Jeremy Clarkson shares update on pub opening date after splashing £1 million on local boozer
JEREMY Clarkson has given an update after it was revealed that he had snapped up a country pub close to his Oxfordshire farm.
The Amazon Prime Video star confirmed he had splashed close to £1million on a country pub in his column for The Sunday Times.
The news that revellers could head to a local boozer owned by the former Top Gear star left them thrilled with excitement but they may have to wait a while longer before being able to walk through the door.
As he discussed his new business venture on Instagram, Jeremy revealed that the pub may not be opening its doors until 2025.
Opening up on the work that needed to be completed on the venue, the popular star said: “We have much work to do, so will let you know when we can open.
“It’s entirely possible that I won’t get the place mended and open until the icy hand of winter has descended which means I’ll have 80 people to pay every week, a quagmire for a car park and no customers because – as I’ve been told time and again – people just don’t go to country pubs any more.”
Jezza’s decision to open up the pub comes after previous attempts at cracking the hospitality industry were shut down by the local council.
A converted barn on his Diddly Squat Farm that was to operate as a restaurant had to be shut down after it breached council planning regulations.
The 64-year-old will be hoping to find more success with the new pub called The Windmill, near Burford, Oxfordshire which he has admitted he plans to re-name Clarkson’s Arms.
The Windmill, known for its glowing reviews and affordable prices, was previously self-described as a “magical Oxfordshire wedding and event venue in the heart of the Cotswolds”.
Despite initial challenges such as staffing issues “thanks to Brexit” and problems with a “loft full of dead rats” and “illegal” lavatories, Jeremy is determined to get the pub up-and-running quickly.
Jeremy admitted his friends are sceptical about his new endeavour, though, warning that the “evidence [suggests] it will be a total disaster”.
One even remarked, “Owning a pub these days is even more daft than owning a farm. What’s next? You buying a cinema?”
Nonetheless, The Grand Tour host has seen success in recent months as part-owner of the Cotswold brewer that produces his Hawkstone lager, utilising barley grown on his nearby Diddly Squat farm.
Jeremy envisions a “fun” and homely pub featuring bar billiards, darts, and a garden, as well as a place where he can enjoy a Sunday meal with his granddaughter.
“Well-priced, British-grown food with a pint of Hawkstone beer,” he suggested, promoting his own brew.
Owning his own pub had been a personal dream of Jeremy’s with the TV presenter previously confessing: “I decided last year that I’d like to buy a pub.
“I dreamt as many men have dreamt in the past, of chatting with the regulars about nothing of any consequence and then having a Sunday roast with my family at my own table.”