One of Brighton's quirkiest venues has been closed and is on the look out for new management once again.

The Hanbury Ballrooms, in St George's Road, Kemp Town, has been everything from a mausoleum, a boxing club, a private members’ club and a nightclub in its 200-year history.

Its latest incarnation was a music venue run by a company called Orange Design and Developments.

However the Hanbury's licence has been taken back by Punch Taverns, the owner of the property's freehold.

A spokeswoman for Punch would not give any details about what happened other than to say the venue has been closed for “several days”.

She added that the company was in talks with another potential licensee and it could re-open soon.

The spokeswoman said: “We are hopeful that we have secured a new operator to ensure the future sustainability of the Hanbury Club.

“We are currently discussing plans for the site and look forward to working closely with the new licensee to agree an opening date.”

The Argus tried to contact Orange Design for comment but no one was available.

It is the second time in under a year that the licence to run the Hanbury licence has changed hands.

In November, previous operators Chris Edwardes and Amanda Blanch had to vacate after their lease agreement with Punch came to an end.

They had run the venue for three years and spent £100,000 on refurbishment.

Patrick Marsden, of Brighton-based Lout Promotions, said the Hanbury was a very popular venue with bands and artists.

In recent years he has organised gigs there featuring Scottish pop star Paulo Nutini, former The Auteurs frontman Luke Haines and many others.

Mr Marsden said: “Any artist who cares about the venue they play wants the Ballrooms. It looks fantastic and is a lot more unusual than anywhere else in the city.

“It is really popular with an older crowd and suits more stripped-down music.

“I'm sure it won't be long until it’s back open.”