A mystery Rolls Royce owner has sparked a bitter parking war in one of London's wealthiest villages after turning an idyllic shopping street into what furious locals call his own 'private showroom'. Residents and shopkeepers in leafy Dulwich Village claim the man, believed to live miles away in Croydon, has effectively colonised the high street by leaving four vintage Rolls Royces parked there for months at a time.
The luxury fleet, which includes a white 1980 Silver Shadow II and a gold 1990 Silver Spur, has become so notorious that anonymous vigilantes are now plastering angry notes across the windscreens begging the owner to take them away. One note read: 'Congratulations on owning so many Rolls Royces, but we think you've mistaken Dulwich Village for a long stay car park. The people who live, work and shop here don't like your fancy cars. Take them home please.' Another mocked the abandoned cars directly, saying: 'Rolls Royce speaks after being left here to rot: "Hello, please help me! I've been abandoned. I'm so lonely. My owner has dumped me and my friends here months ago." More from this when we get it. Dulwich Village news.'
A third warned: 'You are really annoying everyone in the village taking up all these spaces with your cars. Can't you park them at your house instead? These notices will keep appearing on your cars until they are moved. These spaces are for visitors. This isn't a long stay car park.' And a fourth blasted: 'Hey pal, this is not your car show room. There spaces are for visitors to Dulwich Village. Please move your cars.'
But despite mounting fury, residents say neither police nor Southwark Council can do anything because the cars are taxed, insured and technically parked legally. The row has exploded against the backdrop of mounting anger over parking restrictions in Dulwich Village, where Southwark Council has introduced new controlled parking zones and double yellow lines as part of wider traffic reduction measures. Locals say the area has already lost dozens of spaces, making the sight of four enormous Rolls Royces permanently occupying prime spots even more infuriating.
One resident, who asked not to be named, said: 'I think it is appalling and very selfish. The area has recently lost 38 parking spaces because of Southwark council putting in double yellow lines everywhere and creating CPZ (controlled parking zones). Now this man who doesn't even live in the area is taking up four spaces. They have been there for months now, barely moving and it was initially just two (cars) but now there is four. We have spoken to Southwark council and the police but because the cars are all taxed and insured they say they can't do anything.'
The neighbour claimed the owner only occasionally moves one of the luxury motors and even uses another vehicle to 'guard' the spaces while he is away. 'He drives the cars around every once in a while and uses another van to save the car parking space while he is away, to make sure no one else can ever park there,' they said.
The collection now reportedly includes a blue 1987 Rolls Royce Silver Spirit, a gold 1990 Silver Spur, another blue Rolls Royce dating from 1996 and a white Silver Shadow II from 1980. Residents claim the vehicles barely move, although they are sometimes seen covered with tarpaulins, fuelling speculation somebody is carefully maintaining them.
Karol, who works at a nearby hairdresser, claimed locals believed the owner once lived in the area and deliberately chose Dulwich Village because of its reputation as one of south London's safest neighbourhoods. He said: 'He used to live here and then moved out and he parks here now because it is safe around here. The cars do not move, at all, ever. It is ridiculous. I think he must be a collector. But you can understand the frustration, these are big cars they easily take up six spaces.'
Katharine, who declined to give her surname, said: 'Because of Southwark (councils) new regime of lots of new double yellow lines and limited parking outside of shops in an attempt to combat congestion and pollution, it means his four Rolls Royces are now having an impact on local businesses. As there is nowhere for customers to park. That is all I really care about.'
The increasingly bizarre saga has become the talk of Dulwich Village, a wealthy enclave famous for its multi-million-pound homes, independent boutiques and private schools. Some locals have even started joking about the cars on community WhatsApp groups, with one resident suggesting they should ask to borrow one for a wedding because the cars still look in immaculate condition. But traders say the situation is no laughing matter.
Eve Watson, who works at local butcher Proud Sow, said customers were now abandoning shopping trips because they could not find parking spaces. She said: 'It has had such a big impact on our business. Even today, our regular customers who we were saying we haven't seen in a while, were telling us it is because they can't park. They come down here to look but as there is nowhere free they drive off and shop elsewhere so they can put it straight into their cars.' She added: 'And his cars don't even move! He has left them there because it is safe here and the cars are away from the pavement so more protected. It is so bad for business. I never thought I would be the type of person who would be annoyed by that but I am now. It is a tough enough economy at the moment without having things like this impact the business further. I am sure we have been missing out on trade.'
Another trader, the manager of Bartleys Flowers Limited Stuart Harmer, said the fleet appeared to be steadily growing. 'It is not helping the parking that is for sure. I don't know who it is but they have been there since November. And now much less people are coming to my flower shop. The cars are technically there legally. He has clearly looked on a map, checked that it is free and safe and said right ok.' He added: 'It started off as three or two but now it seems to be a growing collection.'
Southwark Council's own parking rules state that vehicles which are taxed, insured and legally parked cannot simply be removed from the road. For now, the mystery Rolls Royce owner remains unidentified. But in one of London's prettiest villages, the battle over the phantom fleet is fast becoming a very public war. Southwark Council has been approached for comment.
