Jeremy Clarkson’s Cotswolds pub, The Farmer’s Dog in Asthall, has been the subject of formal complaints from local residents who say the venue is causing noise, traffic disruption and risks to a nearby ancient burial mound.
The issues were recorded in minutes from an Asthall Parish Council meeting and include objections to a temporary car park on Barrow Field, which residents say has increased queuing and on‑road parking; a proliferation of temporary signs they say obstruct sightlines; "very loud music" on Saturday nights; and mud tracked onto the highway after recent rain.
The parish council minutes note that the temporary use of Barrow Field for staff and customer parking "is necessary in view of the volume of visitors to that attraction" but ask whether a planning application has been submitted to assess the impact on the Saxon barrow and the new access and exit arrangements. The burial mound, known locally as Asthall Barrow, dates to the seventh century and lies yards from the pub.
One complainant told the council there had been a new eastern entrance to the car park, near a bend on the B4047, which is "not well signposted" and close to the junction at Asthall Turn. The minutes say the signs "frequently obstruct the sight line of traffic, especially at Asthall Turn," making turns "especially difficult." The document adds that temporary 40 mph signs on Barrow Hill have been replaced by permanent ones but temporary signs have not been removed.
Parish councillor Ruth McCalman is recorded as raising noise and mud concerns and said she would speak to Clarkson about Saturday evening music. The minutes state that because the music ceases at 10 p.m. "it was felt there was no legal breach," but councillors planned to request that the venue lower the volume as a courtesy. The council also agreed to pass letters on to Oxfordshire County Council and West Oxfordshire District Council.
The minutes describe the signs as an "eyesore," particularly given the site lies within a conservation area and a designated National Landscape. Residents also expressed worry that the change of use for parking had not taken into account protection of the Saxon barrow and that heavy visitor traffic and parking overflow were creating highway safety and pedestrian-safety concerns.
The Farmer’s Dog, which has attracted visitors since opening, is awaiting decisions on formalising temporary staff and customer parking. The parish council said parking often reaches full capacity, causing cars to queue along the road. The minutes also record that district councillors agreed to provide contact details so residents could raise issues directly with the pub.
Requests for comment from The Farmer’s Dog were noted in the minutes and the pub has been contacted for further response. Oxfordshire County Council and West Oxfordshire District Council were named as recipients of the parish council’s correspondence; neither authority has been recorded in the minutes as having issued a decision on the parking arrangements or on any planning application connected to the temporary car park.
The complaints follow months of public interest in the venue and add to ongoing local discussions about balancing tourism and commercial activity with the protection of historic sites and rural road safety in the Cotswolds.