News

Revolt in the market town taken over by super-rich: Locals’ anger at high-end Creamery that has replaced train station burger van and £785-a-night celeb hotel

The opening of a trendy ‘Creamery’ next to the town’s train station has plunged a Somerset community into civil war – as the owners are accused of wanting to attract only ‘Londoners and VIPs’ rather than ordinary locals.

The Creamery Café in Castle Cary, which opened earlier this year, is so achingly hip it even spells cider with a ‘y’ and offers dishes which emphasise a trendy artisan ethos – at a price.

But the ambitious opening has alienated many less well off locals as it comes shortly after the disappearance of a van which sold things like coffee and burgers at much more affordable prices.

Although there’s not thought to be any connection between the van going and the café opening, it has nevertheless riled many locals who cannot afford the prices there.

Certainly, unlike its humble mobile predecessor, The Creamery is not bog-standard station catering: a coffee and croissant costing a central London wallet squeezing £6.80.

While a bacon buttie and a tea will set you back £8.40 which any self respecting Somerset farmer or local will baulk at no matter how tasty it is.

However, for that price you can watch the trendy baristas lovingly craft your cappuccino as you wait, while admiring the creamery staff hard at work at the mozzarella vats.

Or if you have time while waiting for your train you could tuck into one of the £12 focaccia and mozzarella starters – again perhaps not the meal of choice for locals.

And indeed it’s what one told MailOnline: ‘It’s all so achingly hipster. I’m not paying almost a tenner for a tea and bacon sarnie while waiting for a train.

‘It’s all too gentrified for round here. We just want something simple a mug of tea and a ham roll not all this trendy stuff.’

Sleepy Castle Cary – made famous as the station for Glastonbury Festival – with a population of 2,276 and which can trace its origins to just after the Norman invasion of 1066 is now a village divided.

On one half are those in favour of South African communications entrepreneur Koos Bekker and his wife Karen Roos who arrived ten years ago, bought the rural Hadspen House and transformed it into a celebrity haunt called The Newt.

With a humble bed and breakfast setting you back an eye watering £785 a night it’s easy to see that the good citizens of Castle Cary are not the main guests. Instead, it attracts the likes of Elton John who stayed while performing at Glastonbury last year.

The singer’s driver instead stayed at The George on the village High Street – with rooms at a more reasonable £120 a night – a quaint olde worlde pub which has just been added to the property collection of Bekker and Roos.

This is where the division started in the village, as many were up in arms after it was announced the pub had been bought and would close in December 2025 for a ‘major refurbishment’.

One local at the bar grumbled: ‘It’s gone down like a broken combine harvester – no one is happy with it. This is a real locals place and the news it’s been bought out by the people at The Newt hasn’t gone down well.

‘They have come in and bought up a few places in the high street and the fear is he will just make the pub into a trendy hotel out of the price of ordinary tourists and just price everything up.

‘Youngsters can’t afford to buy around here and most of the locals can’t afford the property prices because it’s just inaccessible to them.

‘The only people buying are people from London because the prices have rocketed.’

According to property websites, average prices in Castle Cary are £352,000 which is 23.9 percent higher than the national average of £284,464.

Besides The George, the building next door has also been bought by the couple, as well as a clothing boutique, a wine store and deli and a grocery shop on the outskirts of the village.

Pip Francis, 37, who manages The George, said: ‘Do you want my honest opinion? I think what’s happening is s***.

‘I personally don’t like what’s going on and the view is split 50/50 in the village but the locals who come in the pub just aren’t happy.

‘When they came nine years ago the promise was they would promise work for locals and attract tourists but they have just expanded, bought anything they can and turned it into a monopoly.

‘Businesses in the buildings they have bought have had to look for new premises and some of them have been there for years.’

Pip added: ‘It’s all happened so suddenly and there has been no guarantee of what will happen to the workers but I’m going to another pub. I don’t want anything to do with them.

‘I’ve worked to make this a real community led pub and now we just don’t know what the future will hold.’

Simon Gilmore wrote on social media below an announcement of the closure: ‘I concede business is business but it’s becoming very noticeable how much The Newt has infiltrated and taken over the area. Very unhealthy in my view.’

While another local on the High Street told MailOnline: ‘They are buying up more and more properties and that is undoubtedly going to affect and canker the community.

‘It will squeeze out the local independent retailers who have been here for years and gentrify the place just for rich visitors making the place a tourist trap with no community spirit.

‘Most people think he’s trying to make himself the Lord of the Manor, the Lord of Castle Cary if you like and it’s my kids who are being priced out of buying a place.’

Disgruntled local Robert Jones, 55, said: ‘I’ve been drinking in The George for years and it’s sad that it’s been bought out because I know it will just be out of our price range when it reopens.

‘I can’t see it being affordable for the likes of me and my mates – especially if the prices at The Newt and their other place The Creamery are anything to go by.

‘They need to remember this is Somerset not some trendy part of London, we have to live here all year round and it shouldn’t be geared just for a few rich people in the summer.’

The Creamery has not only upset locals. Most recently, The Sunday Times food critic Charlotte Ivers wrote a scathing piece on the establishment after her £96 lunch there, which is the talk of local Somerset Facebook groups.

She described how ‘posh places had popped up squeezing out local favourites’ and these had attracted ‘moneyed twits from London and none of the locals could afford to walk down the high street’ with the venue getting a two out of five.

Commenting on the article Caroline Kenmore wrote: ‘£96 for a meal for 2? Without alcohol! Not exactly for popping in and grabbing a bite.

‘Unless money isn’t a problem for you. Thank you to the writer for highlighting the issue of wealthy foreign landowners imposing their pretentions on the local environment.’

However not all the locals are up in arms – one who would give his name only as Dan, said: ‘I think what they are doing is great for the village.

‘You are always going to get people grumbling and moaning but if it brings money and tourists down here what’s the problem?

‘Some people need to realise that this is progress and it’s not the 1950s and sleepy rural Somerset down here. We need to wake up and get real because if we don’t we will be left behind.’

Martin Osborne said: ‘It’s nice the owner of The Newt is spending money and making it look tidy.

‘Many people are stuck in their old ways and don’t like change and certainly like to have a good old moan.’

Related Posts

‘Never-Trump’ columnist ridiculed for calling Trump’s Cabinet ‘1,000 shades of white’

Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin is being ridiculed for calling Donald Trump’s cabinet nominations ‘1,000 shades of white’. Rubin, 62, a former conservative commentator at the Jeff Bezos-owned paper, now largely advocates for Democrats and on her podcast, ‘Jen Rubin’s Green Room.’ Speaking on MSNBC Rubin did not hold back as she ripped Trump’s nominations over the color of their skin.

Matt Gaetz is mercilessly mocked over surprising new career move: ‘Not on my bingo card’

Former Attorney General pick Matt Gaetz has turned his eyes towards a new career after claiming he was forced to exit Congress due to a 𝑠e𝑥 ‘smear’ campaign. Gaetz, sensationally dropped out of contention two days ago amid a sleuth of allegations including having 𝑠e𝑥 with a minor girl and and illicit drug use – which he has always denied. He also withdrew himself from Congress for next year despite having been re-elected to the seat he vacated.

Mass job losses as major factory owner moves business overseas

A major New York tire factory that has operated for over a century is set to close after its executives moved its manufacturing overseas. Sumitomo Rubber USA, which owns tire maker Dunlop, fired 1,550 people this week as the Japanese company plans to close its Buffalo factory. The company did not announce plans at the same time to open a new factory, but said it made the ‘difficult decision’ because the New York manufacturer couldn’t keep up with overseas prices.

Crushing blow for Anthony Albanese as hugely controversial misinformation bill is SCRAPPED

Communications minister Michelle Rowland has announced Labor will abandon its push to introduce a misinformation Bill. Ms Rowland made the announcement on Sunday following revelations the Greens, Coalition and several crossbenchers would not support the legislation. ‘Based on public statements and engagements with senators, it is clear that there is no pathway to legislate this proposal through the Senate,’ she said in a statement.

Foul-mouthed Connecticut teacher who ‘threatened to kill’ Donald Trump voters reveals shock career move

A teacher who warned Donald Trump supporters not to start a fight with her or they would lose, and die, says she would consider a more peaceful approach. Annie Dunleavy, 30, resigned from Chapman Elementary School in Cheshire, Connecticut, amid backlash against her Snapchat video. She went viral after the video she posted to a private channel vowing to leave Trump supporters ‘on a stretcher… forever’ if they ‘tested their gangster’ on her.

Al Sharpton reveals Trump cold called him after election win – here’s what he said

The Rev. Al Sharpton revealed Donald Trump unexpectedly cold called him after winning the presidency in 2016, claiming Trump told him: ‘You got me.’ The activist, 70, told the New York Times the out-of-the-blue phone call came after he went on MSNBC the day after Trump’s upset victory over Hillary Clinton. Explaining the shock to the nation, Sharpton stated that much of Trump’s appeal to the nation at the time stemmed from the perception of him as an outsider.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *