Duke of Beaufort Hotel / Beaufort Arms, High Street, Hawkesbury Upton

Now known as the Beaufort it is still trading and is a vibrant village pub. The present landlord, Mark Steeds, is enthusiastic about the heritage of the old breweries of Gloucestershire and beyond and has some interesting items of pub and brewery memorabilia displayed in the pub.

The pub’s sign depicts the nearby Somerset Monument, an imposing 100 feet tower, built in 1846 by Lewis Vulliamy in memory of Robert Henry Somerset who was a general at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Robert Henry Somerset was a nephew of the sixth Duke of Beaufort.

Graham Perks and Cedric Walker

The Gazette, 4th September 1998 – Special sign goes to pub: A little piece of history is back in place in Hawkesbury Upton. A black and yellow Automobile Association place-name and milage plaque now adorns the front wall of The Beaufort Arms.

Anne Sheppard and her former husband rescued the sign years ago from its use as part of a well covering when they lived a few yards away at The Blue Boy, itself a former pub. The sign was originally fixed either to The Blue Boy or The Malthouse, then part of the pub, next door. It date from the 1920’s and a delighted Beaufort Arms landlord, Mark Steeds, whose premises already feature pub and local memorabilia, said: “It’s a real collectors item – and valuable. I know one sold in Malmesbury for £500.

Mrs Sheppard recalled: “When we were renovating The Blue Boy, we found it lying on top of a well cover in about 1981, we just thought at first it was a piece of tin. It certainly had been there for a long time.” She eventually handed it over to Hawkesbury Parish Council with the proviso it should be erected somewhere. But with the council unable to find a home for it, Mrs Sheppard reclaimed it and offered it to The Beaufort Arms. Mr Steeds said: “We’re really grateful.”

The Gazette, Friday 17th March 2000 – Home cooking, real ale rule OK: (Advertising feature) Pub memorabilla is a real passion for Mark Steeds, landlord of The Beaufort Arms, Hawkesbury Upton. Displayed at the pub, his collection includes enamel signs and beer labels and posters dating to Victorian times. Real ale is another of Mr Steeds’ passions; his pub is a free house and he likes to support local breweries.

BOB, made by Wickwar Brewery is the house bitter, with brews also coming from Bath Ales and Gloucestershire brewer Goff’s. The pub features in the Good Beer Guide and in the Good Pub Food book, courtesy of its simple, homemade fare.

Mr Steeds and his wife, Fiona, took over the High Street pub six years ago. Before joining the pub trade Mr Steeds was a draughtsman. “I went from drawing pictures to drawing pints,” he laughed.

The Beaufort Arms is a listed building dating back to the 17th century. Customers are a cross-section of regulars and visitors. The Beaufort is just 200 yards from the Cotswold Way, so it attracts walkers. Mr Steeds describes his pub as “unpretentious”. He said: “We aim to be a local’s local but still like to attract visitors. We are an old-fashioned type of pub. We also like to support the village football and cricket teams.”

The 17^th century Beaufort was the Gloucestershire CAMRA Pub of the Year in 2004.

Mark Steeds (left) receives the certificate for CAMRA Gloucestershire Pub of the Year 2004 from chairman Tony Aburrow

The Gazette 12th April 2007 – Monthy postcard fair on move: Cirencester’s postcard fair is leaving the town after 21 years. The monthly fair will now be held at the Beaufort Arms pub, Hawkesbury Upton, on the second Wednesday of each month from 10am to 4pm. Andrew Swft helps to run the postcard collector’s group and he thought of holding it in the Beaufort Arms when the Corinium Galleries on Gloucester Street became unavailable.

The Gazette, Thursday 3rd May 2007 – Pirate trail will prove to be a treasure! by Alex Ross: A Hawkesbury Upton man is going hops and bounds to commemorate Bristol’s most famous pirate, inspired by a Gloucestershire man, writer and poet William Ernest Henley. Mark Steeds, landlord at the Beaufort Arms, is leading a fundraising campaign to create a pirate trail on Bristol’s Harbourside to celebrate Long John Silver and his fictional crew from the classic novel Treasure Island.

Mark is so hooked on the one-legged character and the proposed trail he is touring schools and groups dressed as Long John Silver to raise awareness and much needed funds. He said: “A lot of people know Long John Silver was a terifying, unforgettable character in Treasure Island, but not many know he was set as a landlord in a pub in eighteenth century Bristol. It seems a travesty to have such a famous character based here and not to celebrate it. We hope to change this with the pirates trail.

The Gazette, Thursday 2nd January 2020 – Beaufort receives CAMRA award for 25 years in guide: (by Ross Arnott) A popular pub in Hawkesbury Upton was presented wth a special award, just in time for Christmas. The Beaufort Arms was given a special plaque from thr Dursley & District CAMRA branch to mark a special achievement. The Beaufort Arms was presented with a plaque by CAMRA members on 6th December after being in the organisation’s Good Beer Guide for 25 years. The plaque was unveiled by Dursley & District CAMRA chairman Peter Corfield. The plaque is now placed on the outside wall of the pub.