An international rock band has joined a local community in saying goodbye to a popular pub and music venue, The Lincoln Imp, as demolition work begins to make way for 20 new homes. BBC reporter Naj Modak met the people who fought to keep it open.
Standing in front of a derelict pub, which boasted being in the top three for best small music venues in the UK, the scars of a community’s fight to keep it open are visible.
What was once a welcoming community hub for young musicians, local people and a mental health support group, The Lincoln Imp, or The Imp as it was affectionately known, on Gloucester Avenue in Scunthorpe, is now fenced off and awaiting demolition.
“What a shame,” said American rockers Wheatus, who played there in 2018. There was “such great energy from the crowd as is always the case with such cool local indie venues”, the Teenage Dirtbag singers told me.
Community members came together to try to buy the venue [BBC/Naj Modak]
The landlady “even made us a lovely home-cooked meal,” they said, adding “It’s heartwarming to hear the community tried to save it.”
Former landlady Lorraine Briggs, 69, who managed the grass roots venue for eight years until its closure, took a moment to gather her emotions and said: “We put in everything possible to try to save it.
“It’s devastating. We’re all absolutely gutted about it.”
She said, as well as being a place for local people, “big names came through the doors” and it was “a fantastic place to come”.
Lorraine Briggs was the landlady for eight years and hosted famous acts [BBC/Naj Modak]
The 300-capacity venue proudly stood alongside Liverpool’s Cavern Club – where The Beatles were once resident – and Leicester’s The Shed, when they were named the top three best small music venues in the UK in 2017 by online concert promoters Gigmit.
The venue also hosted big names including Paul Young and Gareth Gates as well as providing a live performance space for local talent to grow.
Musician EM-B (pictured with her mother Jane Jackson) used the venue to practise [BBC/Naj Modak]
Musician EM-B, 24, said the venue was “a massive part” of her life and seeing it ready to be knocked down was “isolating”.
She said The Imp made her feel welcome and accepted, something she had not felt elsewhere.
She added the venue gave her the opportunity to practise her music in a real performance setting.
English singer and 2011 winner of talent show The X Factor Australia, Reece Mastin, said: “What a rippa [great] little rock venue.”
“I’m sure the live music community will feel the hole left from this venue’s closure.”
In August 2022, former owner Admiral Taverns submitted plans to demolish the venue and build a block of 20 flats, which were were rejected by North Lincolnshire Council due to concerns about the loss of a community asset.
An artist’s impression of what the new homes could look like [Ongo]
Ms Briggs formed a community group to try to buy the building and reopen it as a community-run music venue.
Despite a protest outside the former pub and an online petition, which had gathered more than 1,600 signatures, Admiral Taverns decided to shut down the building and board it up.
The pub was designated an Asset of Community Value, meaning local people could put in a bid to buy it, if it was up for sale.
In August 2023, the company re-submitted its plans but, in November 2023, they were unanimously rejected by the council.
However, in September 2024, Ms Briggs said campaigners were left “devastated” when the decision was overturned, finally sealing the venue’s fate with a sale to new owners Shape Land and Property Limited.
Malachi Piatt, 38, one of the campaigners trying to save the venue, said he was “really heartbroken” because the group had “so many plans for it”.
Malachi Piatt said he was “proud” of what the campaigners had achieved [BBC/Naj Modak]
Last week, contractor GS Kelsey began preparations to flatten the pub and build 20 one-bedroom apartments, which will be managed by Ongo Homes.
Ongo said: “More than 1,000 people are actively bidding on one-bedroom homes in the area.”
It said the “affordable” social houses will be linked to local incomes and were designed to be a “cheaper option for those who struggle to afford the market rate”.
The building work is expected to be complete in December 2026.
The BBC has contacted Shape Land and Property Limited for comment.
As I take a final glance at The Imp, I wonder how the area will feel when I walk past this place again.
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