Bottle Dept, which takes its name from the sign above the bar depicted in the watercolour, is closely comparable to another work in the exhibition, Barrel on Bar. Both show drinking establishments where barrels were positioned directly on the bar, suggesting that the setting is Yates’s Wine Lodge, probably the Manchester branch. An interior photograph from the Blackpool branch, taken in 1977 (fig. 1), reveals striking similarities with these two works. At Yates’s, a “spit and sawdust saloon”, the space was divided into two sections: the public drinking area and the bottle department (or bottle office), which functioned more like an off-licence. Here, patrons could browse a drinks menu and purchase full bottles of wine, sherry, port or spirits to take away.

In Joe Tucker’s book, The Secret Painter, it becomes clear that Tucker had no shortage of tales from his nights out, particularly those spent with his close friend ‘Adge’ (short for Harry), whom he met while working as a delivery driver for Monk’s building company. Adge was a loyal partner in mischief, and the pair would often “insert a night out into their delivery schedule, claiming afterwards there’d been some unavoidable delay” — usually resuming work the next day somewhat worse for wear.