The funeral service for Anthony Morbey of The Old Hall, Ely, will be held on Tuesday September 26 at 2pm at Ely Cathedral.

Mr Morbey died in an accident on the M6 in Cumbria on September 13, aged 66.

Tributes have included one from Sue Freestone, head of King’s Ely where Mr Morbey had once been a governor.

Ms Freestone wrote on the King’s Ely website that “Anthony was very well known to the King’s Ely community and he and his family have great given great support to the school over past decades”.

She described him as an “Old Elean, former parent, grandparent and governor” who would be sorely missed.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Alison, his four children, Annabel, Alex, Alastair and Antonia, his grandchildren Isobel and George and his sister, Rosemary, who worked here at King’s Ely for many years.”

Mr Morbey’s family posted to The Old Hall Facebook page their thanks for “your kind thoughts and messages”.

Hundreds who knew Mr Morbey and his family – many who stayed there or attended weddings or receptions – praised him for the warmth of their welcome and the hospitality provided.

His family had earlier posted that “without his vision and passion The Old Hall would not be the special place that it is today”.

Other tributes included the team from Fengrain at Wimblington.

“It is with true regret that we learned of passing of Anthony James Morbey in a tragic accident” says a notice on their website.

“Anthony, a long term member, was a real gentleman and a director of Fengrain for just over two years who continued to support this business as a Director of Cole Ambrose Ltd.”

The company offered their “sincere condolences to his family and friends at this very sad time”.

The Old Hall’s restoration had been a labour of love for Mr Morbey and his family. The house dates back to Jacobean times but fell into disrepair.

Mr Morbey and his wife worked on the project together, at one stage living in a caravan by the front door as they worked on the house.

It has been owned by the Morbey family since the late 1600s but by the late 1970s had disintegrated and only one gable left standing. The family worked from old photos and existing foundations to set about reconstruction to create the impressive building it is today.