The ratio of celebrities to mere mortals in the Cotswolds, south-west England’s countryside idyll that’s brimming with limestone villages and rolling pastures, has upped significantly in recent years.
Who knows why a glut of US stars have suddenly made this area of outstanding natural beauty their favourite stomping ground? It’s been here for quite a while, after all.
It was once all about David and Sam Cam, Jeremy Clarkson, Jilly Cooper, Lily Allen and Kate Moss who were regularly spotted milling around Chipping Norton, the historic market town known as ‘Chippy’.
Then David and Victoria Beckham bought a converted barn in nearby Great Tew. The sight, via Instagram, of the ex England footballer tending to his bees in his sprawling garden seems to have proved nectar indeed to a host of other big name stars.
The King and Queen might be regarded as getting there before anybody else though. Charles still spends a great deal of time at Highgrove, near Tetbury, after first buying the estate in 1980.
Newer residents include Ellen Degeneres and wife Portia de Rossi, who are already on their second Cotswolds estate after arriving late last year, with Donald Trump’s election apparently behind the move.
Pop royalty Jay-Z and Beyonce have been seen browsing the petunias at a local garden centre close to Great Tew, and are said to be in the final stages of purchasing 58 acres of land on the outskirts of Wigginton.
The chances of sharing a pint – or at least glancing at them across a tudor-beamed bar – with a celebrity then, has risen dramatically…and these are the historic watering hole where you’re most likely to see them.
The Cotswolds’ list of famous residents has grown significantly in recent years with Beyonce and Jay-Z said to be the latest stars looking to buy a home in the pretty British rural region (Pictured: Castle Combe)
THE FOX, ODDINGTON
The Fox (pictured), Bamford’s latest business venture, is a ‘million miles from a traditional Cotswolds pub’, according to Jane, though she notes that it has two ‘traditional’ rooms off the main bar
Owned by Daylesford Organic creator Carole Bamford, wife of billionaire Tory donor and JCB chairman Lord Bamford, The Fox is a character-filled pub with six trendy suites for guests who want to stay a little longer.
Who might you spy perched at the oak bar, by the large inglenook fireplace, or sinking into the chocolate-coloured armchairs in the Tack Room? Geri Horner and Christian Horner are frequently spotted here, thefoxatoddington.com
The Swan Inn, Swinbrook
Right next to St Mary’s church, where many of the Mitford family are buried, sits The Swan Inn at Swinbrook. This down-to-earth rural pub on the River Windrush has likely heard a few tales, with former Prime Minister, now Lord David Cameron of Chipping Norton, a regular. Other politicians have also been known to thrash out the country’s future while dining on a classic pub dinner, theswanswinbrook.co.uk.
The Falkland Arms, Great Tew
If Beyoncé and Jay-Z do seal the deal on those 58 acres, The Falkland Arms in Great Tew is likely to be the region’s newest A-list residents’ local boozer.
The pub has pedigree when it comes to famous people supping there; indeed millionaire television producer John Lloyd came up with the idea of long-running quiz show QI while at the bar.
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi have all been spied dining here, as have Benedict Cumberbatch and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, falklandarms.co.uk
The Woolpack Inn, Slad
Overlooking the Gloucestershire valley that was made famous by Laurie Lee in Cider With Rosie, the Woolpack Inn is an unpretentious Cotswolds pub that knows how to host a sing-a-long – with the pub piano often the focal point.
You Magazine’s Food Critic Tom Parker-Bowles, Queen Camilla’s son, is a regular thanks to this cosy boozer’s ‘really excellent food’. Lily Allen’s dad Keith Allen used to work behind the bar too, thewoolpackinn-slad.com.
The Wild Rabbit, Kingham
The bar at The Wild Rabbit, described as a ‘modern interpretation of a traditional country inn’
When it opened in 2013, The Wild Rabbit, also from Lady Bamford, the undisputed Queen of Cotswolds cool, it was dubbed the ‘poshest pub in Britain’.
Who might you find tucking into the highly-rated menu? David and Victoria Beckham have been seen enjoying family meals here, while Kate Moss is also a fan.
In November, Pete Tong will host a Day of the Dead DJ set, thewildrabbit.co.uk.
The Killingworth Castle, Wootton
When Winston Churchill stayed at Blenheim Palace in the 1930s, he would occasionally slip away for a spot of lunch at The Killingworth Castle.
Opened in 1637 by Thomas Killingworth, this centuries-old public house is still enjoying the attentions of the rich and famous, and particularly those with a passion for speed – F1 stars Jenson Button and George Russell, and Geri and Christian Horner have all been spotted enjoying a pint or two, thekillingworthcastle.com.
Fancy a pint? Beyonce and Jay-Z are believed to have received planning permission to build their ‘spectacular rural estate’
The Bull, Charlbury
The Great British Bake Off’s Prue Leith is a fan of this 16th-century foodie pub with rooms on Sheep Street in Charlbury. The grub is now so sophisticated, The Bull ranked 11th on the Estrella Damm’s Gastropub list this year.
Those who’ve been chowing down? Robbie Williams, Ellen DeGeneres, Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice and Jeremy Clarkson, thebullcharlbury.com
The Bell at Charlbury
Just one letter separates this pub from its also popular peer The Bull in the gorgeous market town of Charlbury.
This 17th-century coaching inn is also part of the Daylesford empire and attracts a similar clientele to The Wild Rabbit and The Fox – well-heeled, basically.
Who might you share the bar with? Queen Camilla has been known to lunch here, thebellatcharlbury.com.
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