Jemima Goldsmith in row over access to estate church
Locals claim they cannot visit graves of loved ones in churchyard on heiress’s Oxfordshire property
JEMIMA GOLDSMITH has become embroiled in a row over car access to a churchyard on her country property. Residents have claimed they have struggled to visit loved ones’ graves on the Kiddington Hall estate which Ms Goldsmith, the ex-wife of Pakistan’s prime minister Imran Khan, bought for £15million in 2010.
While there is pedestrian access to the 14th-century St Nicholas’s Church on the Oxfordshire estate, some of those who have attempted to visit say they have been unable to drive to the site since the property came under new ownership.
Representatives of Ms Goldsmith said a gate was in place owing to fears for her security, but that visitors could still gain access.
Christopher Earl, who travels to Kiddington to visit the graves of family members, said: “We turned up one day and we could not get in.
“I have double arthritis and walk with two sticks. Walking up is difficult, not just for me but for any disabled person.
“The previous owner of the hall always left the gate open – it’s been like that forever. We never had a problem until it was bought by Jemima Khan.” He said that after contacting the Bishop of Oxford the issue appeared to have been resolved with the introduction of a buzzer system to gain entry with a car, instead of facing a 300m walk, but he claimed that on a recent visit “the buzzer was not working at all”.
His wife, Wendy, had also claimed that a problem with the buzzer system forced the couple to walk to the church, adding that “luckily” on another occasion, when they found themselves shut out, “David Cameron turned up, taking his daughter horse-riding and he had the code and let us in”.
Representatives of Ms Goldsmith, the daughter of Sir James Goldsmith, the financier, contested the claims that access to the church has been restricted.
A spokesman for Ms Goldsmith said: “There has always been a prominent sign up beside the gates, indicating that you can ring the bell to gain vehicular access at any time of any day, including weekends – it is currently being repaired after someone drove into it – and the gates are always open for church services.
“The gate was not left open before by the previous owner – it didn’t exist.
“Jemima reinstated the original gate, with the proper planning, for security reasons after having an ongoing problem with two male stalkers with criminal records.
“She has never had any complaints and all of her neighbours have been very understanding about the situation.”
The spokesman added that the Earls have been given the number of the estate’s gardener to gain access in future.
The 17th-century, Grade II listed country house, ringed by gardens designed by Capability Brown, was the home of poet laureate Thomas Warton and later the economist David Ricardo.