A write old knees-up

Alex Gore • Published 3 Nov 2009 10:00 0 Comments

AN AMATEUR historian and CAMRA member has put together a history of Reading's boozers.

Reading Pubs, by Sherman Road resident John Dearing, 63, features postcards, adverts and more than 200 photographs of the town's watering holes, the oldest of which shows The Shades in Gun Street in 1840. The book also includes a history of the town's breweries and pictures of regulars and local characters with anecdotes.

John, who delved into the archives at Reading library as well as the collections of other historians, said: "The publisher approached the Reading CAMRA branch about doing a book and knowing I was a bit of a writer they asked me."

John, who works from home as a merchant shipping consultant, has lived in Reading for more than 30 years. He lists the Nags Head, Hobgoblin and Hop Leaf among his favourite Reading pubs. But with many establishments still closing down, John is confident where the blame lies.

He said: "It's down to the policy of over-taxing beer and under-taxing alcohol pops, while failing to stop the availability of cheap alcohol outside pubs."

The book, pictured, is out now and available in Reading bookshops and from www.thehistorypress.co.uk

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