Wasn’t there development approved on the beer garden/car park? I wouldn’t be surprised if the pub was then converted.
Didn’t the council want to demolish it many years ago, along with the Travellers and other buildings on that side to enable the dual carriageway to be built up to where Matalan is now? I heard the petrol station owner purposefully rebuilt his station away from the road to allow for it, then they gave up!
Now the old dual carriageway is bus lanes and residential parking.