Birthplace of RL to miss out on World Cup

WORK on restoring the landmark George Hotel in Huddersfield will not be completed until 2024, Kirklees Council has revealed.

That means the hotel – the birthplace of rugby league in 1895 – will not be ready for next year’s Rugby League World Cup, as some supporters had hoped.

However, work on stripping out the 1850s Grade II*-listed building has begun.

Simon Taylor, head of strategic investment at Kirklees Council, said: “The paperwork on the George Hotel will be signed off in the next couple of weeks.”

It is hoped the hotel will be a base for a rugby league museum.