Preston Manor was built in the village of Preston, which means ‘priest’s holding’ It is thought that there was a monastery on the site in the Middle Ages. The house was originally built about 1600, rebuilt in 1738 and substantially added to and altered in 1905. The Manor was bought by the Stanford family in 1794 and for 138 years was their family home. The last member of the family to live at Preston Manor was Ellen Thomas-Stanford who, following the death of her mother in 1903, came to live in the house with her second husband Charles Thomas-Stanford. Ellen had the Manor altered and re-furnished in keeping with the conventions of upper Edwardian taste. On the death of Sir Charles and Lady Thomas-Stanford in 1932, the house and contents were left to the Corporation of Brighton (now Brighton & Hove City Council). Preston Manor now presents a unique opportunity to see an Edwardian home both ‘upstairs’ and ‘downstairs’. In the grounds there is an ‘old-fashioned’ walled garden and family pets’ graveyard. Immediately adjacent is the mediaeval church of St Peter (no longer used). Tales of ghostly sightings and supernatural experiences at Preston Manor go back through history, including Sister Agnes, the medieval nun who helped travellers on their way; a body buried under the patio; a disembodied hand floating by the four-poster bed; the White Lady and the elegant Lady in Grey who descends the grand staircase with nowhere to go. One friendly ghost was even seen trying out a child’s toy tractor during the 1960s. The reports continue with modern-day sightings of visitors to the Manor who proved not to exist, doors locking themselves and lights turning off for no reason, and the chill ghostly hand holding onto a doorknob.