Jolly times at the Joiners Arms in Leamington

The Joiners Arms was the hub of the community and two of the book’s authors have fond memories of it.

Tom Lewin remembers: “Barely old enough to legally drink, I started using the Joiners as my local in the autumn of 1966. The snug was ideal for elderly people to sip their tipple of Guinness or Mackeson. In the lounge/smoke room entertainment was provided by a juke-box, a table football game and a dart board.

“The pub was very much a mixture of people, mainly locals, but always a good pub to spend an evening in, whether with girlfriends or just the lads. Happy days spent there.”

Fellow author Allan Jennings writes: “The Joiners wasn’t just a pub, it was part of the community. Most pubs were still the haunts of men. However, the Joiners was quite enlightened. Women felt they could go in on their own and know there would be someone there to talk to.”

The authors were grateful to Doris Owen and her daughter Maureen Pierce who provided the photograph (top) of Shrubland Street during the 1935 Silver Jubilee celebrations for King George V and Queen Mary.

For the full story of the Joiners and other local pubs,see the book Pubs of Royal Leamington Spa: Two Centuries of History by Allan Jennings, Martin Ellis and Tom Lewin, published by Brewin Books, £24.95. Contact Tom Lewin: [email protected] or Allan Jennings: [email protected]

Pictured: Residents of Shrubland Street celebrating the 1935 Silver Jubilee.