LICENSED Ventures Number Two, the company behind the George Hotel has gone bust, it was confirmed last night

A spokesman for Rollings Oliver, liquidator of the management company, said: “We are assisting the directors of the owners, Licensed Ventures Number Two, who have ceased trading.”

The iconic hotel – birthplace of rugby league – shut down on Wednesday and all of its staff were made redundant.

Guests were asked to leave and the building was closed to the public.

Receiver, Colliers International, is dealing with the liquidation of the historic hotel with Rollings Oliver.

Colliers, a London-based commercial property agent, is trying to sell the prominent 300-year-old building and is marketing the hotel on its website for just short of £1.4m.

But concerns that historic items of memorabilia in the Gillette Rugby League Heritage Centre could be sold appear to have eased after Colliers confirmed it was not part of their sale.

And Keith Burhouse, head curator of the Heritage Centre, said: “I have spoken to the administrator this morning and we have come to an agreement that the memorabilia in the Heritage Centre can remain there until the end of the month when centre manager, Mike Stephenson, comes back from Australia, when further decisions can be made.

“There is 24-hour seven-days-a-week security at the hotel, so everything is secure, so people do not need to worry about any of their items that have been loaned or donated to the museum as it is also locked up and secure too.”

A spokeswoman for Colliers said: “On January 2, 2013 the Royal Bank of Scotland appointed Jon Cookson and Nigel Nattress as Joint Law of Property Act Receivers of The George Hotel, Huddersfield.

“The hotel is no longer trading and staff and customers have been informed.”

Mr Cookson, head of corporate restructuring at Colliers International said: “The George Hotel has been on the market for a number of months.

“Unfortunately a sale was not achievable and it is with regret, that the hotel had to close on January 2, 2013.

“Colliers International will now be actively marketing the site and looking to find a buyer as soon as possible.

“The Gillette Rugby League Heritage Centre is separately owned and is not part of the sale of The George Hotel.

“Any customers of The George Hotel with queries should contact the liquidator of the management company, Rollings Oliver LLP.”

Yesterday, the front door of the historic venue continued to be guarded by a bouncer who turned away prospective guests and people making inquiries.

Kirklees Council is now thought to be looking at ways it can help out.

Clr Mehboob Khan, who contacted The Examiner from Pakistan, where he is currently on holiday, said the council’s legal team had been working in case concerns about historic rugby league items being disposed of in a “fire sale” became a reality.

He added: “We will look to work with the receivers to ensure whoever does purchase the business, hopefully as a going concern, keeps the museum open.

“We also want to look at ways that in future times of uncertainty at the hotel, the items are still available for the public to view.”

Clr Khan said he was aware the hotel had been “on the brink” for a number of years but said he thought it was still a viable venue for a hotel.

He said: “It’s an ideal location, we’ve got the Rugby League World Cup coming and an international game will be played in Huddersfield.

“There is enough business during the week to keep a hotel going.

“I’m not an expert on hotels but the feedback we’ve had is The George requires modernising to attract business customers who do come to our area in significant numbers, so the market is there to be exploited.”

Deputy leader, Clr David Sheard, said they would do all they could.

He said: “Obviously we can’t throw cash at it in a situation when we’re having to close our own services down, but we will do all we can.”

Green chief, Clr Andrew Cooper, said he had been making efforts to make sure the liquidators did not sell off any artefacts.

He said: “Kirklees legal team are involved, seeing what they can do to help out – we’re on the case.

“We really want to make sure this great part of Huddersfield’s heritage is not mis-appropriated as part of the sale.”

Clr Cooper said he was now calling for a summit about empty buildings around St George’s Square.

He added: “It’s a warning to us all about the health of the town centre and the need for us to do something.”

Joe Marsden, who helps run the Huddersfield Central Lodge Hotel in the town centre, said he would be willing to consider any staff who lost their jobs at the George Hotel for positions and was hoping to offer interviews next month.

He said: “What has happened is nothing to do with the staff.

“It is very sad news and we feel for them. I have no doubt that they have done their darndest.”

FALLOUT from the closure of the George Hotel has begun to emerge.

Several couples who have booked weddings at the venue look set to have their big days ruined.

Golcar couple Juliette Grace, 23, and Ryan Hemingway, 27, said they were devastated at the shock news as they had paid the £2,500 balance for their wedding at The George just before Christmas.

Juliette said her young daughter Evie-Annabelle, four, had been in tears at the news that she may not get to be a flower girl.

She said: “I’m completely in a state of shock, it hasn’t quite sunk in.

“We’ve been working three jobs between us and we got out a loan and decided to pay in full in November.

“I’m heartbroken – we’ve had to do a lot to get this money and if we can’t get it back there’s no wedding.

“We won’t be able to do it now for five or 10 years.”

The mum-of-two said they were also angry that they had not been notified about the hotel’s problems.

She added: “We asked if we needed wedding insurance and they said why bother.

“It’s not just the venue, we will have lost deposits for everything else, which could be as much as £6,000.”

Another bride to be, Suzé Nelson, 25, said she was devastated as her wedding was only a few weeks away.

The tearful Holmfirth woman said: “It’s really upsetting, I’ve had all of Christmas to prepare and get everything finished and visualise how wonderful it was going to be.

“To have it taken away with no warning whatsoever is devastating.

“The most important day of my life looks like it’s going to be in some pub or village hall.

“That’s not what I wanted for my special day.”

Suzé, who was due to marry her fiancé Dan Trim, 27 on March 23, said they had only paid a deposit but said she had spent hours handmaking invitations and had many guests booked into the hotel for their big day.

She added: “It’s still a lot of money to us and we’ve been saving for this for three years.

“We were so close to having it and now it’s ruined.

“I’ve been ringing other venues and everywhere’s full and the Town Hall has no space for a reception.”

Suzé said she was disappointed that hotel managers had not been honest with her.

She said: “The wedding co-ordinator and manager promised me the building was going to get redecorated before Christmas, with new furniture and said ‘We’ve been bought out by this new company’.

“But we kept going back and saw nothing had happened.”

Meanwhile, organisers of a records fair, which has used the George six times a year for the past four years, have revealed they were due to host a fair at the hotel tomorrow.

Bernard McMylor, of Premier Record Fairs, said he knew nothing of the shutdown until a friend saw the story in the Examiner.

He said: “They have not had the courtesy to ring me, which is upsetting.

“Luckily, we had not paid in advance as we always pay on the day.

“It is such a shame because the fairs in Huddersfield have always been so popular.”

Several venues have come forward to offer their services to people who had bookings at The George, including the Old Golf House Hotel at Outlane, and the YMCA at Salendine Nook.