Tale of true love at historic Wigan hotel continues to this day

Kilhey Court Hotel in Standish was originally a private home and dates back to Victorian England.

Thomas Fairhurst, a successful brewer from Wigan, was so devoted to his bride-to-be Elizabeth Swift that in 1884 he built the house for her as a wedding present.

At the time there were seven servants in the house plus a nanny for the children, two chauffeurs and two gardeners.

The house was filled with valuable antiques and paintings and the drawing room was carpeted with a rug depicting a hunting scene,

There was a conservatory, which housed peach and nectarine rooms, tomato and fern houses leading out to the grounds and a monkey puzzle tree, complete with a real monkey.

It really was a lavish home and a true love story.

And the romance does not stop there as when Mr Fairhurst died in 1912, his widow Elizabeth could not bear to live alone in the house she had shared with her husband.

Instead, she sold the property to Alexander Young, a local mill owner who saw the house as the perfect gift for his new wife.

At this time, oil lamps were still in use but they gradually added a few modern conveniences.

Despite being caught up in the stock market collapse in 1929, the couple had a happy life and shared the house with their two daughters.

After the death of his wife, Mr Young lived in Kilhey Court alone for a while before remarrying in the 1950s.

He died in 1960 and Leonard Sidebotham and his wife Mildred joined his aunt in the house.

Kilhey Court had many traditions, one of which was inviting homeless people for a good meal, which went back to the time when the house was on a direct route from Chorley to Wigan workhouse.

The house opened as a hotel in 1984 and various additions were carried out, the last being a gymnasium and aerobic studio in 1994.

After a series of private owners, it was bought by Macdonald Hotels and Resorts Ltd in August 1996.

More than 130 years on from its original construction, the fairy tales at Kilhey Court continue with the hotel now regularly hosting weddings.

From the large celebrations with up to 350 guests to smaller, more intimate weddings, love remains in the air at Kilhey Court.

The hotel will hold a wedding open day from 10am on Sunday, February 20.

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