THESE men and women spent their lives serving behind the bar. And when they had a day off from their daily duties, what did they do? Visit a brewery!

Most people might call it a busman’s holiday, but no doubt these good folk were keen to know how the beer they served their customers was made.

A tour of a brewery meant they were being responsible landlords and landladies and adding to their skills of running their pubs.

Or was it just an excuse to have a day away from work and enjoy a booze-up in a brewery?

Whatever the reason, note how smart they all are – the men in jackets and ties and the ladies in stylish suits and dresses.

The picture dates from the early 1970s when the group from Oxfordshire hostelries visited the Harp Lager/Courage brewery.

John Parsons, who sent in the picture and is the young man with the long hair in the third row on the left, believes the brewery was in Berkshire.

He recognises two of his fellow travellers. One is David ‘Spike’ Newman, son of Gladys Newman, of the Black Boy in Old High Street, Headington. He is standing next to John, on the extreme left.

The other is a man called Reg, in the front row second from the left, who ran the Cricketers Arms in Temple Road, Cowley, so named because it had a famous cricket team.

Mr Parsons, who worked as a barman at the Black Boy and now lives in Ock Drive, Berinsfield, tells me: “I seem to remember I was invited because Gladys was unwell at the time.

“Gladys used to come to the lounge bar every evening with a pint of milk to drink with her whisky.

“I think it was an organised trip by coach and we had a tour of the factory followed by food and refreshments. I also think there was a link with Guinness.”

The brewery the party visited was possibly in Reading. Many people associate Reading with Huntley & Palmer biscuits, but it also had a long history in the brewing industry.

Simonds’ Brewery was established in Broad Street in 1785 and merged with Courage in 1960.

In the 1970s, the combined group became part of the Scottish & Newcastle empire, which closed the Reading operation in 2010, blaming a decline in beer sales. More than 350 workers lost their jobs.

Can anyone identify any of the landlords and landladies in the picture? Write and let me know.