page_title: Preston Hall, Preston-on-Tees
hierarchical_section_title: Preston Hall, Preston-on-Tees
caption_attribution_description: English: Victorian Street&#160;: Preston Park Museum.
context_page_description: Preston Hall is an early 19th century mansion house at Preston-on-Tees, Stockton-on-Tees, England. It has been a museum since 1953 and is owned by Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council. It is a listed building. The house stands in 100 acres of parkland. The grounds of the house form Preston Park.
  The manor of Preston on Tees was held in 1515 by William Sayer but was lost when the estates of Lawrence Sayer, who was a Royalist during the English Civil War, were sequestered and sold by the Commonwealth of England. In 1673 the manor was purchased by George Witham and during the residency of the Witham family the manor house was known as Witham Hall. In 1722 William Witham sold the estate to Sir John Eden Bt of Windlestone Hall and in 1820 it was sold again to David Burton Fowler.
  In 1825 Fowler built the present Preston Hall as a modest two-storey three-bayed rectangular structure with a service wing. The old manor house was retained in use as a farmhouse until its demolition in 1974.
  In 1882 Marshall Fowler sold the estate to Robert Ropner, a shipping merchant and shipbuilder, who was High Sheriff of Durham in 1896 and who became a baronet in 1904.
context_section_description: Preston Hall is an early 19th century mansion house at Preston-on-Tees, Stockton-on-Tees, England. It has been a museum since 1953 and is owned by Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council. It is a listed building.  The house  stands in 100 acres (0.40 km²) of parkland. The grounds of the house form Preston Park.
  The manor of Preston on Tees was held in 1515 by William Sayer but was lost when the estates of Lawrence Sayer, who was a Royalist during the English Civil War, were sequestered and sold by the Commonwealth of England. In 1673 the manor was purchased by George Witham and during the residency of the Witham family the manor house was known as Witham Hall. In 1722 William Witham sold the estate to Sir John Eden Bt of Windlestone Hall and in 1820 it was sold again to David Burton Fowler.
  In 1825 Fowler  built  the present Preston Hall as a modest two-storey three-bayed rectangular structure with a service wing. The old manor house was retained in use as a farmhouse until its demolition in 1974.
  In 1882 Marshall Fowler sold the estate to Robert Ropner, a shipping merchant and shipbuilder, who was High Sheriff of Durham in 1896 and who became a baronet in 1904. He extended the property by the addition of substantial wing blocks, and in about 1900 he added a large and recently renovated winter garden or conservatory. The Ropner baronets lived in the house until 1937 (in which year Leonard Ropner served as High Sheriff). It was acquired by the Stockton on Tees District Council in 1947.
  On 3 June 1953, Preston Hall was officially opened for the first time as a museum, as part of the celebration of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. In the 1970s, there were a number of additions made to the museum, including the building of the popular replica Victorian Street. 
  Following a major redevelopment, the museum reopened to the public as Preston Park Museum & Grounds in 2012.  This has reinforced its reputation as one of the region’s major cultural attractions and, in its Diamond Jubilee year of 2013, was shortlisted for the prestigious Art Fund Museum of the Year award.
  The Hall’s grounds have become a popular local park, with woodland and riverside walks, an adventure play area and a skate park. Within the park are other attractions, including Butterfly World (a tropical rainforest hot house filled with a variety of species of butterflies and other animals), rowing boat hire from RiverShack and the volunteer-run Teesside Small Gauge Railway.
caption: Victorian Street, Preston Hall Museum and Park
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