History and importance to the local community

• The Somerset Arms public house has stood on the High Street in the centre of Semington, Wiltshire for over 200 years. The building is grade II listed by Historic England since January 1988 (entry number 1262379)

• The pub is named after the Duke of Somerset and was part of the Duke’s estate until at least 1929. It was a coaching inn and was ideally located on the strategic turnpike operating between Bath and Salisbury as well as with Devizes with onward travel to London

• The Kennet & Avon Canal reached Semington by 1804 and provided a connection between the River Thames at Reading and the Bristol Channel, via the River Avon between Bath and Bristol. It will no doubt have served some of the navvies that helped to build it

• It has provided villagers with a social hub for many decades as well as providing boaters, walkers, cyclists, passers-by and the wider Wiltshire community with a traditional pub offering food and drink

• The Somerset Arms has been at the heart of village life and national celebrations long before it became Semington’s only pub with the closure of The Bell around 1960

• It continued as a free house . It even survived COVID but it sadly pulled its last pint in 2023, a few days before the Coronation of King Charles III

• With no other tenant wanting to take it on, the Wellington Pub Company put it up for sale in 2024

• Semington Parish Council has been very supportive of retaining a pub in the village and The Somerset Arms was been declared an Asset of Community Value (ACV) by Wiltshire Council in May 2023

• In 2024 a group villagers formed the Semington Pub Action Groupto lead a campaign to buy and restore it. The Action Group has now evolved into the Semington Community Benefit Society to raise the necessary funds and add volnteers to manage the varied aspects of the project  

• England & Wales lost 366 pubs in 2025, according to the Institute of Licencing. Inspired by a growing number local communities that bought their local pub and brought it back to life the villagers of Semington want to do the same for the Somerset Arms

• With your help we can buy the Somerset Arms and turn it into a flourishing pub for generations to come. You will be more than welcome to drop by for a drink or a bite to eat!

Please help us to Bring Back the Somerset Arms in Semington and revive the beating heart of our village