A Swindon pub and music venue in the town centre have been boarded up. 

Less than a year after popular Swindon pub The Rolleston Arms and neighbouring music venue Level 3, now known as The Underground, were taken over by a new landlord, they are now closed again.

Pictures show that the two Commercial Road venues that have been a big part of Swindon's nightlife and entertainment offerings for many years are now empty, and have recently been covered up with metal sheeting.

An advertisement on the website of the brewery which owns them - Stonegate Pub Partners - shows that the search is now underway for a new landlord. 

For locals, the loss of this longstanding local venue, albeit seemingly temporarily, is a bitter pill to swallow, with some asking why it - along with other local pubs - can't seem to stay open for very long. 

"It only feels like yesterday that the new landlord took over and it's already closed again after less than a year," said one anonymous person.

"I wonder why it is that a popular place like that can't stay open for very long."

Swindon Advertiser: The Rolleston Arms and Undergound are currently closed

Former Wetherspoons manager Daniel Harrison took over The Rolleston Arms and Level 3 in February 2023 after it was placed up for sale in August 2022 by previous owner Violet McLaren. 

He told the Adver at the time that he jumped at the chance to take over the place, having visited the music venue when it was known as The Furnace, moving his partner and five children in. 

But despite renaming the music side the Underground and revealing grand plans to eventually do up the front of the pub, he seems to now have left.

The Facebook page for The Underground has not been active since December and the last activity on The Rolleston Arms page came in November. 

The Stonegate page lists the Rolleston Arms as 'new to the market'. 

It says: "Lover of live music and fancy being your own boss?  The Rolleston Arms is an imposing building that occupies a prominent corner site close to the town centre of Swindon. The pub is renowned for its live music and has developed a strong trade over the years."

It has an alleged estimated turnover of £449,915 a year and comes with a guide rent of £461 a week, with a £6,000 deposit.