They have no idea who Kelsey Grammer is, but they want to stop him destroying a 200-year-old cottage
Set opposite a freshly tilled field of red earth, Squires Cottage sits quietly against the expanse of the Bristol Channel, as it has every day for nearly 200 years. Its red tiles colour-match with the soil here in the ancient village of Walton-in-Gordano, just outside the port town of Portishead, near Bristol. Its pinkish stone merges with the still-bare hedgerows.
Apart from the luminous splash of primroses on its lawn, seeded and spread over decades, it blends seamlessly with its landscape on this narrow coastal road as if to say 'nothing to see here'. And indeed very soon there won't be – at least, you won't see unassuming Squires Cottage anymore. Because 'the American' is in town, and he has bigger plans for this nook of quintessential rural England.
'Prior Notification of Demolition Works' reads the crumpled notice on the worn wooden gatepost with Forget-Me-Nots at its base. 'Site to be cleared, levelled, and made good'.
The American, as he's repeatedly referred to in these parts, is actor Kelsey Grammer, 70, the A-list star of sitcoms Frasier and Cheers. Along with his Hartlepool-born wife, Kayte Walsh, 46, who he met on a transatlantic flight when she worked as an air stewardess, he has bought Squires Cottage, one of few remaining buildings here which features on the 1840s tithe map of north Somerset.
Last year he applied to extend it by nearly 150 per cent (50 per cent is the usual 'rule of thumb'). After this was refused, in February he applied to flatten it completely. It is not a listed building and now north Somerset council has confirmed this can go ahead, stating 'prior approval is not required'.
He can demolish it to make way for an entirely new home, reportedly complete with a gym and games room. One of few conditions is the demolition must be carried out 'on or before 12 February 2030'. Stardust will soon become very real indeed – and waft through his neighbours' gardens.
'He's the TV star from Friends?' queries retiree Philip Hawkesby, who's lived just off this grass verged coastal road for nearly 20 years. 'I knew it started with an 'F',' he adds with a shrug.
He's stunned about the cottage, his usually level Bristolian twang rising. 'It's beautiful, there's nothing wrong with it,' he says. 'If it was derelict I could understand it.'
He adds: 'If he wants to do something, keep the facade and do a new build inside… I'd hate for him to build a brand new house of glass and steel, because that would be completely out of character.'
Hawkesby bought his own new-build on a development sloping towards the water for the view, but would have loved a period property. There aren't many remaining. 'You'd think he'd have a bit more respect for the area that he's moved into, it's a lovely looking cottage.'
He adds: 'We should be looking after old buildings like that, even if they're not listed. Our local council should be looking at buildings like that and coming up with another solution.' He believes they should have worked harder to allow a sensitive extension. 'I think this is a wrong decision,' he says.
Others don't pick their words so carefully. Further along the road, outside his bungalow built on the hill behind which slopes towards Walton Bay, Jeff, 76, is straight to the point. 'Bloody cheek,' he says. 'It's a disgrace.'
He leans on his fence and gazes across the water to hazy Newport in the distance. 'Come over, plonk yourself down, knock the place down, build an eyesore and then disappear back off to America for nine months,' he speculates. 'There's loads of new properties for sale if he wants a new property. Why do you want to get rid of that history?'
The fact the demolition of this 'coastal road treasure', as it's described by the parish council, can proceed is particularly confusing given Grammer's previous application to extend was refused.
He first requested to demolish only the garage, carport and existing modern extensions on the cottage, creating a huge new two-storey extension and basement level.
Reasons for refusal stressed the cottage's historic and cultural importance. 'Squires Cottage is a non-designated heritage asset that is recorded on the North Somerset Historic Environment Record, which means it is a historic building of local significance,' the report reads.
A conservation and heritage officer added the cottage, which used to sit in thick heathland, 'represents a vernacular built from possibly local stone with additional red clay roof tiles' with parts predating 1840. 'The significance of the property… is important within the landscape as it reflects the traditions and rural history of it,' explained the council.
It added the size of the build would 'unacceptably harm the openness of the Green Belt…' as well as 'unacceptably harm the character and appearance of the dwelling and its place in the local landscape.'
So why, many now ask, is it suddenly okay to flatten it? Although it needs restoration it has charm in abundance, its cosy terracotta chimney pots and sleepy window lintels a calming contrast to the fast country lane traffic outside.
Simon Rix, senior planning permission consultant at Planix UK, explains it's simply down to procedure. 'The extension and the demolition are considered under different processes,' he says.
'The application for the extension was a standard planning application, which the council assessed based on its planning policies and ultimately refused. In contrast, the demolition falls under a different process called 'prior approval', which is often a more streamlined process and, in some cases, not required at all.'
He adds: 'In this instance, the council determined prior approval wasn't needed for the demolition. That's generally the case unless the building is listed, within a conservation area, or there are specific protections in place, such as environmental concerns.'
But although procedure has been followed, comments on the council's planning portal reveal more anger at it being 'razed to the ground'.
'If we do not value our architectural heritage such as this, then what stands in the way of unscrupulous developers and apathetic bureaucrats?' reads one. 'The cottage should be cherished not swept aside,' it continues, adding: 'the overt and callous submission to demolish, having been refused planning permission to expand, only serves to publicise the arrogant forces at play and their disregard for NSC [north Somerset counil] decision-making. I urge the decision makers to take a stand against these behaviours, in a time where bullying and bluster is commonplace on the world stage.'
Not all immediate neighbours are concerned though. There are detached properties scattered along the road, set back from the verge. Most are newer builds after the owners knocked down bungalows or chalets that existed before. A number are contemporary. Squires Cottage sits next to some dramatic architecture including three slanted black roof tops like ski slopes.
A few doors up, Louie Bracey, 75, opted to build his new home in 2009 in a cottage-style, however. And even then came up against planners, so he has some sympathy with Grammer. 'It took me 18 months fighting with the council to build this,' he says, pottering in the garden.
'I prefer olde world things, but it's personal. It's an old cottage, damp, not economical to heat and run. Personally I would rather it was kept in the traditional style, but that would suit me.'
He adds of Grammer: 'Somebody told me he's quite famous. I don't care as long as he keeps his garden tidy.'
In a BBC interview in 2023, Grammer revealed he loved his time in Portishead with his wife's family and was going to refurbish a home there. 'We bought a little place we're going to be working on,' he said. 'We won't be taking up residence for a while but, yeah, we're pretty excited about it.'
Lunching at The Ship pub, Jon Jones, 63, admits he knows Grammer's son-in-law, and has met Grammer himself on one of his visits, in another Portishead pub. 'He sang there once at an open mic night.'
He admits he can't see the 'rationale' for pulling down the cottage.'There's plenty of other places around here,' he says. 'It's a shame. It adds something to that coastal road. We haven't got many old buildings left in Portishead, every one is quite valuable. It's a bit of history getting erased.'
Landlord Vic Long, 81, who built his pub back in 1973, is 'sitting on the fence', but can't help confessing his disappointment. 'It would have been nice if it remained as one of the last cottages around,' he says.
He's unlikely to recognise Grammer if he pops in for a pint, though. 'Never heard of him,' he grins.
Grammer has been contacted for comment
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