Martins Arms, Colston Bassett

A former farmhouse which appears to have become an inn in the first half of the 19c. It was owned by the village estate, from which its name derives; but privately owned since 1990. The interior has beam ceilings and restrained décor, but is very neat and has a modernised feel; nevertheless, probably not altered a great deal since the 1960s. There’s a central hall with the main room on the right, in two parts. The counter is quite plain with a copper top; a 1960s brick fireplace is in one part of the room; the finest features are an extravagantly carved fireplace in the other half, and a set of similarly-carved bar shelves and cupboards behind the counter – these apparently were moved from the estate’s Hall in the 1960s; there are a couple of fixed benches in this room. Left of the hall is a small square bar-parlour; some plain fixed benches here, a small fireplace - probably 1960s, and an old triangular cupboard. Beyond this is a restaurant, quite elegant with timber dados all round. Whilst this is very typical of many country pubs, the unaltered layout of several rooms, and the lack of alteration over the last 50 years makes it of interest. It has apparently never been brewery-owned.