Set in the spacious Preston Park, Preston Hall Museum is a Victorian manor house, built in 1825, and now serving as a museum of Victorian life. In former servants’ quarters, many period rooms have been decorated, and a street of Victorian shops and a working blacksmith is on show. The museum also displays a collection of weapons, toys, and the Georges de la Tour painting “The Dice Players”. Elsewhere in the park, a bird enclosure and Butterfly World – with many species of butterflies, insects and spiders – are open to the public. The park also has playgrounds, walks and sweeping views along the River Tees.