- Preston Hall
Preston Hall is a Victorian mansion house in
Stockton-on-Tees ,England . It has been a museum since1953 and is owned by Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council. The grounds of the house form Preston Park.The house was built in 1825 for local industrialist Robert Ropner, and stands in convert|100|acre|km² of parkland. It is adjoined by a large and recently renovated
winter garden or conservatory. The museum also includes a recreated period street of the 1890s, period rooms, an armoury and a toy collection. It costs only 50p for children to enter and £1 for adults. Once bought, tickets are valid all year, so repeat visits are possible simply by showing the ticket bought previously.The Dice Players
The museum contains a valuable painting called "The Dice Players" by
Georges de la Tour housed in a special room with dimmed lighting and a protective glass screen. The painting has occasionally been lent out for exhibition elsewhere and is regarded as a very fine example of the artist's work. [ [http://www.stockton.gov.uk/citizenservices/leisureandents/artsculture/32179/32220/dice_players/ Page describing the discovery of the painting.] ]The painting was part of a collection left to the borough by a local resident in 1930 but the significance of this item was not realised until 1972.
Restoration grant
In April 2008, the
Heritage Lottery Fund awarded a grant of £3.7 million towards a major refurbishment of the building and the museum's collections. [ [http://www.hlf.org.uk/English/MediaCentre/Archive/Preston+Hall+Museum.htm Lottery grant for refurbishment] ]Thefts
Several years ago a large collection of antique snuff boxes was stolen during a robbery at the museum. In 2007, a Nazi dagger was also stolen. [ [http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-breaking-news/2007/09/12/nazi-dagger-stolen-from-preston-hall-museum-84229-19778786/ Dagger stolen from Preston Hall] ]
References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
