Couple’s dream wedding at luxury venue Thornton Manor goes up in smoke

A couple from Bolton were looking forward to their dream wedding, which was finally taking place after being postponed four times during the coronavirus pandemic. Having initially planned to get married in 2019, Molly and John Goldie had waited patiently for their big day.

They chose the stunning venue of Thornton Manor, a Grade II* listed building in the small village of Thornton Hough in Wirral, Merseyside, for their wedding. Set in beautiful surroundings, the manor house has provided the backdrop for several high profile events, including Coleen Rooney’s 21st birthday party, as well as being the location where Brexit talks between Boris Johnson and then Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar took place.

Molly and John, who are now married, paid around £11,000 for the ceremony in the impressive manor house. Their guests had also booked all 22 rooms as well as a number of cottages on the estate, Liverpool Echo reports.

READ MORE: George Michael paid for mum's IVF treatment after spotting her on Deal or No Deal - now she has a 'perfect' son

But the pair’s dreams quite literally went up in smoke when a devastating fire tore through the roof of the manor house in early February, two months before their big day. While there were no injuries in the huge blaze, the dreams of the young couple, like large swathes of the building, had been reduced to rubble.

Molly and Jordan urgently contacted Thornton Manor and its owners Thornton Holdings Ltd, to enquire about what this meant for their dream day. They were devastated to be told that not only could the wedding they had planned not go ahead, but the business could not afford to refund them the £11,000 they had already transferred.

In the weeks following the February blaze, it