A POPULAR city centre pub will close its doors today.

The Royal Pavilion Tavern in Castle Square announced yesterday that they will be permanently closed, and staff told The Argus they were upset to be losing their jobs.

Their statement, widely shared on social media, said they were “permanently” closing and apologised for any inconvenience.

Shift supervisor Rob Brean said staff were only given two weeks’ notice of the pub’s closure, and ten members of staff will be losing their jobs.

He said: “We sort of knew something was coming.

“Earlier in the year we were told that it was going to be refurbished, and there was a chance they would be getting rid of it for good.

“Obviously if it was just a refurb we would still be able to work here.

“I’ve been here three years so I will get a bit of redundancy pay, but there’s a lot of people here who won’t get anything.”

Drinkers were also upset to learn the pub will close.

Karen Boxall, 60, from Hove, visited the pub yesterday with her daughter to take some photographs before refurbishment begins.

She said: “We found out last week, so we thought we’d come back today for a last drink.

“It’s a great loss, as it’s such an iconic pub in Brighton and there’s a lot of history to it.

“It’s really unusual, with all the stained glass windows and all the heraldry on them... that’s what attracted me to the pub.

“I used to drink here in the Seventies, and my husband used to go to the old nightclub upstairs too. We’re very sad.”

The Royal Pavilion Tavern was converted from a house to an inn and hotel during the early 19th century and redesigned by the prominent Brighton architect Amon Henry Wilds.

The pub, which is known as the “Pav Tav”, is commonly believed to be the cheapest pub for alcohol in Brighton.

Terry Rogers, 77, of Crown Gardens, enjoyed the last pint of Stella Artois in the pub yesterday before the barrel ran out.

He said: “I cannot even tell you how many pubs have closed in this area.

“The price of beer has gone up so much.

“These pubs cannot keep up with the pressure and they can’t stay open. They get murdered.”

Mel Kellet, 74, from Whitehawk, said he and his wife Maureen have been drinking at the pub for 25 years.

He said: “It’s a shame it’s going, because people can afford to come in here and the beer is cheap.

“It’s cheaper here than in Wetherspoons.

“It’s only £2 a pint here and the cheapest there is £2.29.

“We used to always meet friends here because it’s central and it’s reasonable.”

Barman Pablo Lopez, 24, said: “It’s been really good working here, the staff are great.”

The city council approved a planning application to convert the building into nine self-contained flats back in 2017, and construction work is due to begin on the Grade II listed building this week.

After The Argus contacted the pub’s owners Mitchell and Butlers yesterday, the statement was removed from the pub’s website and replaced with a new one which did not say the pub would permanently close.

Instead it said: “ The Royal Pavilion Tavern will be closing its doors on September 26 while we undertake work on the upper floors of the building.

“Watch this space for what comes next.

“We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.”

Then Mitchell and Butlers sent The Argus a statement which seemed to open the door for the pub to reopen but their press office did not answer calls from The Argus in a bid to clarify the situation.

The latest statement from Mitchell and Butlers said: “Work is about to commence with substantial investment to create flats on the upper floors of the building, and the business of The Royal Pavilion Tavern is required to temporarily close in order to facilitate this significant development.

“The team have been consulted and we hope to redeploy as many employees as possible at other businesses we operate nearby.”

Mitchell and Butlers operate about 1,700 pubs and restaurants in the UK and owns brands such as All Bar One, Toby Carvery, Harvester, and Browns Restaurants.