Allan’s taster for old pubs book

One of the authors of “Pubs of Royal Leamington Spa - Two Centuries of History” is Allan Jennings. He will preview the book in a talk to the Whitnash Society next week.

Allan says of the book: “You can find out about the Albatross, Bricklayers, Flying Horse and the Oxford Tavern.

“Perhaps you thought that the Garibaldi was just a chip shop - check out the Garibaldi Inn.

“Maybe you remember drinking in the ‘Brewer’ (Jolly Brewer) in the 70s - what was the landlords’s name? (Yes, I know his name was on the tip of your tongue - Fred Wright).

“I doubt you are old enough to remember the pub with the monkey running along the bar.

“Check out The Avenue for a photo of Dick Turpin.

“We nearly had a pub named the Blasted Oak but the name was changed before the pub opened.”

For the last four years, Allan, Tom Lewin and Martin Ellis have been researching and compiling a history of the town’s pubs back to a time when the small village of Leamington Priors had around 300 residents and two pubs.

Although a number of books have been written on the history of Leamington and some have mentioned pubs, not one has been written solely on the subject of pubs.

One of the resources the authors accessed was the 1852 Board of Health map which shows in incredible detail where the many pubs of that time were situated.

Allan has put many of the details together into a presentation which he has given a number of times to local history groups.

Elizabeth Trafford, programme secretary of the Whitnash Society, says the presentation will be at the New Hall, Whitnash Sports & Social Club at 7.45pm on Monday (October 14). Everyone is welcome to attend.