Where to start?

I suppose the beginning is as good a place as any. From the age of about 5 I was constantly down at my uncles garage business in surrey. After school, weekends, school holidays I could not keep away from the place. So it was inevitable that when I left school in the late eighties I went to work full time as an apprentice mechanic. After passing all my exams and qualifying as a mechanic I worked there repairing vehicles both mechanically and body repairs, paint spraying and later becoming an MOT Tester. But you can only outrun your own Fathers business for so long. So in the Autumn of 1999 I left the motor trade and went to work for my Father. After another two years as an apprentice (yes he made me do it.) I was out on site running my own team. Most of the work was in London and the home counties sweeping,  relining and rebuilding chimneys. We were contracted to Ritevent (now Schiedel), Isokern, I am a registered Isokern installer, (now also part of Schiedel) and Poujoulat UK installing both domestic and commercial chimney systems. We were the main subcontractor for the Chef and Brewer pub chain to sweep and service all their chimneys, chimney fans and stoves/fireplaces from Southampton to Nottingham. We were also registered with the National Trust to work on their properties. As the business became larger we branched out into Access hire with two 7.5 tonne trucks with hydraulic cherry pickers on the back which we also used for our pub work.

At the beginning of 2017 my Father wanted to retire and we decided to sell off  the trucks and wind down the business and all the contract work to basically pick and choose our own work and stop driving all over the country. Later on the same year the company my Angela worked for in London was bought out by anther company based in Bicester in Oxfordshire and we were offered to move up to Bicester. Well what can I say, I love it here in Oxfordshire the people, the countryside. I have never been offered so many cups of tea. whilst I am still looking after my customers in Surrey/North Sussex a couple of days a week I am also enjoying working in the Oxfordshire and wider area.

So if you have just found my site and you think I could help, give me a call.

Some jobs/projects that I have completed:

  • Relining the Norman Tower in Windsor Castle
  • Relining the Britannia Room in Frogmoore House
  • Relining both flues at the Barley Mow thatched pub Clifton Hampden
  • National Trust Houses
  • Standen house
  • Scotney Castle
  • Polesden Lacey
  • Owletts House

And many more.

Areas Covered

Living in Bicester I can cover Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and parts of Northamptonshire and Berkshire. I am also down in Surrey one day a week looking after old customers. I will basically travel anywhere within reason.