For tennis enthusiasts, The Championships, held run by the All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon simply has to be the UK calendar event of the year. During this period, demand for chauffeur driven cars and people carriers rises considerably and local companies providing chauffeur driven cars spend may weeks gearing up to meet this demand from spectators and players alike. The Championships and its association with Wimbledon is steeped in history.

 

The first Lawn Tennis Championship was played in 1877 when the club was based at Worple Road, it was only in 1922 that the facilities were moved to the present site, in Church Road. The new grounds were opened by George V. In 1884, The Ladies Singles was introduced and the Gentleman’s doubles and in that same year the trophy was donated by the Oxford University Lawn Tennis Club. By the turn of the century, the club had taken on an international status when the Ladies Singles was won by someone from the United States. The move to new grounds in 1922 increased the spectator capacity to some 14,000 and gave rise to a substantial increase in the popularity of the event. In fact, during the first year, the tickets had to be issued by ballot, such was the success.

 

In 1967 the Annual Meeting of the LTA voted overwhelmingly to admit players of all categories to Wimbledon and other tournaments in Britain effectively declaring The Championships ‘open’. The first Wimbledon Open Championships were held in 1968. The grounds themselves have also undergone a great deal of work over the years. In 1979 the roof of the Centre Court was raised by one metre to provide room for a further thousand seats and in the same year a new Debenture Holders’ Lounge was constructed on the north side of the Centre Court.

 

In 1980 the Members’ Enclosure was made into a permanent building. Then, the following year, the old No. 1 Court complex was rebuilt and enlargements to the North and South Stands increased the capacity of the court by a further 1,250. The East Side Building of the Centre Court was opened in 1985 and in the following year a new two story pavilion was constructed. Then in 1992, the Centre Court roof was replaced providing a further 3600 seats. Work continues at Wimbledon to increase capacity, which is not surprising when, for example, in 2006, there were more than 450,000 visitor over the 13 day event. During The Championships, some 6,000 staff, many temporary, are on hand to support the events. There is also a Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum on the site which is well worth a visit.

 

Cars for Stars is an established, London based, award winning company, providing a full range of chauffeur driven cars, people carriers and American stretched limousines available for those travelling to and from The Championships at Wimbledon. Cars for Stars is a licensed Private Hire Operator through the Public Carriage Office (PCO). Similarly, all chauffeur driven vehicles offered for hire are licensed by the PCO, as are the Chauffeurs. All of Cars for Stars Chauffeurs are experienced and mature and in order to gain the PCO Licence, they will have had to pass a medical and criminal records bureau check.

 

Cars for Stars offers a range of chauffeur driven cars and people carriers. This includes entry level (but no less popular) vehicles,  such as the Chrysler 300 and Mercedes E Class, executive chauffeur cars which would include the BMW 7 Series (LWB), Mercedes S Class (LWB), Audi A8 and the all new Jaguar XJ (LWB). Top of the range chauffeur cars include the Bentley Arnage, Rolls Royce Phantom and Maybach 62. People carriers offered are the top of the range Mercedes Viano, with seating for 5, 7 or 8 passengers, depending on the level of room and comfort sought. American stretched limousines are available in a range of colours from the popular white, through to the favourite for tours, a silver stretched Chrysler 300 and the unusual, such as the candy apple red Hummer of Chrysler limousines.

 

 

Andrew Lloyd is the Editor here at Cars for Stars News and oversees all of the editorial content on the website. Having worked in a variety of print publications focused principally on motoring news, Andrew brings a wealth of experience to the role of Editor.