‘Clarkson’s Farm convinced me to move to beautiful town but it’s gone horribly wrong’
Chipping Norton has become popular with celebrities like Jeremy Clarkson and David Beckham, but one woman who made the move to the town regrets it
A woman who moved to Chipping Norton after seeing it feature on Clarkson’s Farm admits she regrets the move. It comes as locals in the picturesque town, which is home Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm have complained about the influx of people into the area.
As well as being home to former Top Gear star Jeremy, Chipping Norton is also where stars such as David Beckham, Jamie Oliver and Kate Moss call home. It can even count former Prime Minister David Cameron as one of its more famous inhabitants.
Newcomer Bianca however moved to the town after watching Clarkson’s Farm. But she is now considering quitting and moving back to London after discovering one major issue.
She said: “I moved here because of Jeremy but I’m probably going back to London. There’s literally nothing here. I feel like I probably didn’t do enough research. I probably should have stayed here in a hotel for a week first to see what it was like.”
A 76-year-old tourist, David Smart, described his experience visiting Chipping Norton as underwhelming. The retired Northamptonshire postman shared: “We were going to go and see the farm and the pub but apparently you can’t go in.
“I saw the farm is called Diddly Squat. That about sums it up.”
Tourist Andy Goodyer, visiting from South Derbyshire, echoed the sentiment, finding Chipping Norton lacking compared to other destinations. “It’s rubbish here – we prefer the Peak District!”
Local families however are concerned that the picturesque image of Chipping Norton that fans of Clarkson’s Farm see may not last forever. They are concerned that Jeremy’s escapades could lead to a surge in property demand, with a number of housing developments cropping up in the area.
The latest proposal for 350 homes virtually borders Jeremy’s farm and has sparked a backlash from those living nearby. Twins Jane Hancox and Clare Webb praised TV presenter Jeremy for shining a spotlight on Chipping Norton, but fear the impact new homes will have on the town.
Clare, a local cleaner, expressed mixed feelings about the local developments: “I think Clarkson is good in the way he’s bringing money in but the thing is, the prices are going up. There isn’t the infrastructure to cope with all the new people coming.”
Jane voiced her concerns regarding the recent housing developments: “We have had new houses built up the road from us and all we smell is sewage because the sewers can’t take it.
“It has got worse over the years with all the houses and people coming through. The roads are not big enough, it has got ridiculous. The traffic is a nightmare. We can’t even get to the doctors.
“I’ve met people who have come up from London and said it’s more expensive here than there. In our village, the affordable houses were meant for people from the village but most have gone to strangers.”
The town faces further expansion as Rainier Developments has submitted preliminary plans to West Oxfordshire District Council for an estate that could include as many as 350 homes near the town’s historic cricket club.
Additionally, another adjacent development of approximately 90 homes and related infrastructure was green-lit by the council in 2023. This comes after plans to build more than 100 homes outside Chipping Norton were approved in April from developer Gleeson Land’s – despite more than 100 objections.
Scott Sumners, a 56-year-old born and raised in Chipping Norton, says people often visit the town only to discover there aren’t many tourist attractions.
He said: “We didn’t have any troubles 20 years ago. There’s still a lot of nice people but there’s so many tourists. It can get a bit rowdy out here on a Saturday night.
“I was walking my dog across the road one day and I overheard a couple say they had travelled from Scotland to come and see the town. There’s nothing here.”