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Users' Views: In November 1998, Andrew Williams wrote: "When I was a student in Hull, the Mainbrace was a way of life. Its atmosphere was unique, as was the decor. Now, it is part of a soulless chain, examples of which can be found all over the country. Part of Hull's unique student culture has been removed by The Mainbrace's replacement."

Users' Views: In February 1999, Kate Biddick wrote: "I know it's been a while now since they changed the name from The Mainbrace to the F&F... but I still think (along with a thousand others) of the F&F as the Mainbrace. The Mainbrace has been frequented by generations of locals and students alike, (my parents used to drink there in the 60s!). So, why, after all this time should they wish to abandon the name just to join the chain of tacky 'firkin pubs? Let's face it, it's a bit dated! The firkin gag was first introduced in the 80s and admittedly, when we first saw the T shirts 'Firkin Bar Steward' etc. etc. it was all a bit of a laugh, but come on! This is the 90s (what's left of it!) and the Mainbrace has a history, it's part of Hull's pub heritage."

"Everyone can recall their summer evenings, sitting on the Mainbrace wall with a pint... So, what exactly has changed apart from the name? Yes, they've got the giant jenga & Connect 4, but so what! The outside's the same, the interior still looks pretty much the same... Why oh why did they have to succumb to the Firkin gag? We all loved the Mainbrace, and we're sorry that it's gone, it's now just another Firkin pub, in a Firkin dated chain... It'll always be the Mainbrace to me. "

The vast cavernous interior has been pleasantly themed throughout; all the way down to the barrel-end tables and the beers on offer. But how does it compare to the Mainbrace it replaced? We'd love to hear your views.

Users' Views:Jenny Riley writes "Atmosphere doesn't really compare with the old Mainbrace; the decoration is very sparse and it's too light. But it's good on Sunday nights."

Users' Views:  Danny Jowers writes "Although I never went in the old Mainbrace, I rate it highly as a pub now. Fairly cheap lager, giant jenga and connect four, a darn good jukebox and a picture of a fisherman that looks exactly like Harry Enfield: what more could you want?"

Users' Views: In April 1999, Mark Swetnam wrote: "When I was living in Grafton Street (1988) the Mainbrace was a regular watering hole. I remember it as a large old fashioned place with a good pint and lots of bays with seating. They started to gut the place whist I was still there and it was with horror that I returned a few years later. A piece of Hull's history had been turned into another bland theme pub."

Users' Views: In September 1999, Ian Hunter wrote: "The old Mainbrace had a virtue beyond compare. As a student flatting at 369 Beverley Road (which the new pub has swallowed up), one could hop across the dividing fence, collect "empties", take them round the front and cash them in for free drinks. 369 Beverley Road was a bomb-damaged house with a kitchen prone to flooding and a gaping back wall. You could see daylight through the wall. It was owned by a Doctor who used to rent it out in two self-contained flats at £5 per week each. The new pub HAS to be an improvement on that."

Ian Hunter also poses a mystery: "The house in the centre of the attached .jpg {above right} is 369 Beverley Road. I still have difficulty locating it on the frontage of the new pub. I would imagine that the peak on the roof is the third from the right but then I get a little lost. You can just see on the right of this .jpg one of the old MainBrace's square windows (still visible today) but where has the chimney gone between the Mainbrace and 369? Where have 369's bay windows gone? How to match up the residual first floor windows with the pattern of the old terrace? The indentations where the old doorways went do offer bit of a clue. Anyway, I've drawn a square on your web picture {above left} to say where I think 369 was." Can anyone else shed any more light on the location of 369 and the way the geography of the F&F (and Scruffy's) relates to the old Mainbrace and surrounding buildings?