Station Arms Public House

The Station Arms Public House is a traditional English pub in Southminster, in the Maldon district of Essex, England. It occupies a weather-boarded building on Station Road, a two-minute walk from Southminster railway station, and includes a beer yard and a barn to the rear. The pub is independently owned and operated rather than being part of a large pub company or brewery estate. The pub was purchased in 1991 by Martin Park and his partner Marguerite Hill from Whitbread, at which point it was a long-standing keg-only house. From their first day of ownership the new licensees introduced quality real ale, beginning with Crouch Best supplied by Colin Bocking of Crouch Vale Brewery. More than three decades later the pub still serves up to five different real ales at any one time. Adnams Southwold Bitter is the current house beer, with beers from George's, Crouch Vale, Mighty Oak, Colchester and Bishop Nick appearing regularly, alongside occasional guests from further afield. The Station Arms has a strong reputation within the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). It has featured in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide for 30 consecutive years and has been named Maldon and Dengie CAMRA Pub of the Year on numerous occasions, Essex Pub of the Year twice, and East Anglia Pub of the Year once. Live music, usually blues, is held on the third Saturday of most months, with occasional live music and barbecues in the yard during the summer. A local folk club meets in the bar on the third Thursday of each month. Marguerite Hill, described as the main driving force behind the pub's success, died in 2020; an annual charity event is now held in her memory. The pub maintains a traditional character, with no dogs or children under 14 allowed in the bar. It is a small, owner-run business with a local rather than national footprint, and its identity is closely tied to its real ale offer, its music programme and its position beside the railway station that gives it its name.

The Station Arms Public House is a traditional weather-boarded pub in Southminster, in the Maldon district of Essex, England. It stands on Station Road, a two-minute walk from Southminster railway station, and has a beer yard and a barn to its rear. Its name and identity are tied to the railway station beside which it sits. Before 1991 the pub was a long-standing keg-only house owned by Whitbread. In 1991 it was purchased by Martin Park and his partner Marguerite Hill, who took over as owner-licensees. From their first day of ownership they introduced quality real ale, initially Crouch Best supplied by Colin Bocking of Crouch Vale Brewery. This marked a shift from a keg-only operation to a cask ale-focused free house. Over the following decades the pub built a strong reputation for its beer range and its music. It has served up to five different quality real ales at any one time, with Adnams Southwold Bitter as its current house beer and regular appearances from George's, Crouch Vale, Mighty Oak, Colchester and Bishop Nick, plus occasional beers from further afield. It has featured in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide for 30 consecutive years and has won Maldon and Dengie CAMRA Pub of the Year numerous times, Essex Pub of the Year twice and East Anglia Pub of the Year once. Live music, usually blues, is held on the third Saturday of most months, with occasional live music and barbecues in the yard during the summer. A local folk club meets in the bar on the third Thursday of each month. The pub maintains traditional house rules, with no dogs or children under 14 allowed in the bar. Marguerite Hill, described as the main driving force behind the pub's success, died in 2020. Since then an annual charity event has been held in her memory. The pub remains independently owned and operated, with a local rather than national footprint, and continues to trade as a real-ale and live-music destination in Southminster.

• 2020

  Marguerite Hill, co-owner and driving force behind the pub, passed away; annual charity event established in her memory.

• 1991

  Purchased by Martin Park and Marguerite Hill from Whitbread; real ale introduced from first day of ownership.

Traditional independent Essex free house known for real ale quality, CAMRA recognition and live blues music.

• Adnams Southwold Bitter

• Crouch Best (Crouch Vale Brewery)

• Beers from George's, Crouch Vale, Mighty Oak, Colchester and Bishop Nick

1. 1Home - Station Arms - Southminster. Renowned for live music & real alesthestationarms.co.uk
2. 2Station Arms Public House - Wikidatawikidata.org