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Pub regulars, and there were plenty at the Elephant & Castle on Whyte Ave., will be crying in their warm English beer all week.

A Sunday Facebook post announced the end of an era, as the Old Strathcona stalwart at 10314 Whyte Ave. will close its doors for the final time, early in the morning on Dec. 21. A statement from the pub’s parent company, Calgary-based FranWorks Group of Companies, hinted at a new venture on that site.

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“FranWorks is considering maintaining this space and rebranding it in the New Year,” the statement said.

FranWorks also owns Original Joe’s locations in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, as well as State & Main restaurants.

The announcement prompted a flood of responses, some supportive of the business, some angry at the closure. In a response to an upset Facebook poster, General Manager Pete Mason wrote that attempts will be made all this week to find pub staff employment “somewhere within the FranWorks Group of Companies.”

Mason told the Journal he would not be available for interviews concerning the closure.

On Feb. 6, 2012, FranWorks announced it had purchased 19 Elephant & Castle pubs from their Boston-based parent corporation for $22.75 million.