THE widow of Herefordshire Only Fools and Horses star John Challis has been left feeling sad after a 200-year-old pub closed down.

The Air Balloon is located on a roundabout on the A417 in Gloucestershire which is notorious for crashes.

Plans to change the road layout have been mooted for decades and were finally green-lit in November.

A £460m upgrade scheme has been approved which will see 3.4 miles (5.5km) of new dual carriageway built.

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But this means the popular Birdlip pub - which is thought to have opened in 1784 - will have to close.

The last pint will be pulled at 5pm on New Year's Eve, staff said in an emotional post on Facebook.

Hereford Times: The Air Balloon pub on the A417 in Gloucestershire has closed down and will be demolishedThe Air Balloon pub on the A417 in Gloucestershire has closed down and will be demolished (Image: Adam Hughes/SWNS)

Locals and visitors alike have been paying tribute to the historic boozer - including the wife of late actor John Challis, who still lives in Wigmore, north Herefordshire.

Carol Challis tweeted: "Goodbye to the Air Balloon or the Air ‘alloon as John used to call it after the B fell off one year.

"Finally there is to be a new road but the pub has to be demolished to make way. On our way to London we passed it hundreds of times. Progress? Sad news."

The star of the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, who played cigar-chomping wide boy Boycie, was often seen at Herefordshire and Shropshire events after moving to the area.


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The pub was named the Air Balloon because the area contained popular launch sites when ballooning was first popularised in England in the 1780s.

It sits on a roundabout which ultimately links Gloucester with Cirencester, Swindon and Oxford.

Hereford Times: John Challis opened the refurbished Annetts furniture shop on Three Elms Trading Estate, Hereford, in 2014. Picture: James MaggsJohn Challis opened the refurbished Annetts furniture shop on Three Elms Trading Estate, Hereford, in 2014. Picture: James Maggs

The junction gained a reputation for crashes over the years, sparking calls for an upgrade.

The new A417 'missing link' project will bypass the Air Balloon roundabout to improve traffic flow.

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Two extra lanes will be added to the road and the gradient down nearby Crickley Hill will be reduced from 10 per cent to eight per cent.

Cotswold MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown told the BBC the decision was "fantastic news" when it was announced.

He said: "It will bring growth and investment to Gloucestershire, more jobs, less environmental damage from stationary cars, and it will improve safety."

The Air Balloon said online: "We have loved serving you all over the years but sadly the time has come where the pub will be closing in order to make way for the new road.

"As you will understand, this is a difficult time, but we're looking forward to giving everyone a last great Christmas with us to remember."