Preston Manor & Gardens

For the first time in five years, Preston Manor is open to the general public with a new visitor experience and its first ever café! This stunning Edwardian manor will allow you to explore Edwardian society as you wander through elegant rooms, enchanting gardens, and servant quarters, uncovering fascinating stories of both the family and staff. From glamour to ghosts, discover the intriguing stories that make Preston Manor a place of mystery and charm. The house was privately lived in until 1932 when it was given to the Brighton Corporation by its longest serving family, the Thomas-Stanfords. It is now a museum and exhibition space evoking upper-class life during the Edwardian period. From the moment you step into the grand Entrance Hall, you'll be greeted by family portraits and fine furniture. This striking space embodies sophistication and luxury, and stands as a warm welcome to your day. The charming gardens at Preston Manor are home to sweeping lawns, secret doorways, and vibrant flower beds, making for the perfect secret garden to explore on a warm summers day. The gardens also feature a lily pond and a croquet lawn, which is occasionally transformed in summer into an outdoor cinema. Visitors of all ages will find flagstone and gravel paths to follow, and plenty of places to play, to pause and to sit. The garden is full of surprises. In one corner, against flint walls dating back to the 18th century, you’ll find an unusual pet cemetery. Sixteen dogs and four cats are buried here, including George the Pavilion Cat and two other cats employed by Brighton Council as ‘mousers’. Explore grand bedrooms, a fine drawing room, a leather bound room with an uncanny past, the extravagant table in the dining room, servants quarters, and the rich history that inhabits these rooms. And if you're after a journey to the darker side of the building's history, Preston Manor is said to be one of the most haunted buildings in Britain. Reports of ghost sightings have been recorded since the 19th century