LAST orders were called at a Hampshire pub for the final time yesterday.

The Stanmore Hotel in Winchester served its last drinks after regulars lost a battle to save it from being demolished and turned into a 56-bedroom care home.

Punters said their goodbyes to the hostelry on New Year’s Eve with a party, which went on into the early hours. Around 150 people enjoyed a disco and cut-price drinks.

“Everyone’s absolutely gutted, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many grown men cry,” said landlady Kate Pothecary. “The pub is Stanmore and without it people don’t know where they’re going to go. It’s so, so sad.”

During the party regular Glenn Sumner and long-serving barmaid Pat Reece were each presented with pictures of the pub being built in the 1930s.

Mrs Pothecary said: “I wanted The Stanmore to go out with a bang and I think it did. It was a perfect evening.”

The pub is owned by Marston’s, but was previously run by Eldridge Pope. The previous incumbents signed a deal with Colten Developments, who will now build a care home on the site.