A grand white building against a blue sky with spring flowers in the foreground.

Show notes and photographs: The Ghosts of Preston Manor

Posted on by Natalie Doig

Listen to today’s episode The Ghosts of Preston Manor on the BBC here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0jzkxxk/episodes/player

Or on spotify here or apple here.

A pale grey house with green shutters and a wide flat green in front of it. The house has many chimneys and it's a bluesky sunny day.
Preston Manonor and croquet lawn

To find out more about Preston Manor visit the website here: https://brightonmuseums.org.uk/preston-manor-gardens/

A close up of leather wallpaper with pattern of foliage in gold, bronze and black on a pale cream background. The wallpaper shines there are images of monkeys in the pattern as well.
Close up of the leather wallpaper (photo by Nat Doig)

To find out more about Dan Cox the head guide at Brighton and Hove museum visit his website here: https://things-i-have-learnt.com/about/

A wider image of the wallpapered room, from a distance the pattern on the wall paper resembles a grinning creature. The room has walnut brown futniture in it and a fireplace with a screen. There is a large painting of a 17th century man above the fire.
Cleves Room

Here’s some further reading about Ada Goodrich Freer who led the seance in the Cleves Room at Preston Manor:

Ada Goodrich Freer on Hauntings

https://www.eliotslater.org/index.php/psychiatry/parapsychology-strange-things/201-ada-goodrich

And project Guttenberg has access to two of the books she wrote: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/6779

Finally here’s a link to Eerie Edinburgh’s episode on YouTube about Bellechin House where Ada Goodrich Freer carried out an investigation a year after her stay at Preston Manor.

A grey wall with a window covered by green shutters and a grill below. The grass and a large holly bush in the background
The place where the skeleton was found (photo Nat Doig)

Above is the place where the old orange stained bones were discovered after the seance. Below is an image of “Roaring Jack” who claimed to have reburried the bones in the churchyard. I have read that roaring Jack had an interest in skeletons and kept a couple at his house in Wiltshire!

An image of a gent in a pale suit with waistcoat and cravat wearing a boater hat, he has a large bushy moustache and is sitting on a wooden chair with a dog at his side.
Roaring Jack and his dog (photo of photo by Nat Doig)

If you’d like to know more about roaring Jack there’s a post here from 2018 about him: https://www.facebook.com/groups/kevinbentman/posts/1747312141986450/

The back of the hosue grey with green shuttered windows and a croquet lawn in front to the right is a grey church tower
The back of the manor and the church to it’s side (photo by Nat Doig)

Here’s a YouTube video from 2014 about Preston Manor’s ghosts

A room with gold framed mirrors, french doors at the end and a chandalier in the centre. Armchairs are by a fire and there is a large decoative rug on the floor.
The Drawing Room

Most Haunted also visited Preston Manor on the 6/6/06 and friend of Weird in the Wade a young Dr Ciaran O’Keeffe makes an appearance too.

A cream bedroom with flowery cutains and brass bedstead. A blue and gold patterend rug and walnut brown chest of draws and dressing table.
Ellen’s bedroom

The room below is one of the servants rooms which today are thought of as some of the most haunted in the house.

A flowery wallpapered bedroom with a simple metal bed and chamber pot below. A large fire and a hip bath in front.
A servants room

Unless otherwise stated all photographs by Brighton and Hove Museums.

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Published by Natalie Doig

"Science and sorcery." It's a quote from a beekeeper I saw on the TV, about how he sees the work he does keeping bees, a balance between science and sorcery. For me it also sums up my experience of life, my interests and my outlook. I love photography which is a perfect blend of science and sorcery, using light and technology to create magical images. But when I'm not taking photos you'll find me making the podcast Weird in the Wade. I'm also often to be found writing, reading, knitting, riding my mountain bike or drinking coffee watching the world go by. By day I fight for disability rights, equality and inclusion for all.

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