A old-fashioned community pub has been boarded up leaving residents wondering what the future holds.
The Jolly Anglers, a traditional boozer with a pool table and dart board, in Beeston Rylands, has been serving the area for more than 80 years.
Locals described it as a sorry sight and said they hoped the pub in Meadow Road will reopen.
It is thought the pub belongs to the Craft Union Pub Company - a division of Stonegate - which turned the Greyhound into Jesse Boot in Beeston High Road.
They are advertising for a pub operator or a pub management couple to run the Jolly Anglers.
Tracy Wealthall, who runs Glamour hair salon nearby, said: "I've been going in for at least 20 years. It looks the same now as it did then. We had my granddaughter's birthday in there, and my grandad's wake. It's a nice big pub but it's just lacking.
"There are rumours of a takeover by same company running Jesse Boot.
"It's just got so much potential. It would definitely benefit from a refit and I think it should be more of a family pub with food. There's loads of kids in the Rylands - a good community.
"They'd done a really good job of the garden at the back for kids in summer."
Miss Wealthall said families tend to go into Beeston town centre rather than stay in the Rylands.
"We need a family pub with coffee mornings, mother and babies and a mini disco for the kids one night a week.
"I've been going in since my children were young - they used to do a mini disco then - and my daughter is 31 now. She used to go on a Saturday night."
Shiva Sharma, who runs Arun News and Food, a few doors away from the pub, said: "I don't know why it's closed. Everybody's surprised and was asking the same question.
"It was very sudden. I passed by in the morning and in the evening it was all boarded up.
Mrs Sharma said the worst thing from her point of view would be for the pub to permanently close, and like others before it, to become a Tesco Express of Sainsbury's Local.
"It would destroy my business. Anyway I don't think it would work as there's not a lot of passing trade - this is a dead end."
A 65-year-old man, who lives in the Rylands and asked not be named, said: "I know there's people who would want the pub to reopen. I'd rather go in the Boat and Horses. I'd prefer a shop as I have to get the bus all the way into Beeston."
Steve Westby, chairman of Nottingham CAMRA, said: "The Jolly Anglers is very much a community pub at the heart of the Beeston Rylands area, as demonstrated by the numerous trophies the pub's sports teams have won, which were proudly displayed near the pool table and dartboard.
"One of only two pubs in the area, pubs such as this play an important role as a hub in bringing together local and it is important that yet another one is not lost for good."
Speculation over the pub's future got locals talking on Facebook page Beeston Updated. One said: "Community pubs are a thing of the past, a time where men would go to get out of the house after work. The world is a very different place now it’s all food and theme time change."
Another said: "It's a case of if you don't use it you lose it, basic economics."
A spokesperson for Stonegate said: “The pub is currently closed and is undergoing investment. We aim to reopen as soon as possible and look forward to welcoming guests.”
The pub company's advertisement said the new operator would receive 18 percent of the weekly net turnover to pay themselves and staff.
The advert reads: "At the Craft Union Pub Company, our philosophy is about putting brilliant pubs back at the heart of local communities.
"We believe pubs play a vital role in the lives of their customers and we are committed to nurturing this.
"We stand shoulder to shoulder with our pub operators, supporting them as they practice their craft of running outstanding pubs. For us, they are our local heroes."
To read all the biggest and best stories first sign up to read our newsletters here.
