There is another twist in the tale of one of Watford’s most iconic venues as it was listed as “permanently closed” over the weekend.

The Horns in Hempstead Road has faced its third sudden closure in as many years after its website was taken down and bands were forced to cancel gigs at short notice.

Just last week, punters could check the busy line-up of acts on the venue’s website, Facebook page, and Lemonrock Gig Guide listing, but all three have now been taken down.

The Horns is set to reopen in the coming weeks, Stonegate has said, read out updated story here

The pub is also marked as “permanently closed” on Google.

It had only just undergone a refurbishment at the start of this year and unveiled a reworked bar area, flooring, and new decorations in February.

Covers bands The Four Horsemen, Oh-aces, and !daft! have all announced that gigs scheduled at The Horns have been cancelled or moved to alternative venues.

Passersby have apparently seen furniture stacked up and memorabilia taken down from the walls when peering through the venue's windows.

Watford Observer: The Horns.The Horns. (Image: Newsquest)

It was understood that the ‘tenancy-at-will’ agreement with Stonegate, which owns the site, was up at the end of this month, but as of last week it appeared this was set to be renewed.

The Watford Observer has contacted the licensee and pub company for more information. A further update is expected later today.

In October 2022, The Horns’ previous management announced it had closed “for the last time” before an “extraordinary” response from locals and meetings with Stonegate produced fresh hope it would be able to keep going.

At around the same time the following year, the management closed the pub again, admitting that it had “tried our hardest” but found running The Horns “completely unsustainable”.

It reopened in December last year under its current management.