Why American A-listers are flocking to this tiny region of the Cotswolds

The Independent

Why American A-listers are flocking to this tiny region of the Cotswolds.Filmed in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire

Transcript

00:00What do Kourtney Kardashian, Kamala Harris, Ellen DeGeneres and J.D. Vance all have in common?

00:05They've all chosen this small area in West Oxfordshire to vacation or live in.

00:10Even Taylor Swift based herself here for the London segment of her Era's tour last year.

00:14But why is this small area in the North Cotswolds seen so many American A-listers?

00:19I visited Chipping Norton, close to Jeremy Clarkson's Diddley Spot Farm,

00:23and just up the road from Dean, the Hamlets J.D. Vance chose for his family vacation.

00:28Well, Cotswolds Tourism said American visitors are keen,

00:32thanks to its royal links, historic sites and traditional pubs.

00:35But that's not just for holidays.

00:37Home office figures show in the year to March 2025,

00:41more than 6,000 U.S. citizens apply to live in the U.K. indefinitely,

00:45an increase of a quarter from the year before.

00:48Helen Whitfield from Butler, Sherbin,

00:49who's been selling multi-million pound houses in the region for 15 years,

00:53tells me half of their clients are from across the pond

00:56and believes it's down to the natural beauty, cheaper higher education,

01:00and that it's seen as a cosmopolitan haven with a direct train to London Paddington.

01:04I also spoke to Tom Heyman-Joyce, owner of Heyman-Joyce Estate Agents in Morton-in-Marsh,

01:10who've been based on the high street there for 34 years.

01:13We've always told to American people.

01:14We've always had wonderful Americans living here in the Cotswolds

01:18and actually holidaying a lot as well.

01:20The team and I were only talking over the last year

01:23that actually we have seen an increase in the number of Americans buying property here,

01:27which is wonderful.

01:28We've got very few empty shops,

01:29and a lot of them are still independents and really strong independent businesses.

01:33So almost one could flip the argument to say that actually the influx of people and interest

01:39is supporting and creating this wonderful, thriving part of the countryside that we live in.

01:44The lifestyle it offers is amazing, be that as a retiree,

01:49which is actually the largest percentage of the population,

01:51or as a family, the schooling is exceptional.

01:55And actually, compared to London, you're getting an awful lot of value for your money.

01:59But locals tell me all the attention has brought a flurry of traffic,

02:02day-trippers and second homes to the quaint villages.

02:06However, others say without it, the local economy would go bust.

02:09The community is losing that community feel

02:13because we've got all these Americans coming in.

02:16It's just not the same little town as it was 10 years ago.

02:20Couldn't have picked a loveliest spot.

02:22I've not seen any of them.

02:24I've been here, what, almost 20 years?

02:26I've lived in the area, and I've just seen everything that price skyrocket.

02:29You see a big percentage of holiday homes that may be empty for a lot of the year,

02:34which doesn't really help with the community feel of some of the villages.

02:38It's good for business.

02:39If it brings more people into the area, then that's got to be a good thing.

02:42Whether it's down to the Cotswolds' beauty, a direct travel link to London,

02:46or because it offers a glimpse into the best of rural Britain,

02:49it's likely J.D. Vance won't be the last American A-lister to visit here.

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