Our Story
The Scott Arms
A Rich History
Like all grade 2 listed buildings, the Scott Arms has a rich history and can be dated back to 1787. Originally known as the New Inn in William Pitt’s time, it became the Eldon Arms (after the Earl of Eldon, a member of the local land-owning Scott family) in the 1860s. It became the Scott Arms after the second world war in 1945, named after John Scott, the first Earl of Eldon and the longest-ever serving Lord Chancellor, holding the role between 1801 and 1806 and again between 1807 and 1827.
Current landlord Simon Coppack took over in 2010 and has seen the pub through both economic and pandemic turbulence to maintain its position as one of Dorset’s premier pubs. Under his watch the pub can now offer four refurbished previously-unoccupied B&B rooms above the pub and The Shak, a permanent bar and barbecue in the pub garden, was also constructed in 2018.
NEW HORIZONS
2025 has heralded exciting new times for the pub as landlord Simon has teamed up with new business partner Henry Scott (of the local Scott Estate). As Simon explains: “We’ve been planning several changes for the pub for a while now and just needed to find the right partner to come on board to realise this. Henry is the perfect fit. As his name suggests, he and his family have a lot of history with the pub and the village of Kingston, and moving forward ‘provenance’ is going to be key to the way we work.”
Having now employed renowned local chef Duncan Smith, the aim is to provide the finest in locally sourced meats, fish and produce. Henry will be drawing on his affiliation with well respected local suppliers, including the Salt Pig in Wareham, to ensure that the Scott Arms is a beacon for Purbeck’s freshest, most responsibly sourced, seasonal produce year-round.
A Beacon for Purbeck Quality
Not only is the garden getting a total makeover, with a new, more spacious layout including new benches and tables for diners and drinkers including reservations and table service from the top garden, the interior is also benefitting from a new games room including a pool table that has already been installed.
And yes, even our famous Shak in the garden is seeing its own evolution with plans to install a new charcoal grill for meats and fish, alongside a few of our favourite jerk dishes. The aim is to have the Shak open from Easter and then operating for both lunch and dinners in the busier holiday periods.