Preston Manor to reopen with Downton Abbey-style immersive experience

Preston Manor in Brighton – the former grand residence of Ellen and Charles Thomas-Stanford, once the wealthiest family in Sussex – is to reopen to visitors in April, having remained closed for the past five years.

Part of Brighton & Hove Museums, the manor will relaunch with a “Downton Abbey-style experience” set in 1912 featuring the house's upstairs-downstairs voices. An audio trail will introduce audiences to the property’s historical residents, including Lady Ellen and her butler Maurice Elphick.

There will also be a new cafe serving traditional Edwardian cream tea, run by Cafe Rust, and a children’s trail with interactive activities such as dressing up and sound installations.

Visitors will be able to take part in guided tours of the house and its walled gardens, which can be accessed from Brighton’s Preston Park. As well as unusual planting, there is an extensive pet cemetery featuring the graves of 16 dogs and four cats.

Preston Manor is known by some as one of the most haunted houses in Britain with reported sightings of the “white lady“, mysterious shadows, phantom hands and ghostly dogs and children. Brighton & Hove Museums said that the new experience will appeal to ghost hunters as well as “history buffs“ and families.

“We're thrilled to reopen Preston Manor after five years, offering visitors a fresh new, immersive experience,” said Hedley Swain, the chief executive officer of Brighton & Hove Museums.

“The house provides a unique opportunity to journey back in time to the grandeur of early 20th-century aristocratic life, exploring the upstairs-downstairs lives of the eminent Thomas-Stanford family.

“Fans of historical dramas like Downton Abbey will love this engaging journey into the world of the Edwardian upper class. The manor is also steeped in ghostly mystery, with spine-chilling hauntings and tales of eerie sightings and unexplained incidents. It has become an iconic destination for those seeking supernatural thrills.”

The house will open on 5 April and close for the season on 31 October 2025. Admission costs £9.50 for Brighton residents, with adult tickets costing £12.50 and family passes from £20.

Preston Manor dates mostly from 1738, when Thomas Western rebuilt an original 13th-century structure. In 1905, it was renovated and enlarged by the Thomas-Stanfords. It was sold to Brighton Corporation on 6 April 1925 for £5,000 and has been a museum ever since.