Russell Brand has been accused of treating a picturesque village like a ‘playground’ by furious locals after he unveiled plans to convert a 800-year-old pub at the heart of the community into recording studios for his podcast and videos.
Brand bought The Crown in Pishill, Oxfordshire in 2020 and it was understood that it would remain a boozer for those in the small community but four years on it still has not reopened, and his neighbours are now calling for it to be put back on the market.
The under-fire star submitted plans to convert the historic watering hole into offices in November and has since received backlash from the close-knit village near Henley, with some pointing out as a teetotaller the star may never have intended to reopen it.
Tom, 39, who wished not to use his surname, moved to the tiny village with his young family over a year ago, believing the pub, which closed down during Covid, would be up and running again soon.
He told : ‘What Russell wanted is somewhere to run his empire from. He could have done that anywhere.
Russell Brand has been accused of treating picturesque village Pishill, in Oxfordshire, like a ‘playground’ by furious locals after he unveiled plans to convert his pub into recording studios for his podcast and videos
Brand bought The Crown in 2020 and it was understood that it would remain a boozer for those in the small community
‘What he has done is bought a pub at a commercial rate – meaning the property is probably worth three times the price he paid for it if it was residential for instance – and he told people in the village that he would keep it running as a community space.
‘There were discussions about it being a pub, about it being a restaurant but what he has done is completely withdrawn a community asset. If he wanted to just have peace and quiet to be left alone to do his podcast he could have bought a barn.
‘It’s a visited pub, a very friendly village, it is a very good community and he has taken that building away.’
Neighbours told that Brand had been using the space to record his YouTube videos and podcasts, as well as hold meetings, which they claimed sometimes brought ’20 or 30′ cars onto the country road.
Since purchasing the pub, the British actor has been accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse dating back to the height of his career, with police investigating claims. Brand has vehemently denied all allegations.
Brand submitted his proposals to South Oxfordshire District Council in November, months after the first claims emerged. Since then around 50 villagers and organisations have objected to the plans during a public consultation.
In the application he asks to turn the venue into offices for associated digital media production activities as well as create a barn for community functions and events.
The under-fire star submitted plans to convert the historic watering hole into offices in November and has since received backlash from the close-knit village near Henley
Neighbours told that Brand had been using the space to record his YouTube videos and podcasts
Locals claim he holds meetings there, which they say sometimes brought ’20 or 30′ cars onto the country road
Since disappearing from mainstream media, Brand has created his own podcast, Stay Free where he speaks of ‘revolutionary politics and spiritual awakenings’ and streamed his content on various video platforms, which neighbours say he creates from his Pishill pub.
‘I would be shocked if the council approved it because there is so much opposition,’ Tom added. ‘Russell and Russell’s current issues are parked aside for this one moment. I had the same issues before the allegations came out six months ago.
‘There is no issue with ownership, I just want it to be a pub again or cafe or restaurant, just something for the community.
‘If that can’t happen under his ownership he should put it back on the market and there are a lot of people sniffing around who do want to make it a pub.’
Leigh Walton, 70, and her husband have lived in the village for 30 years and said the boozer is an institution of the tight knit village.
She said: ‘We are going to lose our pub and they might even alter a listed building that dates back to about the 12th century, when ale was sold on the site and has been a public house since the 16th century. It’s supposed to have a ghost as well!
‘It’s just terrible really. We used to eat there quite a lot and lots of the local people used to meet there every Friday night it was a regular place for people to go.
‘At the moment there are so many cars parked out there for the recording studio and it’s right on the bend. They are saying the little building on the corner will be made into a coffee place or snack place for cyclists but it would make the traffic even worse.
‘When it was a pub there were obviously cars but they weren’t their all the time. He said it would remain as a pub but it now just used as his office space.’
William Hookie, 70, who also lives in the village said at one time he saw between ’20 and 30′ cars outside Brand’s pub.
He added: ‘We used to go there. Before he had it it was a wedding venue and so they gave up a bit on the food.
‘When Russell Brand bought it he said he was going to make it a vegan restaurant which is fine, they have to make a profit off these things, but office is a change of use and once you’ve lost it you’ve lost it.’
Another couple, who asked to remain anonymous, told : ‘It has a huge amount of history and before Covid it was used by the local community a lot.
Brand submitted his proposals to South Oxfordshire District Council. Since then around 50 villagers and organisations have objected to the plans during a public consultation
The pub was closed down during Covid and has not remain shut ever since. Brand initially said he was going to turn it into a vegan restaurant
‘It has been used for wakes and for weddings, admittedly the weddings were commercial, but although people paid for the hire it was a community hub for them to go to.
‘Russell Brand bought it on the cheap because he bought it as a pub and he’s now using it for totally different reasons. He has a permanent sign up there that says pub temporarily closed.
‘At a Parish Council meeting they said they wanted to make it a community hub, with a snack bar for cyclists and eventually open a restaurant – but there is no intention to open a restaurant. It is a recording studio and that is why we see all the staff coming in.
‘The biggest issue is that you get the impression that the council will eventually give in if he keeps wearing them down.’
Two more residents living nearby added: ‘We were very pleased when they bought it in the first place because we heard some developers were going to buy it and we heard Brand would keep everything going. But being a vegan and a teetotaller he supposedly was never likely to keep running a pub.
‘As time has gone on it’s just been used as offices and a recording studio without any permission. There are about 20 people there. We saw quite a lot of them originally but after the latest revellations we haven’t seen either of them for ages.
‘Lots of footpaths, bridleways and cycle routes converge here so the pub used to be extremely popular. Every Friday everyone in the village would try and get there, the local farmers would meet there, the local Tory Party, weddings were regularly held, we used to have jazz nights.
‘It should be a place of community benefit and I think we need to fight for it to be for the public.
‘It’s a playground for him and he’s been able to do just what he’s wanted,’ the wife added. ‘He has something a kin to a quad bike and one time he was burning around one of the fields with his dog, and he hadn’t got permission from the person who lived there,’ the neighbour claimed.
Despite their concerns the pair added that Brand and his wife Laura Gallagher were ‘very good’ to other villagers, putting on parties and carol services before the allegations were made. ‘They are both charming. They’ve got nice kids and a lovely dog,’ they added.
The change in use of the Crown has also drawn opposition from local brewery campaigners.
David Cooper, from the South Oxfordshire branch of the Campaign for Real Ale, said the village would lose ‘an essential community facility’.