THE Courtfield Arms in Lower Lydbrook is to reopen in around three weeks following the arrival of a new landlady, Paula Milton, previously of the Prince of Wales in Ross on Wye.

The doors closed unexpectedly on the Wyeside former hotel two weeks ago, when a combination of flood damage and a personal injury to the previous landlord plunged the venue into darkness.

It also left some local groups who met there with swift decisions to make, the Tump Committee moving their meeting to the Forge Hammer Inn, while the Earth Mysteries Group cancelled their February meeting altogether at what was described as 'very short notice'.

Paula only found out that the Courtfield was available last Thursday, and she took no time in moving in the following day and starting to make plans for some minor alterations and redecoration ready for the reopening.

"It has been a bit of a whirlwind taking this on," Paula told the Review. "And while the place is pretty well ready to open, there are a couple of minor things to do first, including changing the main front door to what had been the function room door, to make access to the pub as a whole better."

The famous three storey pub, with its spectacular views of the River Wye and of the Vaughan Estate on the opposite side of the river, was named after the Court Field – the meadow below Courtfield Estate house – which was so called because it was used as a summer retreat for the family and courtiers of Henry IV. It was possibly the childhood playground of the young man who would later become Henry V.

•The Earth Mysteries Group hope that the Courtfield will be open in time to host their next meeting which is scheduled for Thursday March 7 in the function room of the pub. A spokesman said: "The sudden closure of the pub left us without a venue, but we wish Paula every success as she takes up the reigns on this historic pub."