired by the crown. The Elrington's continued with their lease of the manor under the crown.
In 1569 Anthony Shirley (step grandson of Edward Erlington) inherited the Preston Estate and went on to buy the lease from the crown in 1628; it then remained in the Shirley family for four generations. Through the death of Anthony's grandson the property was passed to his three grand-daughters, one of which Mary and her husband Thomas Western, acquired sole ownership in 1712.
Thomas died in 1733 passing Preston Manor on to the son Thomas Western (Jr), who became the Lord Mayor. The Manor was rebuilt by him in 1738, and as a stone plaque on the chimney breast in the cellar is inscribed 'Tho.Western Efq 1738 Aug 15', it is believed Thomas was also the architect of this huge project. The 17th Century house was demolished and the orientation of the house changed from west to north. The remains of the old house were converted into a semi-basement.
In 1750 two wings were added to this relatively modest house. When Thomas died the house was passed to his two sons, Thomas and Charles. Thomas exchanged his share of the estate for lands in Essex and Charles, now sole owner, went onto marry Frances in 1766. Sadly Charles died soon after in an phaeton ride when the horse stumbled, and shortly after Francis left for Essex, taking her two sons, and never returned to the house.
In 1794 the house which was included in the large estate of approximately 1000 acres of land were sold to William Stanford for £17,600, ending a long association of Preston Manor and the Western family.
William Stanford was a successful farmer and achieved great wealth and standing, even rising to become the High Sheriff of Sussex in 1808. Dying in 1841 William left the manor house to his son William Stanford (Jr), who in turn continued the life of a rich country farmer. He married Eleanor Montague Morris in 1842 and they produced two children a boy who died at only five months old and a girl named Ellen. William died in 1853 leaving his daughter heir to the Stanford Estate. The following year Eleanor remarried to Captain Varnham Macdonald and the couple went on to produce three daughters.
Ellen herself married Vere Fane Benett-Stanford at St.Peters Church, where under the terms of William Stanford's will, Vere took the Stanford name. Their marriage produced one son, John Montague Bennett-Stanford. Who after a laboured education at Eton, undertook an apprenticeship with the railways and later joined the army. It is reported that his behaviour became quite eccentric which resulted in a difficult relationship with his mother. With the profits from the sale of other estates, Vere and Ellen purchased a yacht and due to Vere's poor health spent much time in Madeira in the sunshine. There is much evidence of their travels within the Manor, Paintings, ornaments and such like. Vere died in 1894.
The widowed Ellen went on to marry Charles Thomas whom she met whilst staying in Madeira; Charles took on the Stanford name in-line with Williams will. By now John her son had become one of the earliest newsreel photographers but was wounded whilst filming during the Boer War, some say making his behaviour even more intolerable. During this time he had married Evelyn Hume in 1893, producing two children Vere and Patience.
Plans and Ordnance survey maps of the house and estate indicate that a service wing was attached; it appears in 1838 and later disappears again in 1896. Various unspecified payments to builders are lodged in the accounts throughout the nineteenth century. It is known however that alterations were made to the stables, lodges and gardeners cottage, (all of which were demolished by 1936.)
Ellen's mother Eleanor died in 1903 leaving Preston Manor empty, and by 1905, Ellen and Charles had decided to make the manor their main residence. On doing so Ellen commissioned the couples personal friend and architect, Charles Stanley Peach, to make substantial additions Preston Manor. New servants' and vistors' wings were added along with a new family dining room. The existing servants rooms in the basement were remodelled along the widening of the entrance hall, new attic rooms and a veranda. All of which had a big impact on changing the character of the house, and enabled the Stanford's to entertain influential people in impressive style which became particularly important as Charles became involved in local politics, and was elected Mayor of Brighton in 1910, and a member of the Conservative Member of Parliament 1922.
Due to the constant feuding with her son, by 1918 Ellen was thinking of selling Preston Manor to Brighton Corporation, as she feared, on inheriting the estate Vere would demolish the house and turn it into an all-girls school. In 1925 Charles bought Preston Manor from his wife's trustees and made provision in his will that, subject to the respective life interests of himself and Ellen, Preston manor and four acres of adjoining land should pass to Brighton Corporation by deed of gift on the condition that it be preserved in its historic condition and be used as a museum. Charles and Ellen both died in 1932, March and November respectively, and by January 1933 the transfer of the estate to the corporation was complete. The Stanford estate also included two churches, and a guest house. The church in the grounds was used by the staff and the much larger family church sits grandly on the corner of Preston Road and Knoyle Road. Both have a completely different feel. The guests house sits across Preston Road on the back of the now Petrol Garage, and is clearly labelled Stanford House; this has been divided and let to local businesses.
Did you know:
- A seance was held in the Cleves Room on 11 November 1896, as for several years the family had been troubled by inexplicable phenomena including silk dress cut into diamond patterns and mysterious figures seen on the staircase. The medium, Ada Goodrich Freer, revealed that she was receiving messages from a nun called 'Sister Agnes' who had been wrongly excommunicated from the Church and buried in the unconsecrated ground outside the house. It was claimed that if she was given a Christian burial, the haunting would cease. A year later, there was an epidemic of sore throats, and the main drains at the house were inspected. The skeleton of a woman was found under the terrace outside the dining room (now the Macquoid Room) and the bones were certified as being about 400 years old. Accounts of what happened next are confused, but the skeleton was apparently reburied discretely by a local gravedigger. The ghost is reported to have made no further appearances within living memory. (this report is posted on the Royal Pavilion, museums and libraries website)
- It has been reported, discussed, gossiped about and confirmed by someone was there, that apparently saw .... the ghost !!! who regularly walked the corridor of the caretakers quarters, (no longer existing) where he lived with his whole family. More recent reports are that of (ghosts of) dogs snapping at visitors ankles as they walk into the main hallway of the Manor.
- Although officially the first washing machine was invented years later, the Stanford's played host to many intriguing people including an inventor. Take a look at the wooden 'Daisy Washer', built a long time before the official washing machines were patented and officially on the market.
- The manor was one of first property's to install electric and was also one of the first to own a refrigerator. Made by 'Harrods' non the less. It can be found downstairs next to the ice-cream maker !
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