Villagers raise glass to Devauden’s Masons Arms reopening 15 years on

VILLAGERS have celebrated the reopening of their local pub after a 15-year wait for a pint!

The Masons Arms in Devauden has thrown its doors open again after a major refurbishment programme brought the rundown premises back from the brink.

The shut down pub was bought by the team behind Shirenewton’s Carpenters last year, with renovation work starting shortly afterwards.

And after villagers packed into the pub to raise a glass for the first time since 2011, the new owners posted: “Hope you all enjoyed the opening night. Thank you all for your support, means a lot.

“What a fantastic opening, couldn't of asked for a better welcome to the village, so thank you.”

Boasting an open fire, real ale and live sport, the venue has already hosted live music and wood fired pizza nights, as well as a children’s Halloween party.

And Saturday, November 28, sees a country music night from 7.30pm with Russ Berry and a “free pint for anyone wearing a cow boy hat”.

Having shut in 2011 after the death of then licensee Brian Phillips and problems with probate, it fell into disrepair before planning was sought to convert it into a home, sparking opposition from residents.

Monmouthshire Council received more than 50 objections to the 2020 change of use bid, when the pub's last landlord Simon Phillips – son of the former licensee – said: "The pub was always the thriving hub of the community supported by the majority of the villagers.

"I know how devastated the people of Devauden were when the pub closed (people still ask me if the pub is ever going to open).

"If I was ever given the opportunity to give the community back their pub, I wouldn't hesitate.”

Gwent Campaign for Real Ale spokesperson Martyn Groucutt also weighed in at the time, saying: "There’s been no attempt to market or sell the pub as a going concern.

"It was a viable business when it ceased trading in October 2011 following the death of the previous licensee and prolonged legal issues around probate that followed."

One villager added: “Devauden deserves the opportunity to have a village pub. The Masons was a hugely important community asset and can be again.”

The application to convert it into a home was withdrawn at the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, with the building re-marketed in 2023 as a pub and sold last year by Powells with a guide price of £275,000.

New owners John and Christine Straw have said they aim to initially concentrate on beer sales and live music, while also providing a pool table, a darts board, a fruit machine and open fires in winter.

It comes after The Star on the Hill at Llansoy was saved from being converted into homes by a community campaign last year.

And the Wyeside Brockweir Inn Community Benefit Society are also a step closer to reopening their pub after seven years of closure and a residents’ buy out, with a £19.904 National Lottery Community Fund award last month to complete its new community room as part of the renovation.