US Vice President JD Vance is due to holiday in the Cotswolds(Image: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)The Cotswolds town of Charlbury is abuzz with the news that Vice President J D Vance is planning a family holiday there but locals are warning he’ll struggle to find parking.
Donald Trump’s deputy’s anticipated visit has set tongues wagging in Charlbury, as residents eagerly guess where he might stay, speculating he might opt for one of the area’s grand mansions.
Some suspect he could choose Lee Place, a Grade II* listed estate dating back to 1640 with historical ties to Blenheim Palace, or perhaps a luxurious property owned by the wealthy Bamford family.
Others suggest that the Vice President may require the security and space provided by Cornbury Park.
However, everyone agrees that Vance’s main challenge will be dealing with the narrow lanes in the Cotswolds village and finding adequate parking during his expected August sojourn.
Lee Place where some locals say the Vice President might stay(Image: Tom Wren / SWNS)Situated near to Clarkson’s Farm, Charlbury is described as the ‘checkpoint Charlie’ of the vast Cotswolds by the local vicar.
The community is no stranger to celebrity visits, having recently welcomed Kamala Harris to the Bull pub last week for Eve Jobs’ wedding.
Yet, the prospect of Trump’s VP spending his summer break in their midst has certainly captured the imagination of the townsfolk.
Fergus Butler-Gallie(Image: Tom Wren / SWNS)Fergus Butler-Gallie, the town vicar who has resided in the area for 19 months, quipped: “I’m just hoping they bring us Al Gore and Dick Cheney next, we’ve almost completed the set.
“We get all sorts of people here – we’ve got Mr Clarkson up the road. It’s noticeably got busier in the time I’ve been here.
“It’s nice to be visited, and it’s good the town can maintain two pubs and several shops. There are a lot of places like ours which wouldn’t be able to keep that up.
“We can, and of course that’s because of tourism.
The village of Charlbury in Oxfordshire where American Vice President JD Vance is rumoured to be spending his holiday(Image: Tom Wren / SWNS)“We do get a lot of tourists who have no idea where they are, really – they’ll come in and ask how to get to somewhere two counties across, because they seem to think the Cotswolds is some sort of theme park rather than a large region.
“But I suspect Mr Vance’s people will be pretty thoroughly briefed.”
The 33 year old vicar oversees the village’s community hub initiative, where residents contribute surplus groceries and children’s outgrown school clothing for those in the local area who require assistance.
Mark Jones.(Image: Tom Wren / SWNS)Mark Jones, a 67 year old former programme helper, commented: “It’s a strong community in an interesting town.
“You get mostly locals during the week and lots of tourists coming from everywhere at the weekends. And there are lots of festivals every summer.
“There’s so much going on in the community.
“I hope his visit goes well. I haven’t heard anything about protests – and I wouldn’t join them, either.
“When Kamala Harris visited last week, it seemed to go very quietly. Hopefully the same will happen again.”
The Bull pub which Kamala Harris was spotted at as she attended the wedding of Eve Jobs.(Image: Tom Wren / SWNS)The vice-president’s spouse Usha discovered the rural property they’re anticipated to make their home following her trip to London in mid-August, according to the Telegraph. A local shopkeeper remarked: “It’s the talk of the town. They’ve locked our local website forum so people can’t say any more about it.
“If they come into my shop, I won’t bat an eyelid. I serve my customers.
“I’m just worried about the parking, all those secret service cars! Good luck to him – getting round these roads is no joke.
“They’ll have some fun with these lanes, getting around in a big car.”
J D Vance ‘won’t be able to park his secret service cars around here,’ say residents of Charlbury(Image: Tom Wren / SWNS)At present, vehicles are lining both sides of the narrow streets, and residents note that Charlbury becomes particularly congested easily – especially during the summer when tourists pass through the town en route to festivals and rural getaways.
The locals have pointed out that a one-way system, in place for the past ten years, has been the sole method for navigating the town centre.
Elizabeth Sparks, a cover teacher at a nearby secondary school who has resided in the area for 16 years, shared: “I’m not worried about people like that. I don’t really think about it.
“The only thing I’m worried about are the cars. The other day, the bus driver came into the pub and said, ‘who drives the car with this particular number plate? You need to move it.’ He couldn’t drive past.
“The bus gets stuck, it gets very hard to park. The residential parking makes that even harder – good luck to him.”
Zena McGreavy(Image: Tom Wren / SWNS)Zena McGreavey, a 57 year old exhibition officer at an Oxford museum, has called the area home for 18 months.
She commented: “There does seem to be a lot happening around here nowadays. It’s surprising they find us – Charlbury is such a hidden gem.
“People are talking about it in The Bull pub, it’s caused a stir – but I don’t think people mind him coming.
“There was a bit of confusion about where he’s going to be staying, people want to know.”