East Cambridgeshire was today mourning the death of Anthony Morbey, the man who helped to create one of Ely’s most prestigious and best loved wedding venues.
Mr Morbey of The Old Hall died following a crash on the M6 in Cumbria on Wednesday night.
The crash happened at around 11.50pm and involved only one vehicle, a grey Range Rover, on the M6 northbound at Southwaite.
A statement posted to The Old Hall Facebook page last night said simply “in memory of a great gentleman.
“Without his vision and passion The Old Hall would not be the special place that it is today.
“Anthony sadly passed away in a tragic car accident in the early hours of Wednesday 13th September 2017.
“Alison, Alex and the Morbey family will endeavour to honour his memory.”
Hundreds paid tribute to Mr Morley with many recalling his fondness for The Old Hall and the welcoming smile and greeting he gave to visitors.
“He was such a lovely bloke when he showed us round and he was part of what made us fall in love with the house as our wedding venue,” said one.
Another wrote that “Anthony was a true gentleman and always so proud when he showed us around the old hall, he made us feel so welcome and always had a big smile on his face”.
One other tribute remarked that “he was such a gentleman and so proud of his home but welcomed us into it for our wedding with a great sense of humour”.
The Old Hall is a recently renovated Jacobean manor house, set in its own unique and historic estate of 3,000 acres.
Since the Morbey family bought the Cromwell Estate and house from The Bagge family in 1830, the estate has been developed by successive generations into a productive arable farm.
Anthony and his wife Alison diversified the house in 2010 into a 5 Star gold Bed and Breakfast and a venue that is booked in its entirety for weddings, parties, conferences and private dinner parties.
Alex, their daughter, returned home from London in 2012 having spent time training in hotel management and working in the event management industry for the previous years. Alex now heads the team working with couples to ensure the prefect wedding day.
Only recently The Old Hall Ely was shortlisted for the Most Beautifully Presented Award at the eviivo Awards, Britain’s premier annual awards for the industry.
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