Historic Midlands wedding venue goes bust and shuts immediately
A landmark Staffordshire hotel and wedding venue has shut suddenly after going bust. The Castle Hotel in Tamworth has ceased operating after owners The Rest House Limited entered into a creditors’ voluntary liquidation.
The historic Grade-II listed hotel, which sits at the junction of Holloway and Market Street, in the shadows of Tamworth Castle in the town centre, has closed its doors. A post on The Castle Hotel Facebook page on Wednesday(January 29), since deleted, said: “We are sorry to announce The Castle Hotel has gone into receivership this morning.”
Just two weeks ago it had been promoting its spring wedding fayre and selling tickets to the event. But now all posts back to November have been deleted.
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Richard Tonks and Kim Richards of accountancy firm, BK Plus, have been appointed as joint liquidators. The firm confirmed: “The Rest House Limited trading as The Castle Hotel in Tamworth, a well-known wedding and events venue, has entered Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation.”
Kim Richards, one of the joint liquidators said the business had been suffering for a while and had also received a HMRC winding up petition. Ms Richards said the liquidators had ‘no alternative’ but to close the business with immediate effect.
Adding: "For the avoidance of doubt, there is no prospect of weddings or events taking place at the venue in the short or medium term."
The news will leave couples with wedding and other bookings planned worried about what happens next. Ms Richards said: “We understand that this news may be distressing for those with upcoming weddings or events at the venue.
“From our initial findings, it is clear that the business has been in decline for a while and the company had received a winding-up petition from HM Revenue and Customs. In the circumstances, there are no alternatives but to arrange for the immediate cessation of the business.
“In this initial period, our legal duties are limited to protecting and preserving the company’s assets, whilst arranging for formal notices to be issued to creditors. Once further information has been gathered and our appointment ratified, we will be able to provide further detail in relation to the overall financial position of the company, along with comments on the prospects for creditors.”
BirminghamLive has visited the hotel on Thursday (January 30) morning and found the doors to the hotel were locked. There were no signs outside the venue indicating it had gone into liquidation. The only sign visible was one advertising the wedding fayre on Sunday, March 23
BK Plus directed anyone who is financially affected by The Castle Hotel going into liquidation to email: castlehotel@bkplus.co.uk, providing their contact details and nature of their claim.
The firm said: “Unfortunately, it will not be possible for us to correspond with everyone affected at this time, whilst our appointment is in its infancy. Once further information comes to light, we will provide further updates to those affected.”
The firm gave the following advice to those affected and steps to take for anyone with a booking. It said
"1. Register as a Creditor
"If you have paid deposits or balances for an event at The Castle Hotel, please register your claim with us. Please email castlehotel@bkplus.co.uk with:
Your full name
Details of your event (date, type of event, number of guests, etc.)
Proof of payment (receipts, bank statements, invoices, or any relevant documentation)
"It will not be possible to respond to all claimants but all claims received will be logged and further updates provided in due course.
"2. Check Your Payment Method
"If you paid by credit card, contact your card provider to check if you can initiate a chargeback or refund. If you paid by debit card, speak with your bank to see if a Chargeback or refund is available. If you paid by any other method, please confirm the details in your claim.
"3. Contact Your Wedding Insurance Provider
"If you have wedding or event insurance, notify your provider immediately and begin a claim. For the avoidance of doubt, there is no prospect of weddings or events taking place at the venue in the short or medium term."
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The joint liquidators added: “No phone contact is available: The venue is no longer operational, and there is no one available to take calls. All claims must be handled via castlehotel@bkplus.co.uk.
“Act quickly: Contact your bank, insurance provider, and alternative venues as soon as possible to explore your options. If you are financially affected by the liquidation process, please email: castlehotel@bkplus.co.uk. We appreciate your patience during this time and will provide updates as the process progresses.”