Barbara Windsor appeared in nine films in the Carry On comedy series, plus Sparrows Can’t Sing, for which she was nominated for a Bafta, as well as parts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and On the Fiddle with Sir Sean Connery.
She was well-known to millions of TV viewers for her portrayal of landlady Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders, starring alongside her on-screen children Ross Kemp and Steve McFadden.
Her last appearance in the soap came in 2016, the same year she was made a dame for her services to charity and entertainment. She died in December 2020 from Alzheimer’s, aged 83.
Mr McManus added: “I remember we had to pick [Barbara Windsor] up from Junction 15 and she was in a stretch limo.
“My wife went and picked her up with a friend, and they had a lot of laughs with her on the way into town. It was loads of fun, and she did lots of autographs.”
The Phipps reopened on 4 December, with former footballer Neil ‘Razor’ Ruddock among the attendees.