Aspiring publicans have the chance to emulate Jeremy Clarkson and take on a long-vacant 17th century pub near Watford.

Punters have flocked to the TV star’s The Farmer’s Dog in Burford, Oxfordshire, after it launched on August 23 to much fanfare, serving exclusively British produce and his own Hawkstone lager.

Jeremy Clarkson at the opening of The Farmer's Dog in Oxfordshire on August 23.Jeremy Clarkson at the opening of The Farmer's Dog in Oxfordshire on August 23. (Image: PA) But grade-II listed The Old Fox in School Lane near Garston is also on the market for a landlord to take it over after it shut in 2017.

In a post online, lettings website Zoopla said: “Reckon you could run a pub like Jeremy Clarkson? This 17th-century one near Watford closed its doors eight years ago and is looking for someone to bring it back to life.The Old Fox has been shut since 2017. (Image: Google Maps) “It could be all yours for £850,000 – and you could even live upstairs. Would you keep its name?”

Plans to convert the building into a house have been shot down by St Albans City and District Council twice during its vacant years.

In the second application, heritage consultants claimed The Old Fox was not a financially sustainable venture and “therefore a new purpose needs to be found to ensure continuing building use and investment”.

Under city and district council rules, owners must test whether the pub is unviable by putting it on the market for a minimum 12 months and planning officers must be satisfied there is no longer a need for a pub before granting permission for a change of use.

But in the most recent rejection on April 30, the council said the applicants had not “justified” the loss of the pub or fully explored alternative community uses.

It is now on the market for £850,000 billed as an “outstanding opportunity to enter the hospitality market” with its current approved use as a public house.

The Old Fox currently features three reception areas, a bar, kitchen, store, and toilets on the ground floor, as well as a self-contained three-bedroom maisonette with a living room, kitchen, a family bathroom and a separate shower room upstairs.

Estate agents Cassidy and Tate also suggest it could eventually be “a dream family home of substantial proportions with excellent surroundings” after a “complete refurbishment”.

It is described as located off a "quiet country lane" with "excellent" road links to Watford, St Albans, the M1 and M25.