A pub regular who has visited the same boozer every day for 72 years has been honoured with a plaque on his favourite chair – where he has supped a staggering 30,000 pints.
Arthur Reid, 90, has popped into The Griffin Pub almost every day at 3pm since turning 18 to enjoy a pint – or two – of his beloved Courage bitter.
He has his own special glass behind the bar and now an engraved gold plaque has been placed on the back of his favourite chair to mark his 90th birthday.
The retired council worker, who left school at 14 to work as a labourer and never married or had children, said he had never been tempted to find another watering hole.
He said: “I used to get up very early every morning and was paid seven and sixpence for working an 80 to 100-hour week – there was no such thing as holidays back then.
“I’ve always worked hard and enjoyed visiting the pub – I’ve never seen the need to go much farther.
“I’ve been coming here a long time and hope that I can carry on for some more years to come.”
Arthur still nips into the pub in Warmley, Glos., every day at 3pm unless he has a hospital appointment.
His sister Margaret Lee-Sze-Tsiok, 65, organised a surprise party at the pub to celebrate his landmark 90th birthday.
Manageress Asia Matczak (Double Corr) said: “He missed a couple of days last winter because of the bad weather, but usually, when it gets to around 3:30 and he’s not here, we’re like ‘Where’s Arthur?'”
Asia, 42, estimates Arthur has supped an impressive 30,000 pints in the family-friendly pub, as he used to drink more when he was younger
She said: “He walks a lot for an old gent – he walks to the shop every day and walks to the pub on his way home.
“I often see him out and about with his cane.
“He has a pint of Courage without fail, and sometimes has another half, or a bit more if some of his friends come in.
“He is friends with everyone. He loves being listened to, and is one of the nicest people I have ever met. Arthur is a really good man.”
A pint of Courage costs #2.75 at the pub, meaning if he were to buy all his drinks at today’s prices, he would have spent an eye-watering #82,500 on booze.
Asia, who has run the pub for two-and-a-half years, said: “He used to drink only bitter when we didn’t have a large selection of other beers.
“I have employed Arthur to check out and test some of the brews I was thinking about having.
“If he didn’t like them, he’d tell me and I wouldn’t get them on tap.”
