FORMER Top Gear star Richard Hammond has given fans a peek inside his new home after moving out of his Herefordshire castle.

The star invited cameras inside his cottage as part of the new series of Amazon Prime's Richard's Hammond's Workshop, which follows the trials and tribulations of Hammond's car restoration business, The Smallest Cog in Hereford's Rotherwas.

Speaking to viewers during the first episode of series 5 of the show, Hammond said he wanted to "get something out of the way straight away".

"There has been a slight change in my circumstances recently," he said, explaining that he has now got divorced and that, as a result, he now lives away from Bollitree Castle, the home he shared with wife Mindy and daughters Izzy and Willow in Weston under Penyard.

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"I like it," Hammond said, speaking from the stone-built cottage surrounded by countryside in Herefordshire.

"It's got amazing views, a place to keep some of my cars and bikes, and best of all it's closer to the workshop."

Hammond said he was trying to put a silver lining on things, admitting it has been a "tough few years", but added that the move does make it easer for him to commute to the workshop in his classic cars.

The grade II* listed Bollitree Castle had been home to the presenter and his family since 2008, when they bought it for a reported £2 million.

The property dates from the 18th century but has earlier origins, and features a series of mock castellated curtain walls, alongside Bollitree Castle farmhouse, barns, and a dovecote.

Local legend claims that the castellated walls were built by an owner during the 18th century to impress a Spanish woman who he wanted to marry and who wanted to live in a castle.

It was reported in the wake of the Hammonds' announcement earlier this year that they would be getting divorced after 28 years together that Mindy was believed to be asking to keep the castle in the divorce settlement.