Christian B&B owners who refused to let gay couple stay suffer death threats and are forced to sell up because of a lack of business



Hazelmary and Peter Bull have put the Chymorvah Hotel in Marazion, Cornwall on the market for £750,000

Legal bills from their case against the gay couple they refused a room to have made it impossible to stay in business



They say they couldn't face another winter of going 'cold and hungry'



They also claim they have been the victims of abuse and have even had their website corrupted with porn



A Christian couple who refused to let a gay couple stay in a double bedroom at their B&B guesthouse, have been forced to sell up after losing a lengthy court battle.



Hazelmary and Peter Bull, who run Chymorvah Hotel at Marazion, Cornwall, have also faced death threats over their decision to refuse a room to gay couple Martyn Hall and Steven Preddy in 2008.



Now they say they have no option but to sell their beloved home and business after failing to attract enough custom and paying their legal costs after high profile court cases over the issue.

No way forward: Hazelmary and Peter Bull say they can't face another winter like last year when they went 'cold and hungry' because of money worries Strong beliefs: Despite all the trouble Mrs Bull still defends her right to stick to her principles about whether unmarried couples should be allowed to share rooms

Threatened: Peter and Hazelmary Bull say they have suffered a campaign of abuse over their policy on gay couples

The Chymorvah, which allows only married couples to share a bed, also lost its listing with hotel database Visit England because of its stance against the 2007 Equalities Act.

And despite a good summer of sunshine they were not even half full and believe they were the only hotel in the county ‘that had rooms left.’

The couple claim they have received death threats, vandalism and had their website corrupted with pornography.

They claim they have had the bolts removed from the wheels of their car and most recently found a dead rabbit nailed to their fence all over the issue of who they allow to stay in their guesthouse.

In 2011 the couple were ordered to pay £3,600 to civil partners Mr Hall and Mr Preddy after they were refused a room at the the grade II listed hotel on religious grounds.

The landmark legal case heard at Bristol County Court polarised opinions and effectively sealed the supremacy of gay rights over Christian belief under the Sexual Orientation Regulations introduced in 2007.

Empty: Despite its beautiful setting and great summer weather the Chymorvah Hotel in Cornwall was still only half full

Chymorvah House: The nine-bedroom grade II listed building is hoped to sell for around £750,000 the decision has left the Bulls feeling like there has been 'a death in the family'

Steven Preddy (left) and Martin Hall outside Bristol County Court in 2011 after a judge ruled that Peter and Hazelmary Bull acted unlawfully when they refused them a double room on religious grounds

The laws prevent discrimination against homosexuals by businesses and state organisations, but have had the knock-on effect of requiring Christians who run small concerns to set their principles and beliefs aside if they wish to stay in business.

Judge Andrew Rutherford also broke new ground by insisting that in the eyes of the law there is no difference between a civil partnership and a marriage and that as such the Bull's reason for denying civil partners a room was invalid.



Outside court, Mrs Bull said the verdict had serious implications for the religious liberty of Christians had that they felt pushed to the margins of society, and added: ‘Some people are more equal than others.'



They say they have been forced into selling their nine bed hotel for £750,000 because last winter they 'were actually shivering and were hungry’.

But Mrs Bull fears they will be forced to accept much less for it, because their lack of visitors has left them on the brink of bankruptcy.



She said: 'We were optimistic in the spring. Why wouldn’t we be with the summer ahead of us?



'We have had a better summer than we thought but nowhere near good enough to pay our way.

'We were not even half-full. We must have been the only place in west Cornwall that had rooms left.'

Mounting bills and political pressure has left the Bulls feeling their belief system as well as their business has been demolished.



Mrs Bull added: 'It was a gradual process; we just noticed more and more that we couldn’t make the mortgage repayments.

'Last winter was terrible, w e were actually shivering and were hungry w e are coming towards next winter and dreading it .

'In 2013, two people who worked all their lives at this have ended up cold and hungry. It’s not right.'



'This is like a death in the family. I never thought it would end like this.



'We are not facing the future with any real enthusiasm.'

Victimised: The couple say have had their website corrupted with pornography and even found a dead rabbit nailed to their fence

'Deep regard' for marriage: Peter and Hazelmary cut the cake on their wedding day on December 19 1964

Mr and Mrs Bull have operated their 'married only' policy since they bought the Chymorvah Private Hotel in Marazion near Penzance, Cornwall, in 1986.



Their hotel website says: ‘We have few rules but please note that out of a deep regard for marriage we prefer to let double accommodation to heterosexual married couples only.’



Such rules are so strictly adhered to that Mrs Bull has admitted that even her own brother, when he comes to stay, is required to stay in a separate room to his female partner.'



In August 2008, the Bulls received a letter from Stonewall, the gay rights organisation, saying it had received a complaint and warning the hotel it was breaking the law.



The following month Mr Preddy, from Bristol, rang to book a double room for two nights, but did not mention he was part of a homosexual couple.



Mrs Bull, who took the call, said that she had wrongly assumed he would be staying with his wife before she accepted the booking.

When Mr Preddy and Mr Hall arrived, they were told by the manager, Bernie Quinn, that the hotel could not honour the booking and could offer them only separate single rooms.

End of the road: Mr and Mrs Bull fear they may have to accept much less than the £750,000 asking price because the court battle and falling visitor numbers have pushed them to the brink of bankruptcy

The chronology of events led to Mr and Mrs Bull fearing that they had become the victims of a sting operation by gay rights activists however in court a judge said there was no evidence to prove this.

The controversy goes on and earlier this year the couple won the right to take their appeal to the Supreme Court next month after the case was dismissed by the Court of Appeal.

But some critics have pointed to a problem with the service itself as the reason behind the collapse of the Chymorvah rather than political views of the owners.



The B&B has been savaged by reviewers on cult travel website TripAdvisor for being 'shabby', 'not particularly clean' and welcoming.

One user wrote: 'Looks good on the website, but extremely disappointment.

'I am Christian but that's not the reason I went there. But I felt the place had a terrible atmosphere.



'I am vegetarian and there was a very limited menu. I felt like I committed a crime when I mentioned I was vegetarian.



Not happy: Hazelmary Bull in one of the guest bedrooms that online reviewers panned as 'cramped', 'shabby' and 'damp'

'The look I received from woman could kill you.



'The room was cramped, not particularly clean and smelled strange, it was also cold and damp.



'I really don't like the thought of religion being forced down my throat whilst on holiday/taking a short break. I wanted to enjoy my time but I felt like I was a burden to this hotel not a guest.



'It's a real shame because it could be a lot better if the rooms were cleaner/up to date and fresh and the people running the hotel more hospitable.'



Echoing similar concerns another reviewer wrote: 'Had a most disappointing three day stay here and could not wait to get out everywhere is so old and dated and really shabby.



'It throws religion in your face, which you don't need when stopping at a hotel.

