From left, Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond (Ian West/PA)(Image: PA Wire/PA Images)
Richard Hammond’s relocation to a six-bedroom Georgian manor house in Abergavenny, Wales, has reportedly left some residents “agitated” amid concerns that his former Grand Tour co-presenter Jeremy Clarkson might follow him there, potentially abandoning his renowned farm.
Jeremy is presently based in Oxfordshire, where he operates Diddly Squat Farm in Chadlington and The Farmer’s Dog pub in Asthall. However, the Abergavenny Chronicle has reported that some Welsh locals are worried that once the farming celebrity “gets wind of just how lovely Abergavenny and its wider environs are” from Richard, he could be enticed to purchase a property in the region.
A spokesperson for Not In Our Backyard (NOB) commented: “Apart from the occasional sighting in the frozen aisle at the local supermarket, Mr Hammond has kept a very low profile. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of Mr Clarkson. Since he has set up camp at Diddly Squat Farm, Chipping Norton has turned into an absolute circus.”
Nevertheless, the Clarkson’s Farm presenter has moved to dismiss the speculation in his latest newspaper column, taking a characteristically sharp dig at his former Top Gear co-star’s well-documented accident-prone track record in the process, reports Wales Online.
Writing in The Sun, Jeremy said: “Residents in the pretty Welsh town of Abergavenny said this week that after Richard Hammond bought a house in the area, they were ‘fearful’ that I’d do the same thing. Well relax, boyos, because why would I want to live near Richard Hammond?