A LOVE-struck couple have made history by becoming the first to tie the knot in one of Brighton’s most haunted buildings.

Rick Clifford and Penny Tamkin were in high spirits when they became the first couple to be married at Preston Manor.

The pair tied the knot in front of family and friends in a ceremony in the dining room of the Brighton and Hove City Council-owned manor on Saturday.

The happy couple said the historic house was the ideal wedding venue because they live nearby and know the manor well as they passed it daily on park walks with their dog Willow.

The couple’s historic wedding celebrations were rounded off with an intimate reception in their own home followed by a party in the Rotunda café, Preston Park.

Couples marrying in the licensed dining room of the 18th century manor can enjoy views across the croquet lawn and the park.

The house and gardens, which were home to the Stanford family for 130 years before being bequeathed to the council, is considered one of the spookiest in Brighton and featured in an episode of TV’s Most Haunted.

Staff working at the manor have reported mysterious half-seen figures moving around at closing time and a ‘grey lady’ wandering on the stairs.

Rick said: “We’ve been a couple for 30 years and have lived near Preston Manor for 20 of them. It’s a lovely venue and because it is very local we felt it was somewhere we could relate to.

“We didn’t know when we booked the wedding that we would be the first people to get married there, so we were quite surprised and pleased.”

Councillor Ollie Sykes, lead councillor for city services, said: “Preston Manor is a charming wedding location and we are delighted to congratulate Rick and Penny on their marriage.

“The manor is one of a number of historic and unusual council-owned buildings in the city which are licensed for weddings, including the Royal Pavilion and the seafront bandstand.”

The council announced last month that the Old Police Cells Museum, the council chamber and the mayor’s parlour at Brighton Town Hall had all been licensed as wedding venues.

An open evening giving more information on wedding venues in the city will be held at Brighton Town Hall on Thursday, October 23, from 5pm to 7pm.