John Morgan Tribute

As you will probably have guessed from the title of this post, this is a sad post. A very, very sad post. It is with a very heavy heart that I announce the passing of John Morgan Senior (aka Morgy, Senior Morgy, or just simply Senior). But it is also a post of reliving happy memories. Quite often when writing a tribute it is difficult to know where to start. In the case of this John Morgan tribute, it’s more of a case of knowing where to stop. What a man. A friend, a popular character and devoted family man to so many. It goes without saying that my heartfelt condolences go out to his family.

Many of you who have got this far in reading this will have already heard the news. I did text and call quite a few of you when I heard the sad news. However, there may be some who have not heard. Or, in fact, some may be reading this and wondering, “who was John Morgan?”

That particular question is an opportune place to start this John Morgan Tribute.

John Morgan Tribute

Who was John Morgan? Wow, where do we start. For many of us in Chester, we will remember John as being the licensee of the Golden Eagle pub in Castle Street, Chester, between 1982 and 1986. I will come onto some specifics of his Golden Eagle days a bit later on below. For quite a few of us though, we were fortunate to have remained friends with him and his family beyond his Golden Eagle days. I consider myself as one of those fortunate people. From the first day of meeting John back in 1982, right through all the days I knew him, he was a truly, truly, warm, friendly, amazing, humorous, genuine person to have known.

I’m sorry but some cliches are going to be tripped out here. They may be recognised as cliches, but in truth they are heartfelt statements. I’ll start off by saying that I consider it an honour and a privilege to say that I knew John. And that I consider him as being a good friend of mine was also an honour.

Something else that may be considered cliches is to say that John was a legend and that no one said a bad word about him. But, to me and so many others, look beyond the apparent cliche nature of these quite often spoken tributes and we will know that these statements are, first and foremost so very true.

John was a legend. Sorry, I’ll correct myself and say that correctly in its present tense. John is a legend and always will be. And, as for no one saying a bad word about him? That is also very true. Of course, I can only go by the conversations I’ve had with people. But I can honestly say with hand on heart that over the many years since, and including 1982, everyone I have spoken to whenever John’s name happened to pop up in the conversation, only spoke good things about him. And spoke so highly of him in so many contexts.

John Morgan Tribute – Where It All Began

I say, “where it all began” from my perspective in meeting John for the first time.

But, as it was in his capacity of licensee of the Golden Eagle (wow, how many times did I hear him introduce himself as that) that I first met John, so that is where I will start the story. John was always recognised as a great licensee. That was his job. And, suffice it to say, he was really good at his job. In my humble opinion, I don’t think there has been any better licensee in my lifetime. And believe me, I’ve wandered into a few pubs in my time over the years. Quite often with Morgy actually. I’m sure there are many others who will echo my “best licensee ever” assertion.

I think it is the measure of a person when you can remember the exact first time you met them. It shows that they made an impression. And in the case of Morgy, it was an indelible, positive impression.

A Bit Of Golden Eagle Background

Back in the late 70’s and early 80’s the Golden Eagle was “THE” pub to go to in Chester. No question about that. My humble opinion maybe but, again, I’m sure many will agree. Up until 1982, the Golden Eagle licensee was a fella called Mike Sims. Mike and his wife, Anne, were excellent custodians of our local. The pub was always buzzing. And it was so popular we had sections set up in the pub. Not by design necessarily but more by people’s seating and standing habits and preferences. If you venture into today’s Eagle, you will see that it’s all on the one level. Back in the 70’s and 80’s it was on two levels.

After you walked in and looked to the right, there was a raised floor level. A certain number of regulars always sat there. We called this section of the pub, “The Stage.”

Over to the left of the bar, which was straight ahead of the doors, was “The Office.”

Why “The Office?” Well, bear in mind, we are talking about pre mobile phone days. And, the only communication mode in those days was a payphone. And the payphone was to the left of the bar. It so happened that there was a crowd of regulars who always stood to the left of the bar. Just by the payphone in fact. Whenever the phone rang, and as the pub was so busy, invariably someone from that particular crowd answered the phone. Hence, they stood in “The Office.”

Some Of The Elder Statesmen In “The Cage”

In the opposite corner, to the right of the bar, and en route to the men’s powder room, was where you would see a regular crowd of, how shall we say this diplomatically, elder statesmen. More often than not, they all drank Bass. Not only elder statesmen, but brave men indeed. Maybe that’s why they stood closest to the men’s toilets?

In a respectful and humourous way, we often used to remind some of the regulars in that section of the pub that they shouldn’t be let loose. Certainly not be allowed to wander freely around the pub!!! In other words, they should have been put back into their cage. So, the right corner of the bar was called “The Cage.” Average age of the cage inhabitants? I wouldn’t like to hazard a guess. But, all top fellas one and all.

Last But Not Least – The Boys Pen

Last but not least, the last section in the pub was called the Boys Pen. Football fans of a certain age will be familiar with such a label. The Boys Pen was situated right by the steps and in front of “The Stage.” It was a section filled with sweet, angelic, quiet young men who popped in now and then. A quick mention, I used to sit in the Boys Pen, so I think it’s safe to say that the description offered is……er…..sort of accurate.

Alright, alright…..let’s be a bit more liberal with the apparent, idealistic personas of its inhabitants. Being honest, the Boys Pen was full of a right motley crew. But, I must say, motley in just a boisterous way. All good lads with a liking to do what all young lads of that age liked to do. I remember sitting in “The Pen” one day and I knitted this lovely looking scarf and jumper.

OK, OK……not accurate. No knitting involved. Just a crowd of fun loving lads though.

In the corner of the Boys Pen we had a cork noticeboard hanging on the wall. Normal messages were posted on there. You know the sort of thing. The date of the next footie match. The squad for that match and other normal things like, details of events coming up and a reminder to Peter “the Dog” to get a round in. Only joking Peter!!!

1982 – A New Landlord

I think the above helps to paint a picture of what the Eagle was like. Anyway, in this particular week in 1982 after Mike and Anne had left, we were eagerly awaiting the arrival of our new landlord. We punters were no experts but even we knew that it had to be someone pretty special to even match Mike and Anne’s contributions over the years. They were a very hard act to follow.

Then, sort of out of the blue, we not only heard that a new landlord was maybe on his way, but that also, he was somewhat of a rebel. How so?

Cue a particular Friday and the publication of the local Chester newspaper, the Chester Chronicle. Shock upon shock, our proposed new landlord was on the front page!! The local Police……boo…boo…..hiss….hiss (only kidding!!) were opposing awarding this new landlord a licence.

And his alleged misdemeanor? After hours drinking supposedly in his previous pub in Farndon. I’m not 100% sure but I believe they call them ‘lock-ins.’ Did we have them in the Eagle? Hmmm…..not sure, I’ll have to check.

The irony of the alleged after hours drinking was that on many occasions, some of the customers were policemen.

Hello My Name Is….

I’m not sure who, but someone had cut the article out of the paper and pinned it on the noticeboard. In fact, someone had moved it and placed it over the “Peter, get a round in” message on the board. Again, I’m not sure who did that.

With that, we didn’t know exactly what was going on. That was on the Friday. The next day, Saturday lunchtime, about four of us popped in (as you do) for a quick livener after a heavy Friday night. Not knowing what to expect, we ambled our way into The Pen after buying our drinks. No, Peter didn’t get the round in. (Only kidding Peter).

No Police presence. No armed guards. Everything seemed normal. So, maybe our new landlord hadn’t arrived? Maybe the Police (boo….boo…etc….etc) had got their way. Then, all of a sudden a smart, well dressed man with grey hair approached us in The Pen. He didn’t only approach The Pen. He had a pint in his hand and actually came and sat in The Pen. What!!! Entering The Pen as a non member and joining in!!! Wow, that’s never been known.

And so he introduced himself. For the very first time I heard the soon to be often repeated, “hello, my name’s John and I’m licensee of the Golden Eagle.”

And the rest is history as they say. Morgy had made an instant impression. Even more so when he bought us all a pint. Even more impressive though was his feigned indignation at the newspaper cutting on the noticeboard. As he got up to leave The Pen, he cracked on that he noticed the article for the first time. And, with a fake huffiness in his voice, he asked, “right, who put that there?”

But What About The Newspaper Article?

An incoherent collective mumbling from those of us in The Pen, roughly translated to, “er, not sure.”

Morgy glared at us for a few moments before announcing, “I’m only kidding. I saw it first thing this morning. Good to see we have regulars with a sense of humour.”

When he went back behind the bar, we all agreed – “wow, we’ve got a good ‘un here.”

And so it proved.

John Morgan Tribute – And What A Four Years

I could write many, many stories from Morgy’s time at the Eagle, but if I did, the post would turn into a bit of a “War and Peace.” Suffice it to say though, John, Mary and their three lads, John Junior, Keith and David took enjoyment levels to a totally new level for all us regulars.

Yes, it was a family affair. But, without a doubt Morgy was at the helm. Well, that was until Mary rang late at night when they moved out to Farndon in the latter stages of his tenure.

“Sshhh…..it’s Mary” also became a regular Morgy saying whenever Mary rang late at night from their Farndon retreat.

But, in addition to all the above and bits and bobs in other Golden eagle posts, I’ll just throw in a couple of previously unwritten snippets.

Firstly, I mentioned earlier that Morgy allegedly had a ‘late one’ now and then – he said with massive understatement. Something that I believe is called a lock-in. For those that know where the Eagle is situated, it is a stone’s throw from the old Police Headquarters. Where Abode and the Council Offices are now alongside the Racecourse.

And, as the Eagle was probably the nearest bar to the Cop Shop, it was often frequented by said members of the constabulary. I’m sure they also went in there because it was an absolutely brilliant pub. And not just because of its proximity.

On one lock-in occasion, a uniformed member of the constabulary ventured in. As there were already several members of the CID in there, he came with glad tidings instead of any reprimand.

What Would You Like?

As the uniformed policeman stood at the bar and contemplated his cheeky snifter, Morgy, being ever so helpful, eventually made up his mind for him. While the policeman’s attention was distracted, Morgy decided to pour him a pint of lager. But not just any ordinary pint of lager. No siree. This was definitely a pint with a difference. And probably the only time this particular policeman had a pint poured for him…….in his helmet!!!

What can you say to that? Especially when it was poured with a cheeky grin on the landlord’s face.

Morgy certainly had a mischievous side to his nature. The Eagle was always busy but, not unsurprisingly, Friday’s and Saturday’s were the busiest. So, Morgy really put the hours in and grafted like a good ‘un. Sunday’s were a bit quieter, so Morgy used to unwind a bit. On occasions he came out from behind the bar and mingled with the regulars. At about 10pm (10:30pm Sunday closing in those days), Morgy may sidle up alongside you and slowly but deliberately run his finger down your arm.

So, what did that mean?

It was Morgy’s discrete way of saying that he wanted a drink and that you were invited to the late one. Sometimes, invited participants grumbled, “but John, I’m wrecked from Friday and Saturday and I’ve got work tomorrow.”

To which John replied. “Oh, I see. When you wanted a late one on Friday and Saturday and I wanted to go to bed, I had to have a late one. But now when I want one, you want to go home. You’re staying!!”

And so that was the case. Morgy won that little battle.

John Morgan Tribute – Post Golden Eagle Days

As I have already said, I have been fortunate to continue seeing the Morgan’s after the Golden Eagle days. Immediately after the Eagle, John went to manage the Farndon Sports and Social Club. Such was the popularity of John, we used to get a mini bus up to go and visit him there. His spell there was short-lived though. I also remember a short term relief pub management job he had in Rhos-On Sea. Again, we went to visit him there as well.

From there, John had a few other jobs outside of the pub environment. Jobs like a taxi driver for Abbey Taxis in Chester; a chauffeur driver for a company called, surprisingly, Chauffeurs; a security job at John Lennon airport and a quick return to running a pub to help out family and friends on a short-term basis now and then.

But, we did also have a Golden Eagle reunion night back in January 2014. And star turn for the night was a certain John Charles Morgan. You can have a read of that night HERE.

Just Look At The Size Of That Doberman

As I’ve mentioned, John was very popular and was very friendly. It wasn’t uncommon for John to go out of his way to approach people to introduce himself with the often uttered introductory line of, “hello, I’m John Morgan, licensee of the Golden Eagle.” If we were away from Chester, he would add “in Chester.”

One such occasion he uttered the famous line was in 1984. John, John Junior (JJ) and a couple of good friends, Tich and Adam, came over to where I was staying in Sheffield in my student days as Liverpool had been drawn against Sheffield Wednesday in the League Cup.

After the game we went back (we drew 2-2 by the way) to my local in Sheffield on Eccleshall Road, called the Nursery Tavern. Like the Golden Eagle, it was a Bass pub. As we were entering the pub, myself, JJ and Tich were saying, “I wonder how long it will take Morgy to introduce himself to the landlady.” We laughed thinking, that as it was close to last orders, then surely not.

No sooner had Tich or JJ got the round in, and thinking Morgy was right next to me, I turned to where I thought he was standing and said, “we were wondering how long it would take you to introduce yourself to the landlady. But too late – it’s last orders.”

As soon as I finished my turn towards Morgy and my sentence, I noticed he wasn’t standing next to me any more. In the distance, I could see him extending his hand towards the landlady by way of a handshake greeting. Now with JJ, Adam and Tich alongside me, we all knew exactly what Morgy’s greeting would be.

The size of the landlady’s Doberman though. It was almost as tall as Morgy!! She didn’t accept Morgy’s suggestion of a cheeky late one though.

Snow? What Snow?

Having had a double round right on the last bell, it was now at the stage where driving home was out of the question for Morgy. Not drunk at all, but over the limit. One thing I learned about Sheffield was that it was always a lot colder and the winter weather more extreme than back home. On this particular, freezing cold February night, it was snowing in Sheffield (it wasn’t really, but who would check?).

And when that happened, more often than not, they closed the Snake Pass and the Woodhead Pass roads. So, there it was. Our ready made reason (excuse) for the Morgies, Adam and Tich to stay over. The roads were closed. To hear Morgy on the phone to Mary trying to explain how bad the (non existent) snow was, was a masterpiece.

Who’s Johnny Downes?

Even after his Eagle days, Morgy always seized any opportunity to introduce himself. Did he ever introduce himself as the “ex-licensee of the Golden Eagle” though? Probably.

One such introduction, while working as a chauffeur driver, caused a bit of a stir a short while after the introduction. While waiting for a pick up – a company director I believe – someone famous came out of the luxury apartment block John was waiting outside.

As ever, not wasting an opportunity, Morgy went over and introduced himself. Handing the celebrity a business card with the helpful words of, “if ever you need a car” ringing in his ears, the celebrity drove off. Leaving John waiting for his fare. And, it would seem, soon forgetful of the brief celebratory encounter.

Some weeks later, the phone rang in the Morgy household at “silly o’clock” on a Sunday morning. John Senior went down and answered the phone. What with the earliness of the call and the line not being as clear as it should be, John announced to the caller, “hang on, I think it’s my son you want. I’ll go and get him.”

With that, Senior went upstairs and went to wake Junior. No mean feat to wake Junior, early on a Sunday morning, after a Saturday evening of Bass and other delightful beverages.

John Senior shook Junior saying, “get up, there’s a Johnny Downes on the phone. I don’t know any Johnny Downes. Probably one of your old Navy mates.”

Reluctantly and with a throbbing head, Junior got up, and made his way down the stairs. Not in the best of moods and also having problems in hearing the caller clearly, Junior snapped, “look, who is this? I don’t know any Johnny Downes.”

At this stage, the caller made themselves a bit clearer. To such an extent, Junior said sheepishly, “oh, it is my Dad you want.”

Upon reawakening Senior, John Junior announced, “Dad, it is for you. It isn’t someone called Johnny Downes. It’s Johnny Barnes.”

Friend To The Stars

So, the introduction Morgy made while waiting for his fare on that morning a few weeks before, was to Johnny Barnes. No big surprise that Morgy went over to speak with Barnsey. It was so very much in his nature. After introducing himself, Morgy gave him a business card.

And so, a few weeks later, John Barnes wanted a car to take him to the airport to catch a flight to a Grand Prix race I believe, somewhere in Europe (as you do).

Another no surprise moment was that Barnsey remembered Morgy and dug out his card. And there you go, a few weeks later, a blurry, early morning call that would be remembered for so long.

As well as John Barnes, Morgy also picked up other Liverpool players. To them, he was known as “John The Drive.”

I’m not sure which way round the Kudos lay. Was it, Morgy saying that he knew these players? Or, was it a case of the players, name dropping, by saying that they knew Morgy? A bit of both I reckon.

Talking Of Football

John was a keen footie fan. He was a great help and support to our Golden Eagle Sunday League team. His role was Chairman of the football club. A duty he took very seriously and enthusiastically.

But his main footie passion was Liverpool FC. I sat next to Morgy at many a match over the years. To be fair he didn’t get to many games in later years but that was more down to the ongoing difficulties in getting tickets and, in many cases, as a result of Morgy’s working pattern.

But it was always a pleasure to go to the match with him.

This photo is an extra special one. Me, Senior Morgy and his youngest son, David at John Lennon airport on our way to Istanbul in May 2005 to see us pick up Number 5.

John Morgan Tribute – In Conclusion

I did say very early on in this article that I could write a lot in this John Morgan Tribute. And so far, I have. But I will end it here. As it happens, I am also writing a Chester Lifestyle book. With the family’s permission I will include this post in my book. I just think that it is so fitting to remember such a legend in any way I can.

As I have said, it has been a privilege to say I knew John. Without a doubt, John helped transform so many young people’s lives in that period between 1982 to 1986.

To this day, whenever I bump into any ex-Eagle regulars, we always reminisce about those great days of the Morgy Era. A special pub which was made that bit even more special by a special man. There can’t be many pubs that can boast one of its main assets as being the landlord. But that’s what Morgy was. A huge asset to the Eagle and other places he managed.

It was a sad day when he left the Eagle. But nowhere near as sad a day as when I heard of his sad passing. Rest in Peace, Morgy my good friend. You will be sorely missed. One thing I’m sure of. There are quite a few who have already left us since the Eagle halcyon days. And, no doubt, Morgy is already amongst them. Organising them, making them laugh and pouring them (and himself) a well earned pint.

Put one in the tank for me Morgy. Rest in Peace.

Chester Lifestyle Blog Posts

Thanks for reading my John Morgan Tribute blog post. It has been a bit late in coming for the reasons explained in the post before this one. Another reason for me to be so angry with those hopeless hosting companies. And thanks so very much for taking the time to visit my Chester Lifestyle website. It’s much appreciated. To see all of my other blog posts on a variety of topics, then head along to HERE.

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