Well, perhaps the discussion is necessary because there's room for debate about when is the correct time to suppress photos of the pub with its old name showing!
If all old photos are suppressed, the blank photo frame appears on the pub's front page, with the message underneath
No current image posted for this pub: view older pictures (5 images) . (The link is to a pub in Wirksworth that has changed hands and acquired the name of a former micropub in the same town that has closed.)
I can see the argument for what Quinno, Mobyduck and ROBCamra are saying: the fabric of the building is (likely) unchanged, so why not leave the photo showing.
The argument the other way is two-fold: the new owners have decided to call the pub something different, but we seem to be ignoring that and retaining the old name, which might look like an oversight. Also, the absence of a photo might act as a prompt to one of our photographers and the gap will soon be filled. (
Dave: Would it be possible for the photoless pubs map to pick up examples of this - the blank photo frame also appears on the
area page, so there must be a tag that can be picked up.)
Also in Wirksworth is
one of the four Greene King pubs that the company decided to rename because there was a perception that the name was offensive. Two were in Suffolk and have had their names changed (by us and by Camra/WhatPub); the
fourth is near Reading, and Quinno has (with the benefit of local knowledge) half-changed the name and retained the old photos, as the name change is not going to be effected until next month.
If I am actioning a name change I tend to look at the photos of the pub with its old name to see whether the name is glaringly obvious. If it's not I will leave the photo showing on the main page. Otherwise I will suppress all photos so that the photo frame is blank. I'm not saying everyone else is wrong and I'm right - I'm saying there is the need for a discussion about this.