Russell Brand comes under fire as local Oxfordshire pub bought for £850k is 'left to rot'

is under fire for leaving his £850k Oxfordshire pub rot, with locals calling the dilapidated building an "eyesore". The comedian-turned actor, 49, is facing mounting anger from villagers in Pishill, Oxfordshire, after leaving a 600-year-old pub he bought for £850,000 to decay - with locals branding the site an "eyesore". The disgraced comedian purchased the Grade II-listed pub, The Crown Inn, back in December 2021 but never opened it to the public.

Instead, he sparked outrage with plans to transform it into an "alt-right media hub", complete with meet-ups for conspiracy theorists and a base for his Rumble podcast. Brand ultimately withdrew the plans after furious backlash and pressure from the council.

Since then, he's abandoned the site entirely, with broken windows taped together, an overgrown garden, and unfinished building work. Now villagers are demanding that Brand sell the pub.

But hope is fading, as he's since relocated to Florida and set up what residents describe as his "conspiracy media hub" in the heart of Miami.

One of Brand's closest neighbours, Caroline Dempsey, says the pub's current state is nothing short of tragic - and fears the star may be leaving it rot on purpose.

She warned that The Crown Inn and its neighbouring pub The Barn, both Grade II-listed and historically significant, could be "left to fall into disrepair until the site as a whole can be sold to developers at great profit to Russell Brand."

She added: "This may take years while in the meantime, it all becomes a sad, neglected, overgrown eyesore." Locals initially welcomed the idea of younger ownership, but Dempsey says the village has lost patience.

They went on: "I believe that the most prevalent opinion within our community is that it really is time for him to walk away from The Crown and let someone else have a go at making it work."

With no sign of Brand returning, residents worry the only way forward might be a sell-off to housing developers. Dempsey claimed the site could be worth "possibly, £2 million" if left to deteriorate further, making it more appealing for demolition and redevelopment.

She concluded: "We were once open-minded and supportive... but this isn't it. I would say that for all concerned, the game and time is up."

Another resident, Josh Robinson-Ward, echoed the frustration. He fumed: "He bought it for a low price, he's made a lot of money from his platform filming there and he likely doesn't care for now.

"It's standing cold and empty at the moment. There's no legal obligation to open it. Letting it rot would make it difficult to sell." Brand is set to return to the UK to face five sex offence charges involving four women between 1999 and 2005, including rape and sexual assault.

The charges, brought on April 4, follow investigations sparked by Channel 4's Dispatches and The Sunday Times. He denies all allegations, saying: "I was a fool man."