A Suffolk wedding company which hosted weddings at “one of the most romantic houses in England” has gone into liquidation due to Covid-19.

Butley Priory Limited, a company which hosted weddings at the 12th century Butley Priory, appointed liquidators from MHA Larking Gowen on November 3.

The company was forced to make the decision after restrictions were placed upon the events industry as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Emma Thomas-Abbott, the priory manager, said: “Although our team here have worked tirelessly over the last eight months, with so many restrictions and uncertainties, sadly Butley Priory Ltd has become a casualty of Covid-19 and has entered into liquidation.”

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Weddings will continue to be held at Butley Priory, but will be conducted by a different company which has taken on Butley Priory Limited’s staff.

Ms Thomas-Abbott said all the couples with bookings had already been contacted.

“We have successfully arranged the immediate transfer of existing wedding bookings to Greenwell Farms, who will continue to provide weddings here just as hitherto,” she said.

“Our staff and catering team will continue to work passionately to ensure Butley Priory continues to flourish for many years to come and maintains it’s status as a leading wedding venue.

“It has been the toughest challenge we have ever faced but we are resilient and we will be back stronger.”

The new company, Greenwell Farms, is owned by Sir Edward Greenwell who owns the Butley Priory building.

Andrew Kelsall, partner at Larking Gowen, said: “Clearly the wedding venue and hospitality business has been curtailed by the current Covid-19 pandemic, and Government limits on wedding party numbers and hospitality events. This means that Butley Priory Limited finds itself in a financial position where it’s unable to continue operating with the current restrictions and future uncertainties.

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“The director and manager, of Butley Priory Limited, have been in negotiation with the owner of Butley Priory regarding future events at the Priory. It’s likely that the owner of Butley Priory will commence to operate a wedding venue business and will provide credit to any couple that have paid deposits to Butley Priory, if they decide to proceed with their wedding plans. I understand that all couples affected have been contacted.

“It’s important to clarify that the owners of Butley Priory have not been involved in the business of Butley Priory Limited.”

Mr Kelsall added that Larking Gowen are conducting an enquiry into the financial affairs of Butley Priory Limited, and expect to pay a dividend to its creditors.