In 1867 the pub standing at the junction with Staunton Road and Boxbush Road was called ‘Help Me Through the World’ – a name the premises had for a very short period of time. In 1877 the inn is recorded as the Masons Arms (see also the Masons Arms in Newland Street).
Gloucester Journal, 11th July 1885 – Coleford Court: Eliza Rees, a travelling Hawker, was brought up on remand charged with stealing 5s in money, the property of Rowland Salter, a tailor of Lydbrook. Prosecutor deposed that during a visit to the Masons Arms, Coleford, he felt the prisoner’s hand in his pocket and then missed the money. Other evidence was given and the Bench sent the prisoner to goal for seven days.
In late Victorian / early Edwardian times the Masons Arms was a beer house with an annual rateable value of £12.6s.0d. George Jones was the owner in 1891 and Sarah James in 1903. The Masons Arms had no brewery tie.
In 2000 Bill Nash emailed me from Australia about his early drinking days in Coleford. He wrote: “The Masons Arms (as I knew it) at the foot of Boxbush Road was, I believe, in the early 1970’s run by a Ken Morgan, who had moved there from the Swan when it closed. I remember many a Sunday morning game of darts at the Masons Arms during my drinking apprenticeship. I don’t ever remember ever being asked my age, which was a good job because everyone knew who we were and how old we were.”
The Masons Arms was acquired by Francis Wintles’ Forest Brewery of Mitcheldean and in the 1930’s, following the takeover, it sold Chelt Ales from the Cheltenham Original Brewery. A legacy of its days as a West Country Breweries house in the late 1950’s / early 1960’s is a ‘Best in the West’ ceramic plaque.
In November 1966 a local newspaper revealed that the secret of a long life may have been in the beer of the Mason’s Arms in Coleford as the average age of customers was said to be 80.
The fourth edition of Gloucestershire CAMRA ‘Real Ale in Gloucestershire’ published in July 1978 described the Masons Arms simply as a ‘small friendly pub just off town centre.’ Whitbread PA was available on hand pump. The Masons Arms closed for a period in the mid 1980’s and was purchased from Whitbread in the early 1990’s. The owner decided to change the name of the free house back to ‘Help Me Through the World’.
The 1993 edition of ‘Real Ale in Gloucestershire’ described the pub as basic ‘with tiled floor and posters on the walls. Had a ninety-year spell as the Masons Arms but has now reverted!’ Beers were supplied from Courage Brewery, Wadworth of Devizes and the Freeminer Brewery from the Forest of Dean (Sling).
Gloucester Citizen, Saturday 5th September 1992. Eating Out – Wayfarer visits Help Me Through The World, Coleford: A name that grabs the attention, plus the promise that children can eat for 1p, prompted me to take the family into the oddly named Help Me Through the World public house in Coleford. Deciding to go was the easy part. Actually getting into the pub in Boxbush Road was more difficult. It is situated on a busy junction and we couldn’t find a customers’ car park, so we had to drive around in circles looking for a parking place. After an irritable five minutes we spotted a recently vacated gap just outside the pub. Another trip around the block and we might well have given up and gone elsewhere – which would have been a pity, because the food at Help Me Through the World is exceptionally good.
I have to admit that the rather dowdy 19th century pub, with its two bars and minute restaurant, did not immediately strike me as the place to find cordon bleu cookery. But a glance at the extensive menu supplemented by daily specialities on the blackboard was a hint of things to come. While the bar snacks were the usual pub fare of pies, curries, chips and salads, the restaurant menu was an unexpected delight. And yes, your child can have a meal for 1p if you spend a minimum of £3.95.
We decided to forego starters, firmly turning our backs on smoked salmon and scrambled egg served on a bed of spinach (£3.45), curried prawns (£2.45) and smoked salmon paupilettes (£4.25). The main course demanded careful perusal. We eventually chose Chicken Pays Basque, a colourful dish cooked with onions, tomatoes, peppers, garlic. mushrooms and wine (£6.95) and Steak Diane, which had a delicious, creamy sauce (£7.95). Both were served with beautifully cooked vegetables. My only complaint – I would have liked a choice of potatoes. But the obligatory chips were crisp and delicious.
The special children’s menu offered an imaginative variety of dishes at £1.50, but Help Me Through the World’s offer meant we paid just 1p for our youngster’s substantial meal of two beefburgers, chips and salad. Puddings cost just £2 each, and the choice was limited to profiteroles, lemon meringue pie or Black Forest gateau all served with cream. But they were delicious and extremely good value.
When landlord Chris Perry moved into the pub two years ago it was called the Mason’s Arms. “It had been called that since 1842, probably because there was a mine nearby,” he explained. “But I discovered that it had been originally called Help Me Through the World and decided to switch back to the old name. There was a chapel next door and rumour has it that it was the chapel-goers who decided that Help Me Through the World was the right name for a public house.” When the chapel closed, Mr Perry bought the pews and other items for his pub. “So now the chapel is inside the pub,” he joked.
Help Me Through the World closed in the Autumn of 1995. The owner of the property in 2000 had kept the interior unchanged, and it is likely that many of the original layout and features of the Masons Arms are still intact today.
Landlords at the Masons Arms include:
1886, 1891 George Jones
1902 William Francis Miles (1902 -beer retailer, Boxbush Road)
1939 Fred Hinton
1990,1992 Chris Perry
