Celebrities? No, idiots! Locals’ fury over fans of trendy hotel

THE great and the good have made the Cotswolds one of the most idyllic places in the British countryside – but now they are furious at the antics of ‘idiotic’ celebrities zooming to the uber-trendy Soho Farmhouse.

Locals accuse guests flocking to the £500-a-night retreat – a firm favourite of the Duchess of Sussex and supermodel Cara Delevingne – of clogging up the area’s narrow lanes and driving there at high speed.

The claims by long-term residents on the Great Tew estate in Oxfordshire have surfaced as part of their battle to stop a multi-million-pound car museum being built by US entrepreneur Peter Mullin on a nearby airfield. They say their lives have already been blighted since the opening four years ago of the membersonly Soho Farmhouse and that any extra traffic generated by the museum will be intolerable.

The charge against the museum – being designed by renowned architect Norman Foster – is led by Star Trek actor Sir Patrick Stewart. He is one of a number of celebrities who live on the estate – others include Harry and Meghan and the Beckhams.

In one of 170 letters submitted to West Oxfordshire District Council objecting to the museum, one Great Tew resident writes: ‘Since Soho Farmhouse arrived, we are faced with idiots driving at high speeds.’

Neighbour Nicola Knott adds: ‘The B roads and lanes are already overrun with traffic from Soho Farmhouse all paying no attention to the endless road signs and all using the fastest route on their sat navs.’

Andrina Waddington, a former mistress of Jeffrey Archer, urges council chiefs to block the museum plans and tells Mr Mullin and Lord Foster to ‘park their altruistic vision somewhere more suitable.’

And parish councillor Emily Wheeler-Booth begs: ‘Please reject this application for a large motor museum in this delightful rural part of West Oxfordshire. It is quite the wrong place for it. It will generate a lot of traffic, and we are already suffering hugely increased amounts to and from Soho Farmhouse.’

Soho Farmhouse is where Meghan hosted her hen party last year. The retreat opened in 2015 and comprises 40 cabins, a seven-bedroom farmhouse and a four-bedroom cottage. Membership costs £1,360 a year.