Table of Contents
She and her husband might claim to be Britain’s funniest couple, but Jennifer Saunders and Adrian Edmondson have failed to amuse conservationists with their plans for a Grand Designs-style renovation of their historic Devon farmhouse.
Absolutely Fabulous star Saunders and Edmondson, best known as violent punk Vyvyan in cult 1980s comedy The Young Ones, want to build a new driveway, carriage house and turning area at their 16th-century manor house valued at £2 million, as well as a pottery and music workshop. study.
The comedians say it will remove cars from the Grade II listed house and “reinforce its importance and improve its setting” within Dartmoor National Park.
But local council officers have drawn up plans for a new raised wall and glazed balustrade, saying it will damage the surroundings of the house.
They also cited the “negative impact” of a new oak-framed garden pavilion for outdoor dining and called on architects to go back to the drawing board.
Absolutely Fabulous star Saunders and Edmondson (pictured) want to build a new entrance, car port and turning area at their £2million 16th century stately home.
The comedians say it will remove cars from the Grade II listed house and “reinforce its importance and improve its setting” within Dartmoor National Park.
French and Saunders star Jennifer, 66, and Edmondson, 67, originally bought the five-acre property as a holiday retreat for their daughters Ella, Beattie and Freya, with a separate two-bedroom cottage, workshops, a grassy tent and a walled garden.
Jennifer became a familiar figure across the country, traveling with Freya and members of the Mid Devon Hunt to the nearby village of Chagford on the traditional Boxing Day hunt.
But the couple now want to turn it into their dream retirement home as they plan to spend less time in London, where they also own a home.
Planners from the Dartmoor Park National Planning Authority are expected to make a final decision next month and so far there have been no objections from neighbours.
In her report, Clare Vint, the building’s conservation officer, says: ‘The interior and exterior of the building are of great architectural, historical and archaeological importance.
‘At the current state of the application, the impact of the proposals on the importance of the listed building and its surroundings has not been minimised. Furthermore, the works are not sufficiently justified and the public interest is minimal.’
Is time really on Jagger’s ex’s side?
The Brazilian TV presenter (pictured) has a son, Lucas, 25, with the Rolling Stones singer
Sir Mick Jagger’s former lover Luciana Giménez has come up with an ingenious way to defy ageing.
She marked her 55th birthday with a party featuring balloons and candles adorned with the number 30.
Sir Mick Jagger’s ex-love Luciana Giménez has come up with an ingenious way to defy ageing: pretend you’re much younger.
The Brazilian television presenter, who has a son, Lucas, 25, with the Rolling Stones singer, 81, turned 55 this weekend. He marked the occasion with a party with balloons and candles, adorned with the number 30.
Lady Marina’s Trick or Treat
Lady Marina Windsor wears a racy outfit while attending a Halloween party as Morticia Addams from The Addams Family.
Her sister, Amelia, was named the “most beautiful royal” by Tatler, but Lady Marina Windsor seems determined to be the most daring.
The charity events manager, 32, whose grandfather is the Duke of Kent, wore a sheer black suit as Addams Family matriarch Morticia Addams at a Halloween party over the weekend.
Lady Marina was joined by her boyfriend Nico Macauley, 31, a cyber security specialist, who played Neo in The Matrix.
There is simply no justice for the Doctor Who star
He played a Time Lord in Doctor Who in the 1980s, but Colin Baker was once told that he did not have enough conviction to play the role of a lawyer in another television drama, even though he had been a lawyer in the real life.
“In the Seventies, I auditioned for the role of a solicitor at the Crown Court,” he says. ‘The director told me that even though I had a good audition, he was sorry but he didn’t look like a lawyer. I replied, ‘But I was actually a lawyer for five years before I became an actor and… well, no judge ever refused to listen to me.’
“But the verdict remained the same and there was no appeal.”
Pixie Lott reveals her room service secrets
Pixie Lott (pictured) said she feels “hotels go above and beyond when you walk into a room.”
While most of us wouldn’t expect more than a few chocolates in bed (if we’re lucky) as a hotel welcome, pop star Pixie Lott boasts more personal touches.
“I really feel like hotels go all out when you walk into a room,” says the 33-year-old singer, who had her first child last year with her husband, model Oliver Cheshire. ‘I have written the lyrics of my songs in the mirror. And then they print pictures of me and Oliver, and then the baby’s feet or whatever.
And he adds: ‘We have just returned from a hotel in Dubai. And it was basically all the food and drink you could want included, and on top of that, spa treatments. So that blew me away. I was definitely able to make use of what we were allowed.’
British Museum advertisers for new awakening role
The British Museum (pictured) has announced the recruitment of a new curator “to contribute to debates about empire”.
More works of art at the British Museum (chairman: George Osborne).
An advertisement for a new curator calls for the ability to “contribute to discussions about empire, colonialism, slavery, and decolonization inside and outside the museum.”
Do you want an art historian or a politician?
Campbell fails to woo former National Theater director
Former advertising consultant Alastair Campbell was accused of causing irreparable damage to the national mood due to his “relentless belligerence”.
Alastair Campbell has failed to convince Sir Richard Eyre, former director of the National Theatre.
It accuses the former advertising specialist turned podcaster of causing irreparable damage to the national mood due to his “incessant belligerence.”
Speaking at a celebration of the life of stage PR Lynne Kirwin at London’s Donmar Warehouse, Sir Richard draws comparisons with what he calls the “obscene adulation” of Michael Cole, Mohamed Fayed’s former spokesman.