Secret Drinker reviews Jubilee Garage in Bourne

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I walked into the Jubilee Garage, and I’m not sure I was much wiser 10 minutes later.

The bar/restaurant on Bourne’s North Street has so much going on all over the place that I was still stumbling across trinkets and artefacts as I was on my way out.

In a nutshell, the place was a working garage until the 1970s, so you’re certainly at the right place if you’re looking to get well oiled.

That motoring theme, including throwbacks to the venue’s previous history (the original sign still hangs above the door) can be seen throughout the place, with little space wasted.

Greeting you at the door is an old Esso pump - a throwback to the days when you didn’t have to remortgage to refuel - an old bike hanging from the staircase and a carousel horse, which was keeping one very young punter highly entertained.

Oil drums, Castrol bottles, fire buckets, wheels, retro signs and old car parts hang from the walls, and the remaining space not taken up by the flat screen TVs is saved for black and white images of motorsport’s golden era.

I took my Brixton Atlantic Pale Ale to a tartan-seated nook, a shrine to Bourne-based British Racing Motors Formula One team.

After rubbernecking my way through all the glorious old photos I eventually spotted a reserved sign on the table and quickly made my way to one of the nearby pews to make do with a hung homage to Jackie Stewart and wait for my bowl of chips, those skin-still-on ones with a dusting that suggests the food was dropped in some sand but actually hugely improves the taste.

Also: A pub where everybody knows your dog’s name

The barmaid told me that the place tends to get busy on the evenings or ‘when there’s a good match’ on the TV. But as I arrived at a quiet time I had to make do with former Lincoln City manager Danny Cowley on Sky Sports News.

Jubilee Garage has a decent sized courtyard with plenty of seating for sunseekers and smokers but it was my trip to the gents which delivered the next nice surprise - and I don’t mean the machine hawking vibrating rings, presumably a bargain at £3.

Trekking up the metal stairs – think the Robot Wars set – it quickly became apparent the first floor was put together with just as much love.

Van doors hung from the walls, a pool table was ready for your coins and there was again no shortage of seating and big screen TVs.

But the big draw was a camper van, halved, hollowed out and housing a second bar.

Instantly eyecatching and another pleasant surprise in a place full of them, the camper was a cracking touch.

Although I’d have liked to have seen the place at a busier, rowdier time, Jubilee Garage is definitely not the pits. It’s a decent pit stop.

JUBILEE GARAGE, 30 NORTH STREET, BOURNE, PE10 9AB

DECOR: Where to begin? The place may not be everyone’s cup of tea but I loved the attention to detail and nods to the place’s history. 5/5

DRINK: Brixton Atlantic American Pale Ale (5.4%), a cracking pint which went down far to well and quickly. 4/5

PRICE: The pint, a coke and the bowl of chips came to a competitive £10.70, the pale ale coming to just over half the cost. 3/5

ATMOSPHERE: I wish I’d made it at a busier time, but the lad riding the carousel horse was having a blast. 2/5

STAFF: The lone barmaid kept herself busy but always had a smile. 3/5

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