From getting stuck in the lift at Buckingham Palace to perhaps knowing Jack the Ripper, a few fun facts about Sir Harry Preston that you may or may not already know…
Sir Harry Preston Fun Facts (Full List)
+ Harry may have known Jack the Ripper!
+ He loved Bull Terriers
+ Harry's name has featured on two Brighton & Hove buses!
+ Stuck in the lift at Buckingham Palace!
+ Sport & Celebrity Acquaintances
+ Harry is mentioned in the Cole Porter song, 'You're The Top'…!
+ He was friends with Royalty
+ He lived with his wife and daughter at Apple Tree Cottage in Ansty
+ Harry did much for charities in Brighton
+ He had a great Health & Fitness ethos
+ Harry's ghost wanders the corridors of the Royal Albion Hotel
+ It is said Harry was buried standing up
Harry may have known Jack the Ripper!
In her 2002 criminal case-study, “Portrait Of A Killer: Jack the Ripper – Case Closed“, American crime writer Patricia Cornwell used modern forensic methods to re-examine the evidence in the Jack the Ripper murders. She named the killer as the artist, Walter Sickert, a pivotal figure in British avant-garde painting in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Walter (Richard) Sickert was an acquaintance of Harry’s. The artist drew the pen and ink portrait of Harry (pictured), with his bull terrier Sambo, that features in Harry’s book ‘Memories’. The portrait was carried out at Sickert’s London studio in 1927. It’s signed in the bottom left-hand corner “Sickert A.R.A.”. Strange to think then that Sir Harry may have been friends with one of the world’s most notorious serial killers!
On presenting her conclusions to a very senior Metropolitan Police officer she learns that had the investigators of the time been presented with the facts she has unearthed, her suspect would definitely have been arrested and would probably have faced trial”…
– Synopsis: “Portrait Of A Killer: Jack the Ripper – Case Closed” by Patricia Cornwell
The way Harry describes his friend however it’s difficult to believe. “He is a charm, one of the real old Bohemians”, wrote Harry. A slightly scatty character it seems, who once forgot the name and location of his hotel on an evening out with Harry and friends. A happy go lucky type with a fun sense of humour. But of course, we can never know what’s going on inside someone’s head from their outward demeanour.
In 2017 Patricia Cornwell revisited her claim in her book “Ripper: The Secret Life of Walter Sickert“, backing up her conviction with further evidence.
Patricia Cornwell’s Ripper books are available on Amazon;
Harry loved Bull Terriers
Harry loved Bull Terriers. His passion for them led to his construction of a block of kennels on the grounds of his cottage in Ansty. The kennels (known as Silversea dogs) became the birthplace of many prize winners, many of which he gave away to his friends. One became a mascot on H.M.S. “Queen Elizabeth”.
His favourite, Sambo, would always be found by his side at his Brighton hotels.
Harry was president of the Bull Terrier Club for 10 years until his death.
Harry’s name has featured on two Brighton & Hove buses!
Many of Brighton & Hove’s fleet of buses carry the names of prominent people with connections to Brighton & Hove. ‘Sir Harry Preston’ has featured on two buses; the 417 (pictured) and 813.
on the Brighton & Hove 417 Bus
See Brighton & Hove Names On Buses for more photos and information on the fleet.
Stuck in the lift at Buckingham Palace!
Harry had been to Buckingham Palace to meet with Wing Commander Louis Greig, the comptroller (financial officer) to the Duke of York. After their meeting, Louis walked Harry to the lift and bid him farewell. As the Wing Commander closed the lift gates he told Harry he just needed to press the third button.
Harry felt nervous. The lift was “one of those ‘push-the-button’ contrivances”. He was more used to riding lifts with elevator operators and handle controls. Harry pressed what he thought was the third button, but nothing happened. He pressed again, long and hard “but that lift stood as still as Joshua’s sun”. He shook the gate but it wouldn’t budge. In his frustration, he let a few ungentlemanly words escape from his lips…
“Is anything the matter, Mr. Preston?”. His Royal Highness the Duke of York stood outside the lift. He’d come to Harry’s aid, noticeably amused by the situation. They chatted for a while, and after being joined by Louis Greig once more, Harry was put once again in the lift while this time Louis made sure he got his finger on the right button.
At the bottom, Harry encountered another difficulty. He couldn’t open the gate. After pushing, pulling and shaking it for some time, a liveried servant arrived and politely informed him he was trying to exit the wrong side.
And so Harry escaped his lift ordeal, vowing never to ride in an automatic lift alone again.
Sport & Celebrity Acquaintances
Sir Harry was acquainted with a great many of the sports and celebrity stars of the day as well as those from the science and literary worlds.
He loved speed and knew many of the early aviators and motorists. He went on speed trials with Sir Malcolm Cambell (who broke the world speed record in 1927, doing 174 mph in his car ‘Bluebird’), and flew with Sir Alan Cobham (the flying legend who brought aviation to the masses and became the first person to fly from England to Australia and back in 1926).
Guglielmo Marconi, ‘the father of wireless’ and pioneer of the radio, stayed at Harry’s Grand Hotel in Bournemouth and carried out his experiments with wireless telegraphy nearby on Sandbanks at Poole Harbour. He became a friend of Harry’s, later bringing his yacht to Brighton to visit him. And WG Grace, the greatest cricketer of them all, also stayed at the hotel and would later take his first motorcar ride in Harry’s car!
Many of the literary figures of the day were acquainted with Harry. Arnold Bennett wrote his novel ‘Clayhanger’ while staying at the Royal Albion. At social gatherings, he would mingle with many other literary types. People like Maurice Baring, the novelist, poet and playwright, the author Hilaire Belloc, GK Chesterton, author and journalist who wrote the ‘Father Brown’ stories featuring a priest who becomes detective, EV Lucas, a novelist and authority on Charles Lamb, Sir James Barrie who wrote ‘The Admirable Chrichton’ and ‘Peter Pan’, and Arthur Machen the Welsh novelist and journalist. Jeffery Farnol, who wrote popular historical romances, was a great friend of his.
Harry entertained or socialised with other famous celebrities. People like Noel Coward (playwright and actor who appeared in many films and wrote In Which We Serve and Brief Encounter), Gracie Fields (English singing star who became a national idol – ‘Our Gracie’), Herbert Wilcox (a famous film producer of the time), Ivor Novello (a famous composer, actor, and playwright), the Dolly Sisters (an early singing group), ‘Buffalo Bill’ Cody (who entertained London with his ‘Wild West’ show in Queen Victoria’s Jubilee year of 1887) and many others, knew Harry and stopped at his hotels or attended his charity events.
And he rubbed shoulders with many of the stage and film stars of his time: Sophie Tucker, Evelyn Laye, Jack Buchanan, George Robey, Nelson Keys, Wilkie Bard, Henry Irving, the American comedian Will Rogers, and numerous others, who gave their services free to his Brighton charity concerts.
Harry is mentioned in the Cole Porter song, “You’re The Top”…!
Cole Porter was an American composer and songwriter. He wrote “You’re The Top” for his Broadway musical “Anything Goes” in 1934. The song demonstrates Porter’s rhyming ability and offers a snapshot of popular culture at the time, with the light-hearted lyrics listing well-known people, places and things. Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Barbra Streisand and Dionne Warwick are just a few of the many artists who have since recorded a version of the song.
“You’re The Top” proved to be the most popular song from the musical. But for the 1935 London West End production, it seems the producer Charles B. Cochran felt that a British audience might not appreciate some of the (American) references in the original song, and so asked Porter to “fix” some of the lyrics*. Hence Harry, a popular figure in England at the time, made his way into the song…
You’re the top
– “You’re The Top”, extract from the revised lyrics from the 1935 West End production of “Anything Goes”*
You’re a dress by Patou
You’re the top
You’re an Epstein statue
You’re the run of a film by Arliss
You’re the sun of the Crystal Palace
You’re the green and gold and mauve of the Old School Tie
You’re the brothers Western
You’re Harry Preston
You’re custard pie!”
*Reference: The Royal Gazette and Colonist Daily, September 1935
NB: according to Wikipedia, P. G. Wodehouse, the well-known English author and humourist, who co-wrote the original book that the musical was based on, “was engaged to replace the specifically American references in the book and lyrics with references more appropriate to an English audience”. So perhaps it was he who added the Harry Preston lyric.
I’ve been unable to find the Harry lyric in any recorded version online. But here anyway, the original version of “You’re The Top”, sung by the man himself Cole Porter…
“You’re The Top”, sung by the man himself Cole Porter (minus the ‘Harry Preston’ lyric)
A discussion around who the “Harry Preston” was in the song featured in the Daily Mail and is reproduced in the book: “Why Would Anyone Want to Swing a Cat?: … and 499 other questions“…
A Friend of Princes
Harry’s great success with his Brighton hotels and his philanthropic activities eventually led him into the august company of Royalty; Edward, Prince of Wales (later to become King Edward VIII), and his brothers George, Duke of York (later to become King George VI), and George, Duke of Kent.
In particular, Harry developed a great friendship with Edward, and he would have the honour of being invited to dine with the Prince at both Manor House Hove and St James Palace. Edward would also join Harry at boxing events at the Royal Albert Hall as well as various other events for charity. They even enjoyed a performance of the Palace Pier Follies together one night on Brighton Pier, after a drive along the coast in Harry’s open-top motor car!
As the Brighton and Hove Herald wrote after his death in 1936, he was “The friend of Princes and the Prince of friends“.
He lived with his wife and daughter at Apple Tree Cottage in Ansty
Harry’s respite from his busy life as a hotelier in Brighton and business dealings in London, was with his wife and daughter at their West Sussex countryside retreat, Apple Tree Cottage in Ansty. Set in around 8 acres of land, the period timber-framed cottage is thought to date from 1580.
Harry had an annexe built, as school rooms for his daughter Nancy and their governess, connected to the cottage via a quaint walkway. His passion for breeding Bull Terriers also led to his construction of a block of kennels, which became the birthplace of many prize winners.
In November 1922 the characterful Apple Tree Cottage was featured in the Ideal Home magazine. They ran an 8-page feature entitled ‘A Country Cottage at Ansty Sussex, the residence of Harry J Preston Esq. of Brighton’. The article featured a photo of him sitting in white spats outside the porch of the cottage, smoking a cigar and accompanied by his favourite bull terrier (pictured).
Harry did much for charities in Brighton
Harry was a great supporter of charities in Brighton. He became president and life governor of the Royal Sussex County Hospital, for which he raised tens of thousands of pounds. Further funds were raised for the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Sick Children and the Lady Chichester Hospital in Hove.
The annual charity boxing tournaments that he staged from 1920 onwards in the Brighton Dome, with Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) and the Duke of York (later King George VI) as patrons, were a great success. The affluent guests would be entertained by world-class boxers, including Jack Dempsey, as well as witnessing exhibition bouts with Harry himself! Harry also frequently borrowed the Brighton Hippodrome for Sunday celebrity shows in aid of the hospitals.
It’s thought Harry raised around £30,000 for Sussex hospitals, and in excess of £100,000 for charities in total. That’s the equivalent of more than 7 million pounds in today’s money!
It’s his unceasing work in this area that gained Harry his knighthood in 1933.
Harry had a great Health & Fitness ethos
Harry had a great health and fitness ethos. Even when over 70 he used to take a daily cycle ride in sweaters and then ride a horse over the Downs.
Here was his recipe for keeping fit…
I attribute the comparative soundness of my own fleshy envelope less to a natural strong constitution than to unremitting care and attention, day after day and week after week, a day without food every now and then, and the best the rest of the time, plenty of exercise and a daily sweat. Exercise – of the intelligence as well as of the body: that word contains in a nutshell my recipe for keeping fit, happy and smiling.“
Every man, of course, has to find what suits him best. But this is my recipe. My maxims are: Understand yourself. Manage and organise your life. Don’t let your body run to stomach, or your brain run to seed. Sweat once a day; it keeps you young and fresh. Snatch those half- hours of leisure which everyone has, and squeeze out of them the last moment of exercise, relaxation or rest. These, blended, compose the magic cocktail of happiness, healthiness, laughter and long life.“
Harry’s ghost wanders the corridors of the Royal Albion Hotel
Harry purchased the Royal Albion Hotel in 1913 transforming it into the town’s leading hotel. He died there in his private suite in 1936 after more than twenty years of service.
According to Paranormal Brighton and Hove…
Sir Harry’s ghost prefers to hang out near the Sir Harry Preston Function Room. Doors mysteriously open and close, apparently by themselves, and there are sometimes very chilly and unexplained draughts. It’s also claimed that the lift has been known to ascend and descend when there’s no one around to operate it. Apparently, the ghost of Sir Harry prefers to make himself visible mostly on Sunday evenings and he’s easy to identify because he’s always wearing his smart bowler hat.“
– Paranormal Brighton And Hove by Janet Cameron
It is said Harry was buried standing up
Sir Harry Preston is buried in the churchyard at Holy Trinity Church, Cuckfield, not far from his cherished country home Apple Tree Cottage in Ansty. His funeral service was attended by his peers, boxers, celebrities and representatives from all walks of life.
Harry’s burial plot is easily found, marked by the two-metre high granite monument that bears the inscription, “In Memory of my Beloved Husband Sir Harry Preston, born February 19th 1860, died August 13th 1936”.
It is said Harry was buried standing up so that he could face forever his beloved South Downs and Brighton.
Read more
See also Harry Preston Memorabilia.
