Little Venice, where the Regent's Canal meets the Grand Union, is one of the prettiest corners of London, with painted narrowboats moored under willows and white stucco villas around the water. It's also a favourite place for wedding photographs. Behind it stretch the red-brick mansion blocks of Maida Vale, home to families who have often lived there for generations. Minibus hire Maida Vale customers book is mostly weddings and family celebrations, runs to Heathrow along the Westway, and outings for schools and community groups.
Maida Vale sits north-west of Paddington, between St John's Wood and Kilburn, with the Edgware Road along its eastern edge and the Harrow Road to the south-west. From our base in SE1, it's about thirty to forty minutes outside the rush hour, through Marylebone or along the Westway.
Minibus hire Maida Vale for weddings
Couples in Maida Vale often marry at Westminster's register office in the Old Marylebone Town Hall, a short drive away, or at churches in the area such as St Saviour's on Warwick Avenue. Receptions take place at restaurants and venues around Little Venice, in private rooms in the West End, or at hotels and country venues outside London.
The minibus collects guests from homes or hotels, drops at the ceremony, takes them on to Little Venice for photographs if you want, then on to the reception, and handles the late runs home. Little Venice's roads are narrow and parking is tight, so we'll agree a drop-off on Warwick Avenue or Blomfield Road and a waiting point nearby. Minibus hire Maida Vale couples book often includes a separate run for the bridal party.
Little Venice and the canal
Little Venice has a floating theatre, the Puppet Theatre Barge, which puts on shows for children through much of the year. Waterbuses run along the Regent's Canal from Little Venice to Camden Lock, passing Regent's Park and London Zoo, and some groups take the boat one way and the minibus back.
School groups and families book us for a morning on the canal, a puppet show and lunch by the water. We'll drop near the basin and collect from Camden or Little Venice at the end. The canal-side cafés and the Waterside café on a barge make good stops for a family gathering.
Heathrow along the Westway
The Westway, the raised A40, starts just south of Maida Vale and runs straight west. Heathrow is about thirty-five to forty-five minutes outside the rush hour, via the Westway and the A40, then the A312, or across to the M4. Gatwick is about an hour and a quarter, Luton about fifty minutes and Stansted about an hour.
Families flying out from Maida Vale often have the luggage of a long trip, and grandparents and young children with them. A minibus collects everyone from the mansion block forecourt or the street outside and drops at the terminal. For arrivals, send us the flight number and we'll match the pickup to the landing time.
Mansion blocks and family pickups
Maida Vale's mansion blocks, along Elgin Avenue, Sutherland Avenue and the streets around them, are big buildings with many flats and often a forecourt or a service road. That makes group pickups easier than in many central areas. Some blocks have porters who can help with luggage.
For home pickups, give us the address and the block name, and we'll agree the best point to stop. The wide avenues of Maida Vale have room for a larger vehicle, but they're lined with residents' parking, so the driver will stop briefly rather than wait.
Schools, community groups and the studios
Maida Vale's primary schools and the secondary schools nearby book us for museum visits, swimming and sports fixtures. The South Kensington museums are about twenty-five minutes away, and the Regent's Park sports pitches about ten.
Community centres, churches and mosques book us for outings to the coast and the countryside. The BBC's Maida Vale Studios on Delaware Road, where generations of musicians recorded sessions, are being turned into a new music studio complex, and music groups and fans sometimes ask to see them.
The Edgware Road and the Harrow Road
The Edgware Road along the eastern side and the Harrow Road along the south-west are both busy, with bus lanes and heavy traffic at peak times. The junction where the Harrow Road meets the Westway is slow in the morning, and on big match days at Lord's the streets on the St John's Wood side fill with cricket traffic. Maida Vale sits outside the Congestion Charge zone, which keeps costs down for trips that head north and west, but routes into the West End during charging hours add the charge to the quote. For early flights, we'll leave a margin for the Westway.
For minibus hire in Maida Vale, call 020 7183 0567.