Our village was made famous by huge TV show – now busloads of brash tourists block our driveways… nowhere's off-limits

The Irish Sun

13 hours ago

RESIDENTS of a town made famous by a hit TV show have hit out at brazen tourists who peer through their windows and block their driveways.
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Locals have been subjected to tourists peering in their windows
Credit: Twitter - @markchristie
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St Mary's church features heavily in the show
Credit: David Hartley
Locals have said the town, which features in Downton Abbey, has become a magnet for tourism and now attracts thousands of
Some residents told the Telegraph that the tourism has made them a small fortune and helped to improve local amenities.
Others have slammed the tourists, demanding their quant village be freed of "brash American accents."
Residents of Bampton have told horror stories of their encounters with tourists.
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Locals have been subjected to selfie-sticks appearing at bedroom windows,
Guided tours of the village are offered to fans of the hit show with some charging as much as £500.
Busloads of fans are taken around the small village to visit filming locations made famous by the
Local shop owners have claimed at one point they were making £1,000 a day from the tourists.
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The thousands of pounds raised from visiting TV fans has been used to fund renovation works to buildings.
Local services have also been improved using the massive wealth brought into the community.
Despite all this locals still hit out saying they've had enough of nosey tourists
One resident told
"Let me tell you – Bampton was a beautiful, expensive place to live long beforehand."
'I live on the main square and they often stand in my driveway. They just go everywhere.'
The
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Highclere castle, the main filming location, is more than forty miles away from Bampton
Credit: Getty
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Tourists pay £500 for guided tours of the towns filming locations
Credit: SWNS
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Bus loads of tourists are brought into the small town
Credit: SWNS
Even though it has been a decade since the last episode of the original series was aired tourists still flock to Bampton.
Locations including
The main set for the historical drama, Highclere Castle, is forty miles away.
The
Residents claim that visitors spend most of their time and money in a few select locations, bringing no benefit to the rest of the town.
A resident told The Telegraph: "They contribute to the library, but apart from that they don't have enough time.
'We are better off with individual travellers, with families in cars – not the buses. There's so much more to Bampton than
The Community Hub receives shedloads of support but according to locals the other shops and businesses are left to fend for themselves.