Prested Hall liquidation fears leave bride-to-be 'devastated'

Staff at the historic Prested Hall, in Feering, reported that they had been suddenly let go last week.

Visitors to a planned wedding fair at the hall on Sunday arrived and found the venue closed.

The hotel's website confirmed the wedding fair had been postponed but no reason was given.

Customers hoping to book an event at the hotel are being greeted with an "Oops! That page can't be found" message.

When a reporter visited the hotel on Tuesday they found the building closed and blinds drawn.

Prested Hall, in Feering, when the Gazette visited on Tuesday (Image: Newsquest)

It is understood the health club, gym and spa on site all remain open.

Attempts by the Gazette to contact the firm via phone, email and Facebook have gone unanswered.

• READ MORE: Letter to staff at 'closed' wedding venue states 'liquidators to be appointed'

A bride-to-be, who is due to get married at the venue in April, told BBC Essex she had been told the venue was closed.

"We finally got through to someone, I think from the spa, and they told me it was closed and in liquidation, which came as a very big surprise and obviously quite a shock," she said.

"We had no other information at that point, we were just told to wait and someone would call us.

"Then, probably that evening, I had a phone call to tell me that everything was being done to try and keep the contracts they had for weddings especially."

The woman, who was kept anonymous, told the programme she was left fearing her wedding may not go ahead at the venue.

She said: "It's money we obviously feel very strongly about, having invested it in our wedding day, and we don't even know if it doesn't happen whether we'll get any of that back. It's very hard.

"We're going to have to sit and wait, we can't really afford to do anything else.

"We are hoping we can still have our wedding at Prested Hall, because we fell in love with that place, and it's the one place my fiancée really wanted to get married at.

"Obviously if that doesn't happen he's going to be devastated."

A make-up artist told BBC Essex she was due to attend a cancelled wedding fair at the venue on Sunday. 

She said: "We paid a fee to have an exhibit at the fair, we don't know what's going to happen with that. 

"It sounds like something is going on behind the scenes."