LAST orders have been called at one of Edinburgh's traditional "working man's" pubs to make way for a modern bar aimed at office workers.

The Auld Clachan – which has been a landmark in Fountainbridge for about 80 years – has reopened as Banter after its owner decided to ditch the historical name as part of a revamp.

Owner Alistair McAuslan says there was no longer a place for the old-style bar in Tollcross and has transformed the pub to fit in with the area's regeneration.

The closure of the Auld Clachan – which was used by workers from the nearby Fountainbridge brewery – has been described as "the end of an era".

However, despite the major makeover and new clientele, the pub has kept a number of its regulars.

Debbie Youngs, 53, has been drinking in the Auld Clachan for 30 years and was impressed when she visited Banter for the first time last week.

She said: "The way Tollcross is changing, it couldn't stay the way it was, so we were kind of expecting it.

"In a way it's a shame that the old pub has gone, but things can't stand still. At first we thought they should have kept the name but we have got to get rid of the old and come in with the new. It would have been heart-breaking if the pub had closed."

David Rintoul, chairman of Tollcross Community Council, is also pleased the pub was revamped instead of closed, but believes the original name should have been retained.

He said: "Tradition goes a long way. Even though the bar's been regenerated, I think people need to know the old name."

But Mr McAuslan – who took over the Auld Clachan almost two years ago – was determined to get rid of its reputation of being a working man's pub.

The 26-year-old said: "It's been stuck in the 1960s for ages now and I wanted to do it out because of the development here. It's an up-and-coming area. It was really a working man's pub and had an older clientele. There were big bars on the windows and it wasn't very inviting. People didn't feel they wanted to come in.

"Now we have a nice friendly atmosphere in a pub that's full of character."

Mr McAuslan always knew he wanted to re-name the pub and spent months deliberating over what to call it.

He added: "Banter was a last minute thing. It just stuck after we were talking about going to the pub to have a bit of banter.

"The Auld Clachan has been there about 80 years and had many reputations associated with it and I thought, 'It's a new pub and a new start' so I wanted to give it a new name."

He added: "A lot of people will probably still call it the Clachan." A number of traditional features of the pub, including its original wooden shutters have been incorporated into Banter, while photographs of how it used to look are also displayed on the walls.

The pub has been owned by Scottish & Newcastle Pub Enterprises (S & NPE ) for more than 20 years. A spokeswoman for S & NPE said: "It will continue to be a traditional pub, but will have a more contemporary feel, which will appeal more to women, office workers and residents in the area."

Patrick Brown, chief executive of the Scottish Beer and Pub Association, added: "There is a place for heritage in pubs and Edinburgh has a lot of great pubs with history, but there is also a place for moving on."