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The Jolly Brewers was situated on Tilehurst Road. This pub has now been converted to a Tesco Metro. No idea when the change occurred, but the building fabric looked exactly the same as when I used to work there in 1976-1980. It was a fabulous pub with a great community. The public bar was frequently packed, and the regular clientele must have numbered well over 100. Good thing about that was that pretty much everyone knew everyone else on first name terms. Tuesday pub nights were amazing. Would love to know where the regulars now meet, (although I suspect many of the older ones are no longer with us). Two "sister" pubs we used to use were The Horse & Jockey, (Castle Hill), and The Rose & Thistle, (Prospect Street). I think they are both still open, but I rarely get back to Reading nowadays.

Source: Nigel Meek

According to the Kelly’s Directory of 1952 it was 26-32 Tilehurst Road, which might have been a re-addressing of 9-10 Prospect Hill. The pub was demolished in the late 1950s or early 1960s. The site is now just grass and bushes opposite the Robert Hewitt Recreation Ground. It was then rebuilt as The Jolly Brewers at 12 Tilehurst Road, then later renamed as The Westside, and then, sadly converted into a generic Tesco Metro.

Paul Vought (July 2021)

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