‘He can take a look’ blasts owners of ‘England’s oldest petrol station’ after row over development with ex-Top Gear host
THE new owners of England’s oldest petrol station have hit back at Top Gear legend Tiff Needell after he led a campaign against their plans for it.
The TV star previously spoke exclusively with Sun Motors urging Mike Clarke to leave the site “as it is”.
The Grade-II Listed property in Turnaston, Herefordshire, is thought to be the oldest forecourt still standing in England.
It closed in 2010 after over a century in operation and was bought for £300,000 by Mr Clarke in 2023 as a retirement cottage for him and his wife.
They have since spent thousands to renovate the building, including a one-storey extension and a new garage.
But this has prompted backlash from petrolheads who want to preserve the “time-warp” station.
Now, Mr Clarke has hit back at Tiff’s campaign, arguing that he actually saved the property from falling into disrepair.
He told the Hereford Times: “The petrol station history was a feature that appealed to us.
“There was a lot of interest in it but because it was a bit neglected, with damaged walls, I think that put some people off.
“If we hadn’t bought it, the building would have fallen down because there was a great big crack running through it.
“We want to preserve the heritage of the place, not destroy it.”
He added that the plan is to restore the station so it “looks like it did in its heyday”, including reinstating two petrol pumps and the original signage.
And he dubbed Tiff’s comments “strange”, claiming that they actually shared his aims of preserving the place’s history.
Mr Clarke went on: “I’d be very happy for Tiff to come here and take a look at what we’re doing as I think he would actually be quite pleased.”
For his part, Tiff told The Sun that he was worried that the “lovely little story” of the station, which he believes he filmed at during the ’90s, would be destroyed.
He explained: “I just want it left as it is.
“We’ve got so few of these real-life treasures left and we keep trying to bulldoze them.”