He was the first punter served when the Pump and Tap opened in 1988 and last night Iain Baughan became one of the last as the beloved pub closed its doors.

Iain, 58, of Leicester's West End, was one of hundreds of regulars who packed the Braunstone Gate pub on its final night.

From near and far, they came to bid farewell to a place which has been part of their lives for two decades.

"I have been coming here for 21 years and if I tried to give a favourite memory I couldn't. There are so many," said Iain.

"I was the first in and I'll be the last out. There's nowhere like this left. The pub, the arches that cover the smoking area – they're iconic.

"Nowhere else in the world would anybody dream of pulling them down."

His actor son Jamie, 26, remembers his dad taking him into the pub as a child.

He said: "The first manager, Rick, would have a snake draped around his shoulders. As a seven-year-old, that was amazing.

"I've so many fantastic memories of this place, it's sad it has to go."

The Pump and Tap, whose building dates from 1828, and neighbouring Bowstring Bridge are to be demolished so De Montfort University can build a sports centre and pool.

Landlord Gaz Hunt and his 10 staff are resigned to its closure.

He said: "Everybody is gutted we're closing and we're making the most of the short time left. This would have been my 10th Christmas but you've got to look at life positively – I've got Christmas off."

Yesterday, the pub opened at 4pm. It quickly filled up.

Everyone had a story to tell. "This is where I had my first pint" said one.

Some nursed drinks while others talked of the pub's famous Christmas Day photos.

One man said he saw someone crying into his pint on Monday after realising he would not be able to be there for the last night.

Gaz was determined there should be no special party. There was the same roaring fire, football on the TV and bustling smoking area outside.

Drew Barratt, 42, had travelled from Bournemouth. He was a regular for a decade before moving south two-and-a-half years ago.

He said: "When I heard the place was closing I had to come back. This place is fantastic. I'm genuinely saddened."

Chris Richardson, 35, of Desborough, said: "The past 14 years, I've covered six continents and the truly iconic thing about this country is its traditional pubs.

"Everywhere I go, people ask about English pubs. It will be sad to tell them that places such as the Pump and Tap are no longer here."

Owner Andy Husain said: "It's an incredible establishment where people of all ages feel comfortable. People from all backgrounds meet and interact.

"It's tragic that we've been forced to close. I can't see there being anywhere else in the city where this can be recreated."

For Steven Maston, 37, of Aylestone, it was simpler. "I'm going to miss Sunday afternoons," he said.

"I'd come in here, read the paper and watch the football. That's what I'm going to miss the most."

*Were you there? We are asking readers to e-mail in photographs of the final night of the Pump and Tap.

Send pictures with your name, the area in which you live and a short description of your memories of the pub, or what it meant to you, to: picturedesk@leicestermercury.co.uk