We Chat to David Urie from Forest of Bowland Wedding Car Hire

Forest of Bowland Wedding Car Hire is located in the picturesque village of Chipping in the Ribble Valley, and provides chauffeur driven vintage and classic Rolls Royce wedding car hire in a variety of locations across the North West. (They service Preston, Blackburn, Lancashire, Chipping, Ribble Valley, Lancaster, Morecambe, The Lake District and surrounding areas.

They have three authentic and stunning classic Rolls Royce models to choose from;

• The 1933 Rolls Royce Limousine, with seating for 5 to 6 people. In a colour combination of white and black. This vehicle is from the height of the Art Deco period.

• 1937 Rolls Royce 25/30 with seating for 5 to 6 people. The car is a limousine in cream and black coming from the stylish 1930 Art Deco period.

• 1985 Rolls Royce Silver Spirit, with seating for up to 4 people. In cream with gold coach lining and a gold spirit of ecstasy emblem. The height of luxury from the 1980’s to add style and sophistication to your day.

The cars are absolutely outstanding in their classic beauty and would make an amazing accompaniment to any wedding day. Lancashire & North West Magazine spoke with the founder and man behind the business – David Urie, to find out more.

We asked David if he could tell us about the story behind the business and when it all started?

David was in the armed forces for 10 years, before serving as a police officer in Manchester. Due to an unfortunate incident whilst on duty in the force, David had to retire, so then decided to branch away from the police and start up his own business. With a love and passion of classic cars – in particular the Rolls Royce, David found a way to make a business out of it.

The business started in 2018 when David bought the first vehicle – the 1933 Rolls Royce. It was in mid-2019 when they started trading as they had wanted to get the cars up to scratch, ensuring each vehicle was in the best condition. That year they had also bought the 1937 Rolls Royce and the 1985 model too.

David, a fan of history himself, told us more about the fascinating background of the individual cars.

The 1933 Rolls Royce. - One thing we didn’t know and maybe you don’t either, is that Rolls Royce collect and store all the information and data on the history of every car, so it is information you can access as an owner, and dig into the trenches of the life story of your car.

David told us that the first owner of the 1933 model, was an American named JJ Morgan, who was the nephew of JP Morgan, the American financier. He then sold the car to the Scottish Shipping Magnate called William McInnes, (take a look at the wealth of history behind these two characters to start with!) When William passed away he then left the Rolls Royce to his chauffeur (along with his dog).

During the war the car then fell into the hands of the Edinburgh Taxi Company, they then had the Rolls Royce for the latter end of the war time period and into the post war period. David says how this initially confused him whilst he was researching this history, how an expensive classic car like this could end up as a taxi? That was until David got the files of the car from that time and got to see the Petrol Rationing Book. So, David’s suspicion is perhaps it was registered as a taxi so that would have enabled them to have more petrol allowance.

The 1937 Rolls Royce model - was actually shipped over to America in

1955 and remained there until 2001, when it returned to the UK. You can only anticipate and speculate on the adventures that Rolls Royce had over in America, whilst John F Kennedy was President, and later assassinated, as well as Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter, and even whilst Neil Armstrong took the first steps on the Moon. Maybe David will uncover further secrets of the Rolls Adventures in the future.

So we have established that Forest of Bowland Wedding Car Hire was born because of a real love for vintage Rolls Royce, the next question was, which Rolls would be next to join the fleet?

David was quite quick to respond, displaying that the next Rolls he has in mind will be the Phantom first produced in 1925, and still in production today, although the model is now on its eighth generation. The vintage model David is after costs around £150,000. So, like the other models David has, this is the opportunity to be driven in one of these prestigious vintage classics; supercars within their own rights!

Speaking of being driven though, hiring a car from the Forest of Bowland Wedding Cars, means you also get your own private chauffeur for the day.

David himself drives the cars and dresses for the part. The company go the extra mile in many ways, one of which is the chauffer. David has 1930’s clothing wear for himself, or any chauffer, so this is the authentic real deal. They have the full outfit; a complete suit and hat and David even has the touch of 1930’s rimmed spectacles to wear. He told us that surprisingly the most difficult thing to source was the boots. They had to search high and low and eventually found someone who makes replicas of army boot wear from that era, who then produced them some original boots.

These fine details are what we uncovered that make Forest of Bowland Wedding Cars that cut above. They have paid such attention to the small details, as well as always ensuring the cars are tip top. From the chauffer outfit, and the chauffer himself, who will play the part to ensure the clients get the best experience for their wedding day. They have even purchased art deco drinking glasses for those who want a glass of vintage champagne on route.

This is a company passionate about your experience and your day. They have incredible value for money and if that’s not enough you get them for the whole day. They will be there before the bride is ready to go, to enable plenty of pre-wedding photographs and then they will stay for as long as you want them, for photographs throughout the whole day, and they are always happy to have a chat about the cars and the day. This really is more than just hiring a car for your wedding, it is an experience in itself and something you should definitely add to one of the most special days of your life.