Feature: THE DEVONSHIRE ARMS is Shepherdstown's, and the Contemporary American Theater Festival's Royal Gem

For years, I have had the incredible privilege and pleasure of reviewing shows, every July, at the Contemporary American Theater Festival in Shepherdstown, West Virginia—a short drive from Washington and Baltimore, but a world away in its atmosphere.  This small college town, with its rich history, has a charm of its own; and the new American plays on display at the Shepherd University campus are all, of course, well worth the trip outside our Beltways’ cramped confines.

But I have a small confession to make:  the plays are good, sure, but I’m really in it for the Afternoon Tea at Shepherdstown’s treasured pub, the Devonshire Arms.

(Well, that and the pints; and the sports on the telly; and the darts... I could go on...)

This beloved local institution is just a half-block off the main drag, and the Devonshire Arms has a loyal following with one of the most laid back, welcoming atmospheres you’ll find anywhere.

On your first visit you’ll likely be impressed by the selection of local and UK brews on tap, with the requisite pub chalkboard, listing all their beers’ vital statistics; you might catch the game at the bar, sample the fish and chips, maybe have some bangers and mash, or toss a few darts. 

But you’d be cheating yourself if you didn’t remember that with a two-day advance reservation, you can also have a proper Afternoon Tea.  Right where you sit, right there in Shepherdstown.  One of the best times you could possibly have in this town (with the possible exception of the shows on campus a few blocks away—scratch that, including the shows…).

Carolyn Litwack, the pub’s owner and founder, is one of those engaging world-travelers whose conversations can make your trip to West Virginia all the more worthwhile.  A native of Devon in southern England—the county that gave us that world-famous clotted cream—Litwack grew up near the great British naval port of Plymouth.  The city, devastated by Nazi bombing raids during World War II, struggled to rebuild after the war, during the years Litwack was growing up there.  And like so many others of the post-war generation, Carolyn’s wanderlust took hold by her teenage years; she soon found herself living and working throughout Europe, and – yes! – was part of the 70's scene in London.

Given all the remarkable places she’s lived, it’s an incredible stroke of luck that Litwack eventually made a home for herself here on our side of the pond (so to speak).  And that she discovered an old building in Shepherdstown which, after many incarnations, had fallen into disuse.  Its low-slung, exposed beams, a throw-back to its earliest days as a carriage house, suggested the kind of public house Litwack likely grew up with.  And with time, and one would imagine a good bit of sweat equity, the Devonshire Arms was born in a town whose thirst for good beer—and tea—could finally be properly tended to.

Over the years, locals have donated bits of decoration—a vintage portrait of HRH Elizabeth II, accompanied by the newly-crowned Charles III, looks out over the bar, accompanied by classic pieces of Britannia—complete with a wall mural of a classic London double-decker bus, with Big Ben in the background.  All there to remind you that for now, you can dream you’re nowhere near America.

ORDERING YOUR TEA:

So here’s the deal:  this July, once you’ve bought your CATF tickets and made your hotel reservations, on the eve of your departure for Shepherdstown, you need to ring up the Devonshire Arms and make your reservations for Afternoon Tea.

You will be served in waves, beginning with the tea itself:  Litwak has hand-made cozies for every pot she serves, and once your whistle is well-wetted, the good stuff arrives.  The triple-tier of delights the Arms offers will leave you with what my sainted grandmother would call “a sufficiency” to last the rest of the weekend.  There are savories—sausage rolls, tiny quiches, to name but a couple—and then you have a paradise of sweets: Russian tea cakes, scones, brownies, berry bars, even millionaire bars…

I could go on, but the more I write about this the more I kick myself for sitting here like a fool in Virginia, nowhere near where I sample them myself.  A picture can be worth a thousand words, but the one I have here should also inspire a few thousand taste buds to boot.

There is, of course, life in Shepherdstown both before and after the Contemporary American Theater Festival.  There are many attractions to be had—white-water rafting, biking, hiking, you name it—if you decide to stop by.  I mention this, because you certainly don’t need the Festival as a pretext to sample what the Devonshire Arms has to offer. Their doors are open year-round, and there’s often live music on the weekend.

High time for High Tea, and for a lengthy visit to Shepherdstown and its grand pub, the Devonshire Arms.  Be there.  Cheers.

Hours of Operation:  11:00 AM – 3:00 AM.

For more information, and to reserve your High Tea (allow for 2 days’ advance notice), call 304-876-9277, or email at devonshirearms@gmail.com.

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