Downton Abbey villagers fume at developer’s plan for 200 new homes of their Cotswolds idyll
People living in the Cotswolds village used to film Downton Abbey are fuming after developers unveiled plans for 200 new homes.
The quaint community of Bampton in Oxfordshire served as an outdoor location for the fictional ITV show.
The series began filming on its cobbled streets in 2010 – and it soon became a magnet for tourists from around the world.
It was used for several locations for the Downton Abbey TV and film series, including the Old Rectory, the public library and the parish church of St Mary the Virgin.
Hourigan Planning is now preparing an outline planning application on behalf of Anqyl Land Limited for a development and has sent leaflets to homes outlining the idea.
A spokesperson for Hourigan said: ‘The scheme would comprise a mix of both open market homes and affordable homes, and includes significant areas of accessible open space.’
In response, some locals have taken to social media urging the development be stopped.
One said: ‘We moved here 28 years ago because we wanted to live in a village – it’s a shame how places like Brampton become over-developed with no real infrastructure to cope with such influx of houses.
The village of Bampton in Oxfordshire served as an outdoor location for Downton Abbey
Fans of the TV and film series have flocked to village sites such St Mary the Virgin Church
Now local residents have voiced opposition to 200 proposed new homes on these fields
‘Wildlife suffers, many animals already becoming extinct, no farms left to be able to sustain us as a country.
‘Increased risk of flooding. Thames Water have already suggested they can’t manage more sewerage in this area.
‘Very sad that countryside is being lost at such a colossal rate affecting wildlife and country life.’
Another added: ‘Do we really need more homes? My water pressure is already poor and no need to mention doctors appointments.’
And a third said: ‘Hope it will be stopped.’
The consultation the planners have opened for the local community will close on March 22, after which they will submit an outline planning application to West Oxfordshire District Council.
A leaflet has been handed out to people which shares more information about the 190-home scheme which will include 40 per cent affordable homes.
As per government regulations, it would deliver a 10 per cent biodiversity net gain and also create a network of new paths through the site plus two equipped play areas.
The village was last year named as one of the most beautiful chocolate box villages in England, according to Independent Cottages.
The factors that decide this accolade include the number of historic buildings, the oldest recorded existence of the village, whether it is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, online search volume and TikTok videos.
The tourism boom has divided Bampton – some saying it generated a ‘small fortune’ from ‘old biddies stuffed with cash’ buying merchandise, with the money used to improve local buildings and services.
But other residents say they want their ‘front drives free from brash American accents’.
Busloads of often American fans, fascinated by the historical drama’s depiction of early 20th century Britain, come armed with cameras and selfie sticks to Bampton.
Speaking previously, local resident Fabrizio Manerba, 62, said: ‘My friend overheard a tour guide say that Bampton was nothing before Downton Abbey.
‘Let me tell you – Bampton was a beautiful, expensive place to live long beforehand.’
Mr Manerba described busloads of tourists arriving whatever the weather, adding: ‘I live on the main square and they often stand in my driveway. They just go everywhere.’
Di O’Brien, 73, described tourists coming ‘at all times’, with about 10 buses arriving a day at the town’s peak popularity – bringing visitors lingering long and posing for photos.
The Downton Abbey franchise was created and written by Julian Fellowes, featuring stars including Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Joanne Froggatt, US actress Elizabeth McGovern, Dame Imelda Staunton and the late Dame Maggie Smith.
Downton Abbey ran for six series between 2010 and 2015, on ITV in the UK and PBS in the US, and has also been adapted for movies.
The third silver screen instalment The Grand Finale was released last September.
Downton Abbey fans visiting Bampton can tour sites such as St Mary the Virgin Church, which hosts weddings, christenings and funerals in the show’s fictional village.
Sightseers choosing to take a guided tour around Bampton and other Downton Abbey locations can be set back as much as £500 each.
One elderly volunteer at Bampton Community Hub, used to depict the Downton Cottage Hospital on screen, told last year how the charity’s not-for-profit shop was at one point making £1,000 a day from visitors.
It sells a range of Downton goods – including books, snow globes and hats – and has a life-size cut-out of Bonneville, 62, who plays Robert Crawley, 7th Earl of Grantham.
The main venue used as the home in the series is, in real life, Grade I listed Highclere Castle in Hampshire, a sprawling manor and 5,000-acre estate owned by Lord and Lady Carnarvon.
Stately homes across Britain have been experiencing surges in visitor interest off the back of programmes such as the hit Netflix show Bridgerton – with Google searches for its locations such as in west London, Berkshire and Hertfordshire shooting up by 23 per cent in 2022.
Another venue that has hit the big screen – and then attracted viewers visiting in their multitudes – has been Drayton House in Northamptonshire, a focal point in 2023 movie Saltburn.
Many rushed to the British countryside to take in the real ‘Saltburn Mansion’ featured in the film starring Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E Grant and Carey Mulligan.
