Getting Around Shirley
This Shirley is the residential area in the London Borough of Croydon, east of Croydon town centre, not the Shirley near Solihull or the one in Southampton. Its landmark is Shirley Windmill, a brick tower mill built in 1854 and now Grade II listed. To the south rise the Shirley Hills and Addington Hills, wooded heathland with a viewpoint across London, and Trinity School stands in Shirley Park.
Shirley has no railway station. East Croydon station, in the centre of Croydon, is 3 miles away, 20–30 minutes, with direct trains to Gatwick and central London. Add the train and its arrival time to the booking, and the car is scheduled for that arrival.
Send the full address with your booking; the confirmation then tells you where the car will stop. For a day of business in central Croydon and appointments in other parts of the borough, reserve hourly: one chauffeur and one vehicle stay with you for the time you reserve.
Airport Transfers in Shirley
Gatwick is the main airport for Shirley: 23 miles south, 55 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes, by the A23 or the M23. London City Airport is 15 miles, also 55 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes, because the route crosses south-east London. Heathrow is 26 miles, 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 50 minutes, Southend Airport 45 miles, 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours 5 minutes, and Luton Airport 50 miles, 2 hours to 2 hours 50 minutes. Gatwick runs a North and a South Terminal with a shuttle between them, so give your terminal in the booking and the car goes there. The right one depends on your airline and route.
Book with your flight number. For an arrival, your chauffeur checks the flight status and times the pick-up to when you actually land, and your booking confirmation shows where to meet the chauffeur. For a departure from Shirley, what counts is the length of the drive, not the time on the clock: Croydon's town-centre roads come first on the way to Gatwick and Heathrow, and the weekday rush slows them. Journey times vary with traffic and weather. You set the pick-up time yourself, and the confirmation shows it.
Long-Distance & Day-Trip Travel from Shirley
Wallington, in the neighbouring borough of Sutton, is 5 miles, 20–30 minutes. Epsom and its racecourse on the Downs are 12 miles, 40–55 minutes.
Guildford, the Surrey county town with its castle and cathedral, is 34 miles, 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes. Brighton, on the coast, is 46 miles south, 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours 5 minutes. Winchester, the old capital of England, is 70 miles, 1 hour 50 minutes to 2 hours 25 minutes.
An hourly reservation keeps one car and chauffeur for a whole day in Brighton or Winchester, including the drive home. On a one-way booking you are dropped at your address there; the trip back is a separate reservation.
Groups & Event Travel in Shirley
For a school team from Shirley playing an away fixture, or parents travelling together to a match day, the sports bags travel too. A Sprinter van carries up to 12 people with their bags, and bigger groups go by coach, with up to 56 seats; give the number of players, adults and kit bags in the booking, and the vehicle is matched to the load.
When you book for other people, all their transfers can be kept in one account, each with its own booking and confirmation. If relatives fly in for a family celebration on several flights, every arrival gets a transfer of its own, whether into Gatwick or London City Airport.
Local vehicles and drivers are booked up early around Christmas and the summer school holidays. If your plans go beyond a standard booking, write to support with the dates, addresses, number of passengers, flights and luggage, and the team will arrange it.
