About the Martin's Arms
Set in the idyllic village of Colston Bassett. The Martin's Arms is a Grade 2 listed building. Situated at the corner of a quiet leafy cul-de-sac by an old cross, the Inn encapsulates all that is best in an English pub. Recommended by Michelin, Sawdays, the AA guides and 9 years running winner of Nottinghamshire Dining Pub Of The Year. The Martin's Arms is a welcome retreat at any time of the year.
1890 - Willian Green & John, landlord, pictured with the postman
History
Colston Bassett may nestle tranquilly in the Vale of Belvoir today but it has not always been so - the village has experienced many a turbulent time. First the Romans occupied the area, after them came a powerful Anglo-Saxon family. The next recording was in the Domesday Book which stated that Colston Bassett was given to Ralph Bassett by William the Conqueror.
From then on the Estate was owned by several forceful men including the Duke of Buckingham (who was beheaded) and Sir Thomas Wentworth who served with Marlborough on his campaigns.
In 1604 the plague raged through Colston Bassett. The village was completely cut off and half the population died.
And then came the civil war, embroiling the village and dividing it with opposing loyalties. Squire Golding from The Hall was a prominent Catholic, whilst Colonel Francis Hacker at The Manor House was a staunch Roundhead. He and his brother Thomas fought on opposite sides in a skirmish at the village in 1643 in which Thomas was killed. Colonel Hacker was one of the men who led Charles 1st to the scaffold and was subsequently hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn for the deed.
The village cross - National Trust owned - the first property in Nottinghamshire
1895 - Landlord William Green with his wife Polly & family in the Martin's Arms garden. His daughter Elizabeth was landlady until 1930. Sons Jack & Harry "Bogue".
On an Elizabethan map of 1600 there is a house standing on the same site as The Martin's Arms today.
The early 1800s were a period of great agricultural prosperity and all the farmhouses, including the Arms, expanded considerably. It was then that the Farm/Alehouse, which had always brewed its own beer, took the name of the Squire and became The Martin's Arms Inn.
1934 - Drought: water brought to the village in churns from the River Smite for livestock. William & Ellen Marston standing with May Sharp, car driver, Albert Marston and Godfrey Sharp on the waggon.
The pub had always belonged to the Estate, but in 1990 it was put up for sale and the present owners were fortunate enough to buy it. Colston Bassett is conservation village and consequently the Estate and its environs have managed to escape the onward march of the developers.
1930s - William 'Clonnie' Stevens maintains the road in front of The Martin's Arms
The owners of the Martin's Arms have striven to keep its unique and tranquil atmosphere intact. Set in beautiful gardens it gives visitors a feeling of the past and a sense of timelessness in our rapidly changing world.
12th May 1937 - Coronation of King George VI
School Lane, Colston Bassett, Nottingham NG12 3FD, United Kingdom
DESIGN BY GORSEBUSH