Jeremy Clarkson’s Cotswold pub could be force it to shut down its car park (Image: PA)
Cotswold pub, The Farmer’s Dog, is facing a crisis that could force it to shut down its sprawling car park, throwing the pub’s future into jeopardy. Situated beside a historic Anglo-Saxon burial mound, the car park’s continued operation threatens to disturb the ancient grave, sparking a local uproar and potentially cutting off the flow of hundreds of customers, according to reports.
The Daily Mail reports the heart of the issue lies in the pub’s adjacent car park, placed perilously close to a 1,400-year-old burial site known as Asthall Barrow, home to the remains of an assumed Anglo-Saxon warlord.
With cars bustling in and out, fears are escalating that the sacred site could suffer from the heavy traffic, leading to a clamour among locals to close the car park entirely.
A local pub-goer voiced his worries telling the publication: “Clarkson’s problems with the pub could spiral to another level if they make him close his car park – the punters wouldn’t be able to get to the pub.”
The star, who forked out a cool £1 million to nab the pub near his hit TV show Clarkson’s Farm, relies heavily on these car-driving patrons to keep his pub afloat financially.
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The car park’s continued operation threatens to disturb the ancient grave (Image: PA)
His earlier venture, the Diddly Squat Farm Shop, already stirred up a hornet’s nest with traffic jams and roadside chaos, prompting him to lease a 34-acre field from landowners Edward and Patricia Walker for overflow parking, charging £2 a pop.
Despite the well-organised parking setup managed by hi-vis-clad wardens, the proximity of the packed cars to the ancient mound has not gone unnoticed. Asthall Parish Council, taking the matter seriously, has been abuzz with discussions about the car park’s fate.
Lynne Hughson, the council’s chairwoman, confirmed to MailOnline: “I think that the minutes of the last couple of meetings [which express concern about the car park being so close to the burial site] reflects the views of the parish council.”
The local council’s minutes suggest shifting the overflow parking across the road or further afield, possibly even introducing a shuttle bus to ferry patrons to and from the pub. As the temporary planning permission for the overflow car park has long expired, West Oxfordshire District Council is actively exploring alternatives to safeguard the site while complying with the law.
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Clarkson forked out a cool £1 million to nab the pub near his hit TV show Clarkson’s Farm (Image: PA)
The former star, still reeling from a recent heart surgery induced by stress, described his foray into the pub trade as disastrous, citing thefts, traffic nightmares, and toilet troubles.
When the Farmer’s Dog first opened in Oxfordshire in August many had travelled from far and wide to the picturesque spot for a chance of a pint, with the car park rammed within an hour of its opening.
So the emergence of the burial mound issue is a new, unwelcome headache. The medieval burial mound was partially excavated by archaeologists in 1923 and a number of ancient artefacts were uncovered including cremated human bone pieces, ivory pieces, pottery, gaming pieces, bronze and silverware.
Its location on the once fought-over borders of the ancient kingdoms of Wessex to the south and Mercia to the north suggests the person buried beneath it is likely to have been a high-ranking individual of the “warrior elite”.