Courage’s new £60 million brewery, south of Reading, was rapidly taking shape in 1977, and the Chronicle published a striking aerial photograph of the 110-acre site.

Staff were due to start work there in the spring of 1979, when the brewery was going to produce over one million barrels of beer a year- three times the old town centre sites capacity.

The whole area was set to be landscaped and a new road link from the roundabout on the Basingstoke Road would enable Courage’s delivery lorries to gain access to the main roads nearby.

Thameside, Caversham, was the take off point for a publicity stunt announcing the upcoming World Hot-Air Balloon Championships, using a well-known jam maker’s trademarked logo.

But the 90-foot ‘golliwog’ only raised a few eyebrows 42 years ago, as it floated over Reading at a restricted height- so as not to interfere with the outgoing flights from Heathrow airport.

A gravel conveyor bridge was causing the Sandford Resident’s Association, Woodley a few sleepless nights for their secretary, Marjorie Robinson.

Despite her initial worries, over the extra lorry traffic had reduced, this had been superseded by witnessing a ‘tractor shovel’ only just making it through the bridge span.

The installation of the conveyor belt to take gravel to a processing plant had reduced the need for constant lorry journeys from Mungells Farm North, but the positioning of span so near to a narrow bridge was still causing concern.

A star-studded celebrity cricket match went down to the last ball when the Lord’s Taverners team played at Reading School in front of 1,000 spectators.

The hidden talents of many of the stars surprised the crowds, none more so than ITV’s ‘Big Match’ football commentator Brian Moore, who stole the show with a brilliant 44 runs.

Former boxer, John Conteh, peppered the boundary with sixes and the legendary wrestler, Mick McManus, achieved victory for the Taverners by hitting a huge four.

Former Woodley Aerodrome worker Stanley Raven, 72, returned from Tasmania to tour his former home in 1977.

But his visit was tinged with sadness when he realised that many of his former friends and neighbours had passed away since he emigrated.

Mr Raven recalled the years he worked for Miles aircraft, and his wartime duties in the Home Guard and later working for the Handley Page Company, whose last aircraft were made at Woodley.

Six lucky entrants to the Chronicle’s “Look In” competition had the chance to win the new album by music legend Steve Winwood in 1977.

His self-titled LP marked a big moment in Steve’s musical career, as it was his first solo album, three years after the break-up of his former band, Traffic.