A BRIDE-to-be is devastated as her dream wedding venue cut off all contact – after she and her fiance put down a £1,500 deposit.
Kathryn Griffiths and Mark Mercer say they can now no longer afford to tie the knot after they plugged all their savings into securing a spot at Somerset stately home Maunsel House.
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But they have not heard from the venue, who have cut off their phone lines, ignored their emails and locked the gates to the 13-bedroom Tudor manor, in four months.
Kathryn and Mark, along with at least 10 other couples who paid hefty deposits, now believe they will not get their money back from Maunsel Ltd.
The sprawling Tudor manor in Bridgewater, Somerset, is the stately home of gun-toting eccentric Sir Benjamin Slade – and in 2020 it was listed on the rental market for a modest £20,000 a month.
Kathryn and Mark decided on the beautiful mansion as their venue just before the pandemic began – and handed over their hard-earned savings as the deposit.
Kathryn, who got engaged on Christmas Day in 2018, explained: “We looked at loads of venues over Somerset but fell in love with the place and the wedding planners.
“We were so excited for our fairytale wedding and we booked for November 4, 2020.”
When the pandemic hit they were forced to push back their date – and decided they would get married in June 2022 instead.
But Kathryn and Mark from nearby Burnham-on-Sea, said they haven’t heard from anyone at Maunsel House since November – and fear they have lost their deposit for good.
Kathryn, 36, said: “They’ve gone into radio silence and no one can get into contact with them.
“Some people have had their wedding pass without any correspondence or refund. There’s just nothing.
“If you call, the line is cut. If you email there’s no response. If you go there the gate is locked and you can’t get to the house.
“We’ve gone there a couple of times but you can’t get on the premises and there’s no one there to speak to anyway because they’ve sacked all the event’s organisers.”
The couple began scouring social media, desperate for help and advice – and discovered a Facebook group full of couples who had similarly been “blanked” by Maunsel House.
Kathryn explained: “When we were not getting any response we had a look online and then we joined this Facebook group.
We can’t afford to get married now. We saved that money especially for our dream venue.
Kathryn Griffiths
“We found out other couples had also been cut off and found out that the wedding planners had been sacked.”
The company’s director Rupert James refused to comment when approached by The Sun.
Meanwhile, the house’s Baronet owner, Sir Ben, claims he has nothing to do with the wedding business.
He told the BBC “he was neither a director nor a shareholder of Maunsel Ltd” when approached last week.
Sir Benjamin’s solicitor also told The Sun he did not wish to comment.
WEDDING ‘COMPLETELY RUINED’
The couple are struggling to get their money back – with apparently no chance of a refund from the venue, Kathryn said she has spent hours on the phone trying to get a refund through her bank.
She added: “Every morning we wake up hoping that it was all just a bad dream and that it all never happened.
“We can’t afford to get married now. We saved that money especially for our dream venue.
“They’ve completely ruined our wedding day.”
The couple are now fundraising towards the cost of their wedding, you can donate here.
Millionaire Sir Ben, who once placed an advertisement for a wife who could provide him with two sons, became a father at the age of 75 earlier this month – to a daughter.
In July last year, he reportedly got engaged to 29-year-old Sahara Sunday Spain, daughter of Johnny Spain, a member of the Black Panthers who was jailed for murder.
The aristocrat lost a sexual discrimination case against two former employees in 2019 – and in December a two-year legal battle to avoid paying £26,000 compensation.
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