Preston Manor Interior

Until recently, a series of photographs taken in 1909 by the owner of Preston Manor, Ellen Thomas-Stanford, comprised the earliest known views of the interior of the house. In 1982 a series of watercolours was purchased depicting the interior and exterior of the Manor before the Stanfords remodelled and refurnished it between 1904-1905. The four interior views, which have an indecipherable monogram and are dated between 1896-1897, were apparently painted by an amateur watercolourist named Captain Jackson, a friend of the Macdonald family who occupied Preston Manor in the latter half of the 19th century.

The watercolours cannot, of course, be considered as important works of art; that is not the point. Their very artlessness brings to life vanished schemes of decoration and illustrates a fascinating phase in the history of Preston Manor. The interior views can be complemented by a partial inventory of the house, taken in 1904, and the Will of Ellen Thomas-Stanfords mother, Mrs. E.M. Macdonald, dated 26th May 1899.

'The Drawing Room, 1896-7' (no image) is relatively uncluttered compared with most late Victorian interiors; watercolours in gilt frames are symmetrically placed on the blue-grey walls. The 1904 inventory refers to two pairs of lined tapestry curtains; it is possible that the latter are replacements as the watercolour appears to show rep (a corded fabric) curtains. The inventory also identifies a double cushion ottoman, which can been seen to the left of the window; and a small mahogany table with stage and two flaps, which can be seen in the right foreground. Eleanor Macdonalds Will mentions a five-fold leather screen and a white pedestal, both of which can be seen on the left of the picture.