DRIVE out of Leeds and you will see them in all their sad splendour by the roadside. Metal grilles shield their doors and windows, others have graffiti sprayed across their walls and some have been broken into by thieves.
The Skinners Arms in Sheepscar; The Waggon and Horses in Holbeck; The White Stag in Mabgate and The Golden Lion in Wortley.
Well-known Leeds boozers which have called last orders before locking their doors.
Once a focal point for their communities, now they stand as poignant reminders of what some fear is a disappearing culture.
Leeds-based Guild of Beer Writers member Barrie Pepper said: "The closures have been going on in rural areas for a while but now seem to be hitting the cities as well.
"Even where I live in Oakwood we've had five or six pubs which have closed down recently.
"It's a sadness. There are various reasons for it, one is the supermarkets selling cheap beer.
Pinch
"I'm sure the smoking ban has also had an effect and the community pubs are feeling the financial pinch. Drinkers must vote with their feet and get to the public houses which they want to see kept open."
The White Stag in Whitelock Street is corralled by a new metal fence.
It looks set to disappear altogether as a planning application has been lodged by the Wing Lee Hong Company Limited to build a four-storey retail unit with a two-bedroomed flat on the site.
The future looks slightly brighter for the Skinners Arms, off Scott Hall Road, which is being offered to let.
But the prospect for The Waggon and Horses in Old Elland Road – a favourite haunt for Leeds United fans on match days – is uncertain.
Sam Frankland, from estate agents Colliers CRE who are handling the £215,000 sale, said: "It's being sold either as a public house or de-licensed for redevelopment. I think it will go for an alternative use as the whole area is due for redevelopment.
"Having said that it is possible for someone to walk in there, give it a bit of a clean and start trading as the bar and decorations are intact."
The fate of the Golden Lion in Armley Road, the former Tetley's house, is unclear.
John Rowe, chairman of the Leeds branch of Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), said the city lost 12 boozers last year out of a total of 740 licensed premises, although this figure includes nightclubs and off-licences.
Nationally 20 are said to be closing every week.
But he stressed those Leeds pubs that adapted to customers' demands were thriving.
Survive
Mr Rowe, who also manages The Grove pub next to the Bridgewater Place skyscraper, said: "Look at how busy real ale pubs like the Town Hall Tavern, The Victoria Hotel, The Adelphi, and the Scarbrough Hotel are.
"Like us at the Grove, they've picked a niche and know what their drinkers want. The good ones will survive. The irony to us at CAMRA is that the credit crunch has actually slowed the decline of pubs as the value of the land they're on goes down and the pub companies are less inclined to sell them off."
Sam Ross and business partner Michael Brothwell set up the Holbeck-based Leeds Brewery a year ago.
They launched their first pub, The Midnight Bell, in Water Lane in May and work is underway on a second pub, The Brewery Tap, close to Leeds railway station.
Mr Ross said: "By forcing the big breweries to sell off their own pubs the Government actually created less competition as there are now only three or four big firms who own most of the country's pubs.
"It's very hard for smaller independent breweries to compete against the like of Carlsberg-Tetley to supply these companies. So it was very important to have our own pubs where we can sell our beers.
"We cater for a varied clientele at The Midnight Bell so we have a kitchen to provide great food, an outside seating area and we are family friendly. But the 'end-of-terrace' pub still has a very important role to play for that local community and hopefully some will survive."
charles.heslett@ypn.co.uk