On Thursday 27 October we’ll be holding a Twitter Q&A with Paula Wrightson, Learning Officer, from 1-2pm. In the run up to Halloween, the subject of this discussion will be ghosts. As she described in an earlier blog post, Paula has worked with the ghosts of Preston Manor for several years. If you’ve ever been curious about the manor’s ghostly past, Paula will be the ideal person to answer your questions. Does she know of anyone who has seen a ghost? What is it like working with paranormal investigators? Does she believe the manor is haunted?
But she will also be able to debate any questions about our presentation of the manor’s past. Should we really be promoting the manor as a haunted house? Is it nonsense that shouldn’t be taken seriously? Or are we trivialising the supernatural?
We would also be interested to know if you or anyone you know has had an uncanny experience in and around the manor that you would be willing to share.
Questions and stories can be posed live on Twitter any time between 1-2pm next Thursday. We’ll be using the hashtag #PrestGhost. But if you would prefer to submit your question in advance, please use the box below. Questions can even be asked anonymously.
[contact-form-7 404 "Not Found"]We will be holding a variety of events at Preston Manor around Halloween, including:
- Writing the Uncanny: a ghost story workshop, Sat 22 October
- A Victorian House in Mourning: a the Victorian etiquette of death, Sat 29 October and Sat 26 November.
- Victorian Seance: an event marking the 100th anniversary of the famous Preston Manor seance, Friday 11 November
- Ghost Tours: Fri 28 and Sat 29 October
- Halloween Ghost Tours: 31 October
- Haunted House Day: family theatre for adults and children aged 8 and over, Sun 30 October.
Anonymous
I am curious if you have heard any stories of an illegitimate child being born in 1892 to the Lady Ellen Stanford and her employee John Parry. Rumour has it that this child was put up in The Home for Little Boys and the paperwork leads directly back to Ellen who paid for his keep. She supposedly had the boy in Madeira… any thoughts or knowledge of this?
Royal Pavilion & Brighton Museums
Thanks for your question. I will pass this on to Paula.
Royal Pavilion & Brighton Museums
I’ve just heard back from Paula, and she has confirmed that rumours of this emerged in the 1970s, but have never been conclusively proved or disproved. Coincidentally, we are planning on holding a couple of events at Preston Manor looking at the story. Full details will be published on our website soon, but they are likely to be:
Thursday 14 March 11.00- 12.30 & 2.00 – 3.30pm
Saturday 6 April 2.00 – 3.30pm
£10.00 members £8.00
Check our website or What’s On guide for booking details when the event goes public: http://www.brighton-hove-rpml.org.uk/WhatsOn/Pages/home.aspx
Anonymous
Thank you for your reply and please accept my apologies for my not-so prompt reply. I am looking forward to these details as I would like to have this confirmed or denied as it is essential for me to understanding my great grandfather Ernest Parry and his upbringing. There have been rumours abound, and I would like to find out more about this.