Richard Hammond's £7m castle chaos from 'James Bond break-in' to planning row

Richard Hammond's 28-year marriage has devastatingly come to an end and now his wife Mindy reportedly wants to keep the family's £7million castle in Herefordshire

Richard Hammond was reportedly banished to the barn of his £7million castle amid his marriage woes with wife.

The former Top Gear star, 55, and his wife, Amanda 'Mindy' Hammond, 59, recently announced their split after 28 years together. The couple, who share daughters Izzy, 24, and Willow, 22, made the sad announcement on X yesterday: "A little update from us; this Christmas we were together as a family and this year we will still be a family but just structured a bit differently.

"Our marriage is coming to end, but we've had an amazing 28 years together and two incredible daughters. We will always be in each other's lives and are proud of the family we created. We won't be commenting further and sincerely hope that our privacy and that of our children will be respected at this time. With Love, Richard and Mindy."

The pair purchased Bollitree Castle, a £7million Herefordshire abode, for their family in 2008, with the Grade II listed building boasting a swimming pool and six acres of land. But as they part ways and navigate settlements throughout the divorce, it's been reported that Mindy is asking to keep the estate and continue living in the castle.

'Sleep in barn'

Over the years, the castle has made headlines on many occasions. Previously speaking about their home to The Times, Richard shut down rumours of their glamorous abode. He said: "It's not grand and it isn't really a castle. It's just a house, with some bits of castle nailed to it. It's not a particularly massive house."

Most recently, it was reported that Richard was sleeping in the converted barn during their separation. Speaking to The Sun, a source claimed: "Richard is very upset about all this. It seems he has tried hard to rekindle the relationship but to no avail."

As well as her alleged hopes to keep the castle, it has also been claimed that Mindy has proposed to keep their holiday property in the Lake District, their flat in London and a share in their horses in the settlement agreement.

Flashy cars row

Back in 2020, the Weston-under-Penyard castle made the papers over Richard and Mindy's plans to build a large barn to keep the motorhead's swanky motors. The BBC star has an envy-inducing collection of expensive vehicles and he proposed building a safe space to keep them - but was met with distate and was told to consider selling his fleet of flashy cars.

Scottish academic David Cheseldine pleaded with Richard to get rid of some of his vehicles rather than revamp his existing barn. He voiced his concerns about the upcoming plans in a letter to the planners, writing: "Mr Hammond needs to understand that structures like stable blocks are an established part of the landscape not 'toys' to be razed when they are inconvenient.

"He has been allowed to change Bollitree Castle enough already. He knew what it was when he bought it. Further applications for significant changes should not be granted. He is short of safe storage space. Has he considered the option of disposing of a small part of his vast collection of vehicles?" It came after the couple renovated to add ensuite bathrooms to the guest rooms.

Terrifying break-in

In 2018, Richard and his family fell victims to burglars at the country castle. The break-in terror sparked concerns for the star's safety just months after he cheated death in a car crash. Richard was driving a £2million supercar in Switzerland when he lost control and it flipped over and burst into flames. He had been recovering when people tried to break into his home.

A source said at the time: "It's not been a good year for Richard... To top it all off it sounds as though these people have tried to break in during the dead of night. It must have really rattled him and his family – you can only imagine what was going through their minds when they found out."

Shocked neighbours said they had believed the millionaire's castle was as secure as Fort Knox with its protective ramparts, 10ft iron gates and high-tech security system. One local said: "If he was burgled they must have used a helicopter to get in and out – as he does. It would have to be a James Bond-style break-in as the place is not easy to get into."

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