Angry builder fears he will never see him owe him £273,000 after failing to pay for the resumption of a Class II luxury home
She boasted that living in her lovely refurbished country estate “had a dream come true for me in the British countryside.”
But life isn’t that sweet for a builder who helped restore the country’s Bolthole of Australian fashion designer Donna Ida Thornton.
Ms. Thornton’s designs are a favorite of celebrities such as Princess of Welsh and Amanda Holden, who tells her how the cowboy empire made her the lady of the estate.
But after a year or more after the court ordered Ms. Thornton’s company to pay Keith Elliott an unpaid invoice of £273,000 to help create boutique hotels and living spaces for designers, his father said he hasn’t received a penny yet.
Landon Court Manor Limited’s debt was about £3 million a month after the court decision in April 2024, meaning that Mr Elliott is unlikely to receive anything.
The company’s house documents show that most of the money owed by the company is a millionaire who is still listed as a director of the business, or her restaurateur husband Robert Walton resigned from a director or other company they control 15 months ago.
Ms. Thornton and her husband made a glossy photo of Jacob’s second-level luxury home since Daily Mail first revealed the controversy between builders and designers in March 2024.
16-bed real estate Landon Court is not in the company’s assets and the couple still owns it.
Keith Elliott, 43,
Picture: Australian fashion designer Donna Ida Thornton. Ms. Thornton’s design is a favorite of celebrities like the Princess of Wales and Amanda Holden, who has told her how the denim empire has made her the lady of the estate
Pictured: Ms. Thornton’s Class II listed 16 bedrooms at Jacobs Building Langdon Court. Ms. Thornton applied to liquidation Landon Court Manor Co., Ltd. last May
Hello! The work was published last June, weeks after the designer submitted a “Extraordinary Resolution” to end the business.
Ms. Thornton said in an article about how the couple’s dogs own their own apartment, known as “Chihuahua Amaable”, “Live in the English countryside is a dream come true for me. It’s beautiful; I love it here.
Hello! The shooting saw Ms. Thornton, 51, and her husband, 69, president of the Restaurant Association, placed in front of a wall in one of the newly renovated rooms in Langdon Court with a print that read “I don’t regret it.”
But Elliott, 43, and other contractors did not see the interesting side from their pockets. He said: “That picture is just two of my fingers, every one who is not paid.
This is a typical example of Donna’s behavior, very arrogant and completely ignores anyone else. She was glad that she essentially escaped without paying.
“This shows that the room they were posing was the room we completed for her, she did not pay, and the court granted us all the contract value.
“It really makes me angry and frustrated when you see them living a high life with the items they purchased.”
Elliott of Hanston, Devon, said there were no photos on the wall while working at the property in December 2022.
Mr Elliott (pictured) said his battle with Ms. Thornton and her husband Robert Walton cost him £600,000
Since the Daily Mail first revealed the controversy between builders and designers in March 2024, Ms. Thornton, 51, and Mr. Walton, 69, (both pictured) appeared in glossy photos of Jacobean Mansion listed on Level II last June.
Hello! The filming saw Ms. Thornton, 51, and her husband, 69, the chairman of the Restaurant Association, placed in front of a wall in one of the newly renovated rooms in Langdon Court with a print that read “I don’t regret” (pictured: Ms. Thornton, 2017))
He said his fight with the couple cost him £600,000, including unpaid judgments, legal fees and dozens of hours he and his colleagues spent fighting the case.
He admits he sees the opportunity to cash “slim”, but he is still determined to pursue debt. The builder, which employs seven employees and has up to 70 subcontractors, said he is no longer able to build his own family home as planned.
Ms. Thornton applied to liquidation Landon Court Manor Co., Ltd. in May last year. This is Ms. Thornton’s third company to be dissolved – two companies that are allegedly biased towards creditors collapsed.
Mr. Walton has two other hotel companies that are in liquidation.
The couple bought the property, which sailed into the government with two cabins in 2021 for £1,050,000 and began renovations the following year.
Ms. Thornton’s PR staff declined to comment, rather than pointing out that there is a large part of Mr. Elliott’s work.
