John Granville- 2025 (by John Dearing)

Popularly known as Johnny G, John Granville was born in Watford in 1960 but spent most of his early life in Surrey. On leaving school he began working for ICI’s agricultural research establishment at Jealotts Hill between Maidenhead and Bracknell and continued there via various changes of ownership for over 40 years till his retirement in 2023. Initially he lived in Maidenhead but in 1990 he bought a flat in Reading where he remained for the rest of his life.

John’s early drinking years were dedicated to keg cider and the like but about the time he moved to Reading he discovered real ale and never looked back, joining CAMRA in 1992. For many years he helped at the Reading Ale and Cider Festival, usually on what some would regard as the thankless task of washing glasses. He was also recruited into the Society for the Preservation of Beers from the Wood and more recently he had joined the Stumblers group of retirees within Reading CAMRA.

He claimed to be the first customer at the Hop Leaf when that pub reopened under Hopback Brewery in 1995 and this remained his principal local for the next 30 years with Summer Lightning and Entire Stout among his favourite beers. Other pubs he frequented included the Hobgoblin (later Alehouse), the Horse and Jockey (later Castle Tap), the Nag’s Head, Retreat and Back of Beyond (especially on curry nights). Outside of Reading he loved to visit the Bell at Aldworth and the Old Manor, Bracknell, was an alternative curry venue. He also visited other parts of the country with a particular love of the city of York and the wilds of Scotland.

Johnny was a great mimic and I remember especially one afternoon at the Retreat when I had left something in the pub and returning a few minutes later found him in full flow taking me off – it was probably an honour to get the treatment, though others might have thought otherwise! He also had his ‘pet hates’ who included PhDs, Guardian Readers and public sector workers.

Beer and pubs became one of the loves of his life but he was also fond of railways and aeroplanes, though paradoxically perhaps he rarely if ever travelled abroad.

Over the last year of his life John experienced health problems including a longish spell in hospital. However, he continued under treatment by the NHS so that his sudden death in February 2025 was unexpected and a great shock to all his many friends.