Burlington Arcade, London

Running parallel with the much vaunted and frankly obvious Old Bond Street down to Piccadilly is the stunning Burlington Arcade. 

1819 and Lord George Cavendish, who at the time resided in nearby Burlington House (now the Royal Academy), was like any modern man in that he wanted to keep his wife happy, this after she complained of 'drunks and ruffians' interrupting her and her friends shopping experience. Galvanising him to set about and  commission his architect, Samuel Ware, to design a covered promenade of shops that became the Burlington Arcade

Not content with just supplying his wife with one of Britain's first shopping Malls the good Lord went one step further by installing guards to protect the patrons and uphold standards with in the Arcade. Resplendent in their Edwardian frock coats and gold braid, men brought from the family regiment of the 10 Hussar's, became the smallest private police force in the world ensuring there was, and still is, no whistling, singing, busking or even running in what is still the longest and most beautiful covered shopping street in Britain.

These custodians, known as Beadles still watch over the Arcade, though maybe more 'approachable' than in bygone days, in fact feel free to test their knowledge of London as they are rarely proved wrong, are still prepared to eject anyone not respecting the traditions of this historic landmark.

Visiting Burlington Arcade is a must, treading the carpeted, yes carpeted, corridor is tranquil and inspiring. You tend to stroll as if you where in a cathedral or museum, in some ways you are, you can smell the history...that or its the excruciatingly expensive hand bags and jewellery on display behind crystal clear glass. Yes, the Arcade was built by aristocracy and from a shopping perspective maintains the upper class standard. Hancock the jewellers designed and then produced every one of the 1350 Victoria Cross medals and the boutiques including that of Lulu Guinness and David Duggan are generally not for the pockets of the masses but then dreaming and drooling are not, to the best of my knowledge, enforced by the Beadles. 

A visit will put you in good company as Burlington boasts a very famous guest list from the Prince Regent to Ingrid Bergman, Gladstone to Fred Astaire through to Percy the Poltergeist, who in 1952, allegedly, rearranged briefcases and handbags for the residents at No. 42. 

Like all good disclaimer's, 'other Arcades are available' Princes, Piccadilly and Royal to name a few but, in my opinion, non quite measure up to the one built because of one mans love for his wife.

You can book a days travelling in London with Chirton Grange by visiting our website here

The Red Bus Menace

How many people have to be killed or injured before something is done about Double Decker buses in London.
 
Driving professionally in London for many years I have witnessed many changes, both good and bad.

The London Congestion Charge (although I admit that I raged against the concept) made a positive difference to traffic congestion in the central area and the pedestrianisation of Trafalgar Square a few years ago didn't bring the end to life as we know it.

As a driver you have to be accepting of most of the negative points of driving in this great or any city. For instance Black Cabs will never let you out into traffic, cyclists will 'flip you off' for no reason and pedestrians can look the 'wrong way' before they cross the road. It's London! It happens.

That said, over the last 3-5 years the iconic Red London Double Decker bus has become a menace and danger to the streets of London, or rather its driver has.

All too often they ignore the red lights, I sit patiently waiting at the junction and even as my light gets to green a bus will continue over the junction from the opposite filter, usually at speed, and fly across me. If you monitor Trafalgar Square as it is reaching grid lock you'll see the cause is a bus having blocked an exit. The same with Marble Arch, Scotch Corner etc. Now blocking junctions is frustrating of course (and mocks any attempt at a 'Green-Eco' Mayoral policy) but the real concern is the danger. 

Buses jump red lights and pedestrian crossings all the time, this is not an angry motorist ranting, well not just an angry motorist ranting. I am confident that if you polled other drivers, cyclists and pedestrians most could regale you of a near death and close call experience. You get angry and frustrated as a car driver but a cyclist or pedestrian gets killed.

The thing that concerns me most about all this is the apparent allowing (or ignoring) of these traffic violations. Trust me, London has more CCTV camera's than anywhere else in the World and if I or other motorists were to speed, jump a red light, park, stop or even break wind we'll be caught and issued with a PCN (Parking Charge Notice) and rightly so if we break the law. So how can the bus drivers flout the law so regularly and go seemingly unpunished?. These blinkered lunatics are either working to pay the fines or the 'powers that be' are overlooking and/or even encouraging the practise.

A good idea might be to give buses their own lane, let's call it a 'bus lane' so they haven't the need to speed and hur.......oh, that's right.

Anyone visiting London for the first time has to get a photograph with a Telephone Box, a Black Cab and a Red Double Decker, these beasts are indeed iconic and something the people of London are proud of. Instead they are fast becoming a real danger to Londoners and their visitors and something we really need to be looking both ways for.

Great Places to Visit: Bouremouth

When contemplating your first visit to Great Britain, obvious thoughts are set first to London, then with the luxury of a longer stay or second visit the temptation to be predictable is understanding as a call into Edinburgh, Liverpool, Manchester, Oxford and Cambridge is hard to argue against.

The warm, near hot, conditions currently being enjoyed across the Isles allow a rare chance to sample our Great British beach fronts (before the sun realises it has taken a wrong turn or we Brits start to 'melt' and complain that it is 'actually, too hot' and that they've not slept for days) the obvious choice will be the Regency splendour of Brighton. However, any newspaper photograph that wants to reflect upon the weekends weather will show Brighton beach giving standing room only and while the smooth round pebbles suit me most 'surf dudes' prefer the soft golden sand they'll get in Bournemouth.

With an drive down through the beautiful New Forest, you arrive at Bournemouth, who are, seemingly, happy to keep its seven miles of golden sandy beach mostly to itself. The front has two historical piers that are still very much intact and all the seaside attractions you'd expect from a coastal resort but without the, well, 'tat'. Bournemouth has the perception of being the God's waiting room with sea views and while there's some of that around it makes for a more gentile visit. That said you'll find plenty of stag and Hen parties filling the plethora of hotels most weekends.

A great base for the Jurassic Coast, New Forest and Stonehenge I'd recommend giving Bournemouth at least a try....send me a postcard. Or better still, book a car down there and I'll come too. To enquire, click here

Chirton Grange Ltd

The Royal Baby Cometh

Any new addition to a family is a truly magical moment, but surely it should, for a brief time at least, be a private moment.

Of course, William enjoys the trapping of wealth and privilege that come with being part of 'the firm' and Kate?, well she knew what she was getting herself into.

There is a scene in the film The Kings Speech when Colin Firth played by King George returns from a meeting with Parliament that has just ratified his accession to the throne (to succeed his spine less brother) and when Helena Bonham-Carter asks; 'Well?'

He nods a nod that says 'BbbBugger it, I'm gonna be KKKK-ing'

but before he spits those words out he glances, for a split second, at his eldest daughter with a 'What have I got you into' look.

William and Kate must be allowed time, a week or a month with THEIR first baby, a chance to recover, reflect and announce the name George (12-1 at William Hill). The Duchess of Cambridge is now a mother and needs to bond, worry and fuss over her new gift like the millions of mothers before her. When that little hand grabs her, or William's, finger, he isn't a Prince or future King. Simply their little boy.

So let's back off, give them time and space before he becomes the most photographed little boy in history. We need a distraction, maybe a Brit could win Wimbledon or, dare I say it, England retain the Ashes.....maybe its tIme for Aunty Pippa to dust that dress off and sashay down the Kings Road.

Hotel Coffee

My line of work requires staying in many hotels up and down the UK. Different and varied in both size and star ratings they each have their faults and plus points in varying degrees

Pro's and cons of hotels are, in many ways, personal to the guest that is visiting. While working all I need are a clean room, good power shower and more than 5 TV channels but at leisure the pool, bar and restaurant figure more so. And I am sure we are all different in our likes and dislikes of our temporary accommodation.

What I do not understand is the inability to provide good tea and coffee especially at breakfast and especially the coffee.

With too few exceptions we are blandly offered 'tea or coffee' if the answer comes back tea it is never followed with any questions like 'English Breakfast or Earl Grey' milk or lemon' etc. You'll get tea, one to two bags plonked in a pot and doused in boiling water and then set before you. It is then up to us to manipulate the cheap, weak bags around the pot to stimulate some form of colour and flavour.

If coffee is your thing then you will get a vessel of luke-warm brown liquid, that has taken minimal effort, either as bland as a tax inspector's speech or as thick and heavy as a stupid boys rugby team.

Over the last 15 years coffee houses have flourished and prospered with choices of cappuccino, latte (lattai or lartee?) Flat white, Americano (blue jeans and chino's) they offer a wide range of tea's from dark and strong to fruit, iced or hot!

Yet hotels remain in the dark ages when it comes to our most important tipple of the day. So come on Hilton, Holiday Inn (other hotel chains are available) sit down and be the 1st to have us all talking about your wonderful coffee and tea selection.

Chirton Grange Ltd

A short history lesson on the Ashes

Unless you are Father Christmas, you will probably struggle to recall the earliest of cricketing battles between England and Australia. In fact, Santa might also have to delve deep into the grey matter because the inception of the Ashes dates back to 1882.

Following England's first defeat by Australia on home soil at The Oval in August of that year, the Sporting Times carried a mock obituary of English cricket, which concluded that: "The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia."

Ivo Bligh, England captain at the time, pledged to win back "the Ashes" on the return tour to Australia a few weeks later. Although the hosts won the first Test, a match played over five days, England won the next two and succeeded in winning the series.

To mark the achievement, Bligh was given a small terracotta urn as a symbol of the Ashes that he had travelled to Australia to regain.

History lesson done and dusted.

Chirton Grange

Hampton Court Flower Show

Started in 1990, RHS Hampton Court Flower show has become the biggest flower show in the World. The show will run this year from 9th July until the 14th and attracts visitors from all over the UK and the World.

The show features show gardens, floral marquees and pavilions, talks and demonstrations. Erected on the north and south sides of the Long Water in Hampton Court Park, it is the second major national show after the Chelsea Flower Show but has a different character, focusing more on environmental issues, growing your own food and vegetables and cookery, while also offering opportunities to buy gardening accessories, plants and flowers.

Travel there in style with Chirton Grange chauffeurs for around £420 for 7 people all day.

A weekend of Sport for the British to be proud of

So it was the last weekend of Wimbledon, the deciding test for the Lions, the German Grand Prix and the Tour de France rumbles on.

The massive story from the weekend was Andy Murray's victory at Wimbledon in straight sets over Novak Djokovic. After last years disappointment, losing to Federer, Murray seemed to have a steady determination in his eyes from the very start of this match. At one point, in the second set he was 4-1 down and somehow come back to take the set without losing a game. The pure relief as Djokovic smashed a return into the net to hand Murray victory was plain to see, the normally subdued tennis crowd sounded more like a football crowd. I'd like to finish the comments on Wimbledon with my favourite picture from the day, Scottish first minister Alex Salmond and David Cameron enjoying the day...

The German grand prix didn't quite go as planned for the British drivers. Hamilton had a great Friday practise and even better Saturday qualifying, securing pole position. However, tyre problems left him finishing the grand prix in 5th position, one ahead of compatriot Jenson Button. Button would be happier with his finish considering the poor state of the McLaren car this year. Di Resta would finish just outside of the points in 11th with the other Brit Max Chilton in last position.

The British and Irish Lions went to Australia looking for a first test win for 16 years. They went into Saturday's match tied at 1-1, however, what followed next was not expected. The Lions were in breath-taking form and ran in 4 tries in a spectacular 41-16 victory. Now I won't go into detail, mainly because I don't follow rugby personally but I know that many people were pleased.

Finally, the Tour de France is entering it's second week and Britain's Chris Froome retained the yellow jersey after a punishing stage 9. Froome survived a series of attacks and leads by one minute and 25 seconds. Irishman Dan Martin won the stage from Jakob Fuglsang after the two broke away from the peloton. It was a tough day for Team Sky who lost Richie Porte, starting in second place, slip badly and finish nearly 18 minutes behind the leaders. Froome looks set to hold on and give Britain a second Tour de France winner only a year after their first.

To find out more of Chirton Grange and British Sport, click here...

Top 10 Tips for Afternoon Tea

Taking afternoon tea is a very typical and quintessentially English way to while away the latter part of the day.

 

Tea consumption increased dramatically during the early nineteenth century and it is around this time that Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford is said to have complained of "having that sinking feeling" during the late afternoon. At the time it was usual for people to take only two main meals a day, breakfast, and dinner at around 8 o'clock in the evening. The solution for the Duchess was a pot a tea and a light snack, taken privately in her boudoir during the afternoon.

 

Later friends were invited to join her in her rooms at  Woburn Abbey and this summer practice proved so popular that the Duchess continued it when she returned to London, sending cards to her friends asking them to join her for "tea and a walking the fields." Other social hostesses quickly picked up on the idea and the practice became respectable enough to move it into the drawing room. Before long all of fashionable society was sipping tea and nibbling sandwiches in the middle of the afternoon.

My rules for first time Afternoon Tea-ers

1) Wear elasticated waistband. Not trendy but trying to re-position a bloated torso, mid cream scone is not easy.

2) 1st Layer- Sandwiches.

Don't be a sandwich hero. The sandwiches are very tasty but make the mistake of having too many could come back to bite you once the scones and cream are 'active'  

3) Be safe on the tea choice. A good service will offer you a wide range of exotic tea's with elaborate descriptions. Stick to what you know! or you'll end up drinking something that tastes like a mixture of liquorice and burnt underwear*

4) Do not be tempted to 'raise the pinkie' while sipping the tea. We really don't do it anymore.

5) 2nd Layer - Cream scones  

Be prepared to feel sick after these tasty morsels have been consumed. The temptation is, of course, to load the jam and cream on the 1st scone but pace yourself - this is the critical point to staying in the game - the two scones will become 4 small plates for clotted cream and jam. 

6) Be polite - and not be the 1st to grab the cream but in contrast do not let yourself be the last. Some people cannot of fail work out the proportions and are prone to make the mistake set out in section 5. Grrr!

7) Take more tea at this point, you WILL need it

8) Now take a walk, to the toilet or make a call in the garden anything just get out of there before you tackle the cakes. Many fade and are lost at the scones point which usually indicates a novice 'tea-er' (I'm laughing as I write this) 

9) You're nearly home and dry, get your head around which cake you will take, (not literally, as fingers and/or cake fork are expected in polite circles). Take a light sponge/low cream option as comments are now being passed around the table ranging from;

'It is all lovely but I've reached adequate sufficiency.........or

'I never want to see another cake as long as I live'.........to

'Out of my way, I'm going to be sick'

10) The time comes to extricate yourself from, first the table and then the room, without drawing attention to the fact that you are struggling to walk and at this point you will thank me for the elasticated waistband tip.

*I have never eaten burnt underwear....sober

 

Chirton Grange Ltd

Glastonbury 2013

With last year being a fallow year, there was no Glastonbury festival last year so this year is extra special. The festival begins on 26th June and will run until Sunday 30th. In total 135,000 tickets were sold for this years festival which went in record time of 1 hour and 40 minutes.

There are some massive artists lined up to play this year including The Rolling Stones, Arctic Monkeys, Mumford & Sons, Dizzee Rascal, Jake Bugg, Example, Chase and Status and Kenny Rogers. This ever popular event will be opened each day by performances by musicians from Mali in an act of solidarity since Islamists in the North of the country have banned music.

With the weather set to be "undecided" during the event, it would make sense to pack some wellies, especially if you have weekend tickets and will be camping. Mud and rain are a staple part of the British music festival, with Glastonbury the original! With that in mind, why not arrive in one of our cars? The people carriers in our fleet can transport you and friends to Glastonbury, with all your camping kit included, you never know, with our luxurious cars, you may get mistaken for an artist and whisked backstage... Well, you can dream anyway.

To contact Chirton Grange, visit our website here

Travel to and from London

After the World War II a large airfield near Hounslow was converted into a passenger airport. 60 years later and Heathrow is the third busiest airpot in the World servicing over 60 million passengers every year.

Flying in on a long haul flight to the UK can be stressful enough, followed by negotiating the long queues at passport control and baggage. The last thing you'll want to do after this experience is travel into London by train, tube or bus. Chirton Grange offers a professional driver service from Heathrow Airport to London City Centre in one of our comfortable and luxurious executive cars.

Our airport chauffeur service is available to London from all airports including City, London Gatwick, London Heathrow and London Stansted.

London Transfers are available from all airports and is the ideal way to start and end your holiday or business trip.

Football Fixtures announced

Well we couldn't blog constantly about the summer of sport that's going on without a cursory mention of the nations most watched sport, football (soccer to the Americans among us). The football season is approximately six weeks away now and the players will soon be returning for pre-season training.

The season runs from August until May and will never end this year as the World Cup kicks off just a month after the English season ends. With new TV deals flying around, a World Cup and the Confederations Cup this summer, fans are certainly being treated to a festival of football.

So this week the fixtures were announced for the first round of the Capital One Cup, followed by full fixtures for the season ahead. So how is London affected by football, well with no less than 14 clubs in the Capital, London should certainly be a busy place come opening day. The highlight will undoubtedly be the return to the Premiership of Crystal Palace who have the honour of a London derby against high flyers Tottenham. Arsenal and Chelsea also start with home games while West Ham host new boys Cardiff in what is sure to be a fiery encounter.

The traditional Boxing Day fixtures should be one for the purists, Chelsea take on Swansea at Stamford Bridge, two teams who enjoy playing the game in the right way, followed by a London derby at the Boleyn Ground where West Ham take on Arsenal. Tottenham are also at home to West Brom.

And so to the final day of fixtures, a long way away in May 2014, Crystal Palace travel to Fulham in one of the Capital's many derby games this season, the only other game in London that day will see Spurs host Aston Villa.

With so many football games taking place in London this year, not to mention cup finals at Wembley and England games, there's no way of avoiding the beautiful game in 2013/14 and whatever games you end up attending, you can do it in style. Arrive in a beautiful chauffeur driven car, enjoy the game, then be whisked away after the game avoiding the crowds on the tube. Click here to see how

Summer in London 2013

Well we thought it was about time we blogged about something more than sporting events and plugging ourselves... Although we will obviously still be plugging Chirton Grange where possible...

Summer in London last year was nothing short of spectacular, as I'm sure anyone who was here can vouch for. Firstly, there was the Euro 2012 tournament (in Poland and Ukraine). Despite a poor performance from our own team, the support was as vibrant and patriotic as ever with the ever present St George's cross visible across England.

This was quickly followed by the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Spread from April until September, her UK wide tour even took in a visit to the Republic of Ireland and was celebrated in typical fashion with a Thames Flotilla and concert at the Palace. Throughout the whole weekend, London was a sea of mini Union Jack flags and smiling faces and in typical fashion torrential rain.

Of course, we couldn't mention last summer in London without mentioning the Olympics. Wow. That was all you can really say about it. Despite some British cynicism prior to the event, the whole country got behind the event, from the Queen to James Bond, from Jessie J to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. 2012 was certainly one of the finest summers in history in this country.

So how does 2013 stack up. Weather-wise it's pretty similar, we've been flipping from heatwave to downpours and back to heatwave within a typical week...

However, in terms of events, it's really only just getting going now. Wimbledon starts in two weeks and following on from his final appearance last year, the British public will certainly be hoping that Scot Andy Murray can go one better this time. The British public have accepted this Scot into their hearts (not always the easiest relationship England and Scotland) and Henman hill has been replaced by Murray Mount (fabulous alliteration) and the cries of "COME ON ANDY" certainly last longer into the second week than "COME ON TIM" ever seemed to.

Bang in the middle of this festival of tennis comes the British Grand Prix. Not quite London but about an hour up the road at Silverstone this three day event always brings in the crowds. Not the trickiest driving circuit for drivers but certainly the fastest track on the F1 calendar it always makes for an entertaining race, especially if the famous British summer weather strikes. Although McLaren and Jenson Button have struggled for pace this year and look well out of it, British driver Lewis Hamilton is in one of the fastest cars about (a German Mercedes) and will certainly look to add to his victory here in 2008. British based teams Lotus, ForceIndia and Red Bull will all look be competitive in this grand prix and with Scot Paul Di Resta looking increasingly likely to hit podiums in his middle of the range car, he'll be eyeing a good result at Silverstone.

No summer in England would be complete without Cricket. For those of you who don't understand the appeal of cricket (most of the World), what other sport could you spend 5 solid days sitting in the sun, being polite, queuing for your turn and drinking strong ales? It is a British thing through and through and in recent years we've done rather well at it too. The Aussies rolled into town a few weeks back for the ICC Champions Trophy (World Cup) and will stick around afterwards for the Ashes. Ah, the Ashes, typically of England, we've decided that as we invented the sport, the best tournament will involve us and one other team (former colony) Australia. Unfortunately for England, Australia have spent many years as the dominant power in World cricket. That dominance has been tempered in recent years by England and with their poor start in the ICC Champions Trophy, Australia will have to quickly improve for the Ashes.

So that's what summer holds in store for Britain and London this summer, but there's plenty of other fun to be had around this magical country of ours. Why not visit the Harry Potter studios? Royal Ascot? The proms at Royal Albert Hall? Buckingham Palace? One of MANY nightclubs in London?

There's so much fun to be had in Britain and London every single year so why not get in contact with Chirton Grange, book a car and enjoy the summer. While it lasts...

The Ashes 2013

The first Ashes series was in 1882 between England and Australia and has been played biennially since then, alternately in England and Australia. The 2013 Ashes series is a forthcoming series of Test cricket matches to be contested between England and Australia. The five venues for the series will be Lord's, Old Trafford, Trent Bridge, the Riverside Ground and The Oval. There were questions as to whether Lord's would host an Ashes match – it would have been the first time since 1882 that Lord's had not hosted an Ashes Test – but the venues were eventually confirmed to include Lord's on 22 September 2011. On 1 June 2012, it was announced that the First Test was scheduled to take place at Trent Bridge.

This years test is already surrounded in controversy after an Australian cricketer punched one of his English counterparts after a boozy night, it promises to be a firy test series this year.

The first test in the 2013 series will take place on 10th July at Nottingham's Trent Bridge ground.and will take in Lords, Chester-Le-Street, The Oval and Old Trafford. If you're thinking of taking in the sights and sounds of the test while it's in London, what better way to arrive than in your own chauffeur driven car, then relax with a few beers in the sun and get collected afterwards by your chauffeur. For more information or to book, click here

World Cup 2014 in Brazil

So in exactly 365 days the World Cup in Brazil will be kicking off, beginning a month long festival of football. If this month's Euro U21 Championships is anything to go by, we here in England won't be watching for long. Still, some things never change...

Although this event is a full year away, sporting events in the UK continue with no sign of slowing down; cricket, rugby and golf are all in full swing with tennis set to join them in a few weeks and before you know it, the Premiership season will be starting again.

Whatever sporting event you'll be attending this summer in the UK, make sure you travel there in style, check out your options with Chirton Grange by clicking here or ringing the office on 01634 823347.

Wimbledon 2013

Started in 1877, Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the World and one of the four major tournaments of tennis making up the Grand Slam. It has the distinction of being the only major tennis tournament still played on grass.

The tournament takes place over two weeks in late June and early July, culminating with the Ladies' and Gentlemen's Singles Final, scheduled for the second Saturday and Sunday respectively. Each year five major events are contested, as well as four junior events and three invitational events.

The tournament is notable for the absence of sponsor advertising around the courts. In 2009, Wimbledon's Centre Court was fitted with a retractable roof to lessen the loss of playing time due to rain, a staple part of the British summer! Wimbledon traditions include a strict dress code for competitors, the eating of strawberries and cream by the spectators, and Royal patronage.

Travel there in style with Chirton Grange chauffeurs for around £420 for 7 people all day.

To view our website click here

Royal Ascot 2013

Royal Ascot is probably one of the most famous horse racing meets in the World since being founded by Queen Anne in 1711. It is estimated that over 300,000 people make the visit to Berkshire each year to attend the event and press coverage brings the races into the living rooms of most of the UK.

Celebrating Royal Ascot 2013

Royal Ascot runs this year from Tuesday 18th June until Saturday 22nd June and for the first time will feature prize money of over £5m. What better way to enjoy your day out at the races than being chauffeur driven to the event. Although our drivers may not provide any winning tips, their professional service will get you to the racecourse in plenty of time to enjoy the atmosphere in the shadow of the main grandstand in the British summer, and collect you from the door to avoid a stroll through the rain to the car parks and train station.

A group of seven could enjoy the most luxurious week in the racing calendar in the most luxurious cars around from as little as £360 for the whole day. Other prices are available on request.

For more information click here

Film Crew Work

Over the last few years Chirton Grange Ltd have been asked more and more to supply vehicles and drivers for television crews.

This work is varied and a departure from our usual daily duties. For instance TV crews do not require the guys to wear a suit, shirt and tie during the course of the job, it is the last thing we'd want as we help carry gear across a muddy field or scale a castle wall all in the pursuit of 'getting the shot'.

As with our executive chauffeur work Chirton Grange Ltd always go beyond the call of duty when assisting crew and experience has taught us to:

* assist where possible without getting in the way
* have comfortable WIFI enabled vehicles
* carry a supply of AA batteries
* work as part of the team and know there will always be 'one more shot'

Chirton Grange Ltd can also;
* scout potential locations prior to shoot including still photography
* route plan
* collect any hire equipment prior to crew landing
* supply talent cars

At Chirton Grange we understand the need to be flexible, an itinerary is only a guide. We understand the need for diplomacy, as the cameraman will at some point have an argument with producer/sound/grip or all three.
We can offer countless recommendations from a host of TV companies from around the world and would be happy to offer a quote for your next UK or European visit.

Chirton Grange Ltd

About Chirton Grange Ltd

Chirton Grange Ltd is a company specializing in a first class, bespoke chauffeur driver service across London and the UK.

Our faultless driver service and luxury vehicles are only part of a complete and professional package, which for 15 years now, have complimented our now wide range of services:

• Chauffeur Driven cars and executive People Carrier hire
• Airport and Seaport transfer
• Dedicated airport Meet and Greet service
• Restaurant, Theatre and Sports Events
• Weddings
• Event Co-ordinators
• Personalised Half/Full Day Sightseeing tours
• Bespoke UK Tours
• Personalised Driver Service

And to compliment the chauffeur service we are able to offer:

• Security Trained drivers
• Close Protection Security
• Interpreters
• Blue Badge Guides
• Helicopters
• Luxury Yacht Charter
• 16-50 Seat Coaches

Chirton Grange Ltd

Opening Blog!

Chirton Grange chauffeurs are normally to be found resplendent attired in
suit, shirt and matching tie. But over the last 3 years we have been asked
more and more to provide transport for small to medium sized TV shoots.

Personally, I find this kind of work the most enjoyable, no suit,
comfortable shoes and when we are not driving we are loading or lugging
equipment, fetching coffee or breaking up a fight between the French camera
guy and the Canadian Producer. It is diverse.

On this current 'shoot' we have so far conquered Glasgow, Edinburgh,
Newcastle and the Lake District onwards to Liverpool and beyond.

Chirton Grange Ltd