If you lived in Liss at the turn of the century, there were three certainties in life: The crossing gates would be down, you could get a hefty mixed grill at The Temple Inn, and the landlord of the Spread Eagle would be wearing a blue jumper.

Glasses were raised in the Whistle Stop on Tuesday (September 29) as friends, family and acquaintances paid their final respects to Simon Jenkins.

Many people remember Simon through his passion for motorcycling and circuit racing, with the former HGV driver amassing an impressive collection of trophies through his time on the track.

But most will associate him with being a landlord, as the lifelong bachelor spent the best part of a decade at the Spread Eagle in West Liss before moving to the Flying Bull in Rake.

You would usually find him wearing a blue jumper or shirt and rocking a classic side-parting hairstyle. A pint of Guinness, newspaper and his four-legged, Dyson, wouldn’t be too far away.

He was certainly well-known among local publicans, often dropping into the Square Brewery, Temple, Red Lion and Whistle Stop for a chat and pint.

The latter was the scene of his wake, with his brother, Richard, appropriately having a pint of the black stuff in memory of Simon, with plenty others popping in to raise a glass in memory of a man synonymous with Liss.

Richard said: “He was in London for a bit but he lived in and around Liss for most of his life.

“Circuit racing was a big thing as he used to ride a lot and Francis Williams starting sponsoring him. There were quite a lot of trophies in his living room.”

Mr Jenkins was 67 when he died early this month, with his passing followed by a direct funeral.