A HISTORIC boozer is feared to have closed after being sat unused and boarded up for over a month.
The pub, which has served the town for at least 200 years, has not posted on social media since early February.
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The Old Ball Hotel in Walsgrave, Coventry claims on its Facebook Page that it has recently been passed onto new management.
However, the Campaign for Real Ale website says it is currently closed, with the tenancy up for offers.
Pubgoers have not heard from management since February 8, when they last shared a cozy picture of the inn’s interior.
On February 2 it also shared a new “welcome” post to customers, boasting a “warm and inviting atmosphere” where “tradition meets comfort.”
Yet the pub’s windows are currently boarded up — signalling a permanent closure.
The Sun has reached out to the pub for comment, as well as brewery Admiral Taverns which is believed to own the establishment.
Historic Coventry states that the boozer dates back to as early as the 1800s.
Its website explains that the road where it is located, Ball Hill, was originally known as Stoke Knob — but was renamed after the iconic pub.
The closure comes as sad news for the whole of the country as yet another historic watering hole drops off the map.
This week the family-run Walnut Tree Shades in the centre of Norwich has announced it will close its doors for good.
The Pink and Lily in Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire, also underwent shock closure last week.
And a 223-years-old seaside pub, The East Kent in Whitstable, has said 2025 will be its last year of trade.
The Voice of Brewers and Pubs (BBPA) reckons that nearly 300 pubs closed across England and Wales in 2024 — the equivalent of six a week.
Last month CEO Emma McClarkin said: “The scale of these closures is completely avoidable because pubs are doing a brisk trade.
“Consumer demand is there, however, profits are being wiped out with sky high bills and pubs are facing yet more rates and costs come April.”
However big chains are also struggling. Since the pandemic JD Wetherspoon has lost over 100 branches, with more closures set for 2025.
Spoons boss Tim Martin has called on the government to slash VAT on booze sales to help pubs thrive.
This is because boozers have to pay 20% on sales — while food and drink in shops have zero VAT.
Sales are also falling as the cost of living worsens for punters — leaving them with less money to splash on inflated beer prices.
To keep track of which pubs are closing near you, it helps to check local community Facebook groups where residents share updates and owners usually break the news.
More than 400 pubs closed in 2024 – as number of UK boozers reaches all-time low
MORE than 400 pubs called last orders last year as the total number of boozers reached an all-time low.
Some 412 in England and Wales — around 34 a month — shut and were demolished or converted into homes, offices and nurseries.
That was a rise of 6.7 per cent compared to the previous year and the sharpest fall in numbers since 2021, when 444 pubs closed their doors.
A total of 2,074 pubs have gone in the past five years, analysis by the commercial real estate experts Altus Group found.
The overall number of boozers in England and Wales, including those vacant and offered to let, fell to a low of 38,989 according to Valuation Office Agency statistics.
Four years ago, the hospitality sector was hit by Covid lockdowns and soaring energy prices.
In 2024, rising costs and cautious spending also hit the sector.
The British Beer and Pub Association reckons pubs face an additional £71 million bill from April when employer National Insurance Contributions rise to 15 per cent.
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