Two historic Warminster pubs are set for a new lease of life after Wiltshire Council approved plans to convert the Masons Arms and the long-vacant John Barleycorn into residential properties.
The Masons Arms on East Street, which closed in 2024, will be transformed into six flats following a successful planning application by owners Admiral Taverns. Meanwhile, the John Barleycorn on Weymouth Street, empty since 2016, will be converted into nine flats with additional office space in the basement.
Parts of the Masons Arms building date back to the 15th and 16th centuries, and the site has continuously housed an inn or pub since the 19th century. However, in recent years, it struggled to remain viable. Admiral Taverns, which owns 1,600 pubs across the UK, previously described the business’s trading performance as “declining and insufficient.”
Following its closure, the company submitted plans to convert the building into six flats, arguing that the pub model was “economically nonviable” and that redevelopment was necessary to secure the site’s future. Wiltshire Council has now granted listed building consent but has urged efforts to preserve the pub’s heritage.
One condition of the approval states, “The hanging pub sign and bracket shall not be removed at any time and maintained in perpetuity… in order to preserve the character and fabric of the listed building.”
The Masons Arms re
development will include three one-bedroom apartments, one two-bedroom apartment, and two three-bedroom homes, along with parking and cycle storage. Admiral Taverns says the East Street location offers good access to public transport, shops and restaurants.
Warminster Town Council, in a meeting last year, had no objections but asked developers to consider neighbouring properties and maintain site pathways.
Meanwhile, the John Barleycorn on Weymouth Street, which was unsuccessfully marketed for sale in 2019, will also undergo redevelopment.
Owner Robert Selwood, who acquired the Grade II listed building in 2020, has secured permission to convert it into nine flats while retaining the basement for commercial office space.
The application stated, “The proposals will involve a substantial enhancement of the fabric of the listed building and will bring back into use an attractive and prominent town centre property.”
It added, “The proposed apartments will be generously sized and will be served by appropriate levels of parking for the location.”
Wiltshire Council’s conservation officer concluded that the impact of the development would be “largely positive” and that the scheme would return the vacant building to active use.
