The Gunner, a notorious scheme pub in Edinburgh, was so rough that they had to resort to serving beer in plastic cups. Located at the end of Pennywell Road in Muirhouse, this flat-roofed establishment had a fearsome reputation and was not for the faint-hearted.

Despite its lack of windows, The Gunner was known for its lively atmosphere - a fact any former regular could attest to. While it was important to be on guard, knowing people usually meant you were safe.

Older patrons may remember it as the Penny Farthing, but most knew it by its more infamous name, The Gunner - a moniker derived from the HMS 'Gunner' naval base that operated at Granton during wartime.

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A resolutely working-class pub, affectionately known as the Boom Boom by regulars, The Gunner was particularly lively on weekends, whether during karaoke or pool competitions, or the inevitable scuffles at closing time.

Violence was not uncommon at The Gunner, and it wasn't unusual for suspicious individuals to try and sell high-value electrical equipment from black bin bags. To prevent serious injuries during fights, the pub even resorted to serving pints in plastic glasses for a while.

CCTV was eventually installed at the entrance.

Renowned television presenter Jonathan Ross, famed for his tousled hair and charming wit, reportedly frequented the Gunner in the 90s after hearing mentions of its reputation in the novels by Irvine Welsh.

In more recent times, the pub, which was last managed by Punch Taverns, saw the likes of Hibernian FC stars including Anthony Stokes and Derek Riordan among its regular clientele.

A simple online search reveals many fond reminiscences related to The Gunner. While some look back with nostalgia on amusing stories from a quintessential community pub atmosphere, others share rather unexpected experiences.

Sam McIntosh, sharing memories on the Muirhouse Memories Facebook page, wrote: "Loads of funny stories from the Gunner. A friend years ago was sold a leather coat in there by someone who rapidly disappeared only to find the owner of the coat had been in the toilet! ".

Gordon Guthrie chimed in with: "Worked for Punch Taverns in here! Walked in, in a high viz jacket and a mobile radio on! Cleared the bar in seconds."

Adding a touch of humour, Jackie Doig tossed in: "If your house was robbed in the area you could go there and buy it back."

Taking to Twitter, @Camthebam66 spoke about The Gunner: "This place had a fabulous, but unused and slightly decrepit, function suite upstairs. With some TLC would have made a great small venue for live music."

The Gunner was no stranger to scandal. The Daily Record covered an incident in 2015, where a brazen individual attempted to sell stolen Rolex watches in the pub shortly after an armed robbery at an Edinburgh jeweller.

A local said during that time: "No one could believe it. You'd think if it was connected to the robbery he'd have waited until things calmed down."

Closing its doors for the final time in 2015, The Gunner was later bulldozed.

A heartbroken landlady, Maria McGovern, stated she tried everything within her reach to keep the pub running but pointed the blaming finger at regeneration plans in the area. Those plans resulted in the demolition of much of the old community, leaving The Gunner devoid of patrons.

New dwellings now occupy the site where the pub once stood.