Clarkson revealed he had made the move in an article in The Sunday Times this weekend, although his former Top Gear colleague James May revealed the presenter was mulling over the move in an interview on the Lock In podcast recently.
The controversial celebrity is reported to have bought the Windmill, near Burford, Oxfordshire, a pub that is described by the previous owners as a “venue and restaurant”.
A notice on the pub's website said: “The Windmill venue & restaurant is under new ownership. The business is closed until further notice. Existing events and wedding bookings will be contacted directly.
“We would like to thank you all for your custom and support over the last four and a half years at the Windmill. It has been a pleasure and we will miss serving delicious food and providing memorable events. Barry, Vanessa & Matt.”
Writing in The Sunday Times, Clarkson said: “I decided last year I’d like to buy a pub. So I called everyone I know who has one and they all said the same thing: the pub business is dying. They’re closing at the rate of more than a thousand a year. You would have to be mad to buy one. Insane. So I’ve bought a pub.”
The price paid remains vague but the newspaper reports he paid “less than £1m”, while Clarkson claims to have offered £17.50.
The move follows the presenter’s attempts to open a restaurant at his Diddly Squat farm, which was frustrated by council planners who denied permission. Despite this Clarkson said he was still keen to open somewhere he could sell produce from the farm, and his own beer as well.
In his article announcing the move, he said he was aiming to put “fun back in” to the pub again. “There will be bar billiards, there will be darts and in the garden there will Aunty Sally, even though I’m not entirely certain what Aunt Sally is.”