Car smashes through wall after elderly man parks for his wife

Dramatic photographs show a car smashed through a wall on a historic street that was used as a set in Netflix series The Crown.

The street, which was used as a set for the latest season of the award-winning show, became engulfed in drama on Friday after the car crashed through the wall.

Eye-witnesses revealed an elderly male driver tried to parallel park the automatic silver Ford Focus Sport for his wife – but managed to reverse it through the wall, causing a “huge bang”.

Other drivers on the road sat in school rush-hour traffic had grown “impatient” at the pensioner’s wife trying to park the vehicle and were beeping her, so the elderly man hopped in the driving seat.

Pedestrians amazed

Pedestrians walking by on College Street in the cathedral city of Winchester, Hants, were amazed at the crash.

The street has been used for filming for the forthcoming season on The Crown, with neighbouring Winchester College being used as a substitute for Eton College, where the royals attended.

Actor Ed McVey, 21, has been spotted filming there for the latest season, in which he is playing Prince William.

The accident happened opposite Pilgrim School, a boy’s prep school renowned for sending its pupils to the likes of Winchester College and Eton.

It happened on the same street as the historic 14th century entrance to Winchester College – where Prime Minister Rishi Sunak attended – and is opposite to the Bishop’s Palace.

On the other side of the wall the car crashed through is the college’s Warden’s Gardens.

‘A huge bang’

A Winchester-based engineer, Dr Jonathan Ingram, was walking past as it happened.

He said: “I was just walking past, and I saw a very elderly couple trying to parallel park.

“Cars coming up the street were beeping, they were being impatient.

“The woman was having trouble parking, so the man took over. I then walked past, but I assumed they had managed to park.

“But I heard a huge bang. I saw the front wheel hanging and spinning in the air. The man seemed fine, he was just in shock.”

Another witness said: “I think they do a lot of filming on this street. It looked like something out of a movie set, or out of Harry Potter.”

But her friend added: “No, it’s such an old wall – no one would use it for a stunt.”

One passerby said: “My first assumption was that it was artwork. So perfect.”

Local resident Gordon Clyne joked: “Winchester’s latest traffic problem.”