A major restoration project for a crumbling old ‘haunted house’ is likely to involve crack injection work, provided funds can be raised for the project.
Preston Hall in Brighton is 700 years old and reportedly haunted by the sight of a grey-clad woman, but it is the spectre of ruin that is facing the Grade II listed building unless £150,000 can be found for urgent work.
Brighton & Hove Museums Trust, which owns and runs the building, has appealed for the public to donate generously to provide funds for the work. In addition to the cracks in the concrete exterior, the building needs render repairs, shutter restoration, improvements to a historic window and other conservation work.
As a Grade II listed building, the work will seek to restore the building to its former glory, which included the building being a private residence until 1932.
Upgrades to the interior enabled the building to be reopened as a visitor attraction earlier this year after a five-year hiatus, but the Trust lacks the funds to carry out the exterior work as it juggles the management of five historical properties in the city.
CEO of Brighton Museums Hedley Swain said: “Whether you come for the ghost stories, the Edwardian interiors, or the connection to Brighton’s past, this place has an essence that can’t be recreated elsewhere, and it urgently needs help to survive.”
The other buildings in the Trust’s ownership are Brighton’s famous Royal Pavilion, Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, Hove Museum of Creativity and the Booth Museum of Natural History, all of which are in good condition at present.
Provided the public are not spooked by the price tag, the crack injection work needed to maintain the structural integrity of Preston Hall will ensure it is around for many more years yet, providing the perfect venue for the Grey Lady to go on scaring the visitors.