Garsington Opera Cleared of Noise Nuisance
Date: 14 January 1998
The Garsington Opera won a court case today brought by South Oxfordshire District Council which claimed, for the second time, that the Opera had breached local noise levels. Up to 20 performances are staged at the annual, open-air festival which has taken place each summer since 1989 at Garsington Manor near Oxford. Villagers have repeatedly complained that the operatic events are too loud and drown out their television sets on balmy evenings. On the opening day of the festival last year, villagers protested by running lawnmowers and honking horns in an attempt to drown out the music. Magistrates, however, sided with festival organiser Leonard Ingrams saying there was insufficient proof that certain concerts had provoked unreasonable disturbances.
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