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From the Guardian (UK)
The earl's daughter, the taxi and a Bridge too far
* Martin Hodgson
* The Guardian,
* Friday April 4 2008
* Article history
When the teenage daughter of Earl Spencer ordered a taxi to take her to Stamford Bridge on Easter Sunday, she was looking forward to seeing one of the most eagerly-anticipated fixtures of the Premiership season.
But instead of watching Chelsea play Arsenal in the west London stadium, she found herself in rural Yorkshire, 230 miles from the match.
The journey from the Althorp family estate, near Northampton, to the Chelsea stadium should have been a straightforward 85-mile trip down the M1 to London. But when the driver entered his destination into his sat-nav it sent him 146 miles in the other direction, to the village of Stamford Bridge, near York.
The owner of Mayfair Taxis, the Northampton based firm involved in the mistake, apologised this week for the mixup to Spencer.
Paul Achiampong said: "We do 20,000 journeys a month and mistakes do happen every now and again. But I admit this is a big one. The fault was with the control staff not the driver. He ended up putting Stamford Bridge into his sat-nav and it said it was in the north of England. He checked it was right and it was confirmed by the controller. I'm still trying to figure out how that was possible, it's baffling."
A spokeswoman for the Althorp estate declined to say which of the Earl's daughters had been involved, but said the matter had been sorted out amicably.
She said: "One of Earl Spencer's daughters and her friend had tickets for Chelsea versus Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Easter Day. The driver, from Mayfair Taxis, took them to Stamford Bridge in Yorkshire instead, so they missed the game."
The Yorkshire village of Stamford Bridge, which sits astride the Derwent eight miles east of York, has a population of about 3,500. It was the scene of a fierce battle between English forces and Viking invaders in 1066.
Stamford Bridge stadium, which straddles the border between Fulham and Chelsea, has a capacity of 42,055, and it includes two hotels, apartments and bars. On Easter Sunday, it was the scene of a 2-1 victory for Chelsea.
Retired social worker Bryan Lawson, who has lived in Stamford Bridge (the village) for 20 years, said: "The village is a wonderful place to come and visit, but sadly you will not get to see a lot of Premiership football up here. We do have a village football team, but it is not quite up to the standard of Chelsea."
The earl's daughter, the taxi and a Bridge too far
* Martin Hodgson
* The Guardian,
* Friday April 4 2008
* Article history
When the teenage daughter of Earl Spencer ordered a taxi to take her to Stamford Bridge on Easter Sunday, she was looking forward to seeing one of the most eagerly-anticipated fixtures of the Premiership season.
But instead of watching Chelsea play Arsenal in the west London stadium, she found herself in rural Yorkshire, 230 miles from the match.
The journey from the Althorp family estate, near Northampton, to the Chelsea stadium should have been a straightforward 85-mile trip down the M1 to London. But when the driver entered his destination into his sat-nav it sent him 146 miles in the other direction, to the village of Stamford Bridge, near York.
The owner of Mayfair Taxis, the Northampton based firm involved in the mistake, apologised this week for the mixup to Spencer.
Paul Achiampong said: "We do 20,000 journeys a month and mistakes do happen every now and again. But I admit this is a big one. The fault was with the control staff not the driver. He ended up putting Stamford Bridge into his sat-nav and it said it was in the north of England. He checked it was right and it was confirmed by the controller. I'm still trying to figure out how that was possible, it's baffling."
A spokeswoman for the Althorp estate declined to say which of the Earl's daughters had been involved, but said the matter had been sorted out amicably.
She said: "One of Earl Spencer's daughters and her friend had tickets for Chelsea versus Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Easter Day. The driver, from Mayfair Taxis, took them to Stamford Bridge in Yorkshire instead, so they missed the game."
The Yorkshire village of Stamford Bridge, which sits astride the Derwent eight miles east of York, has a population of about 3,500. It was the scene of a fierce battle between English forces and Viking invaders in 1066.
Stamford Bridge stadium, which straddles the border between Fulham and Chelsea, has a capacity of 42,055, and it includes two hotels, apartments and bars. On Easter Sunday, it was the scene of a 2-1 victory for Chelsea.
Retired social worker Bryan Lawson, who has lived in Stamford Bridge (the village) for 20 years, said: "The village is a wonderful place to come and visit, but sadly you will not get to see a lot of Premiership football up here. We do have a village football team, but it is not quite up to the standard of Chelsea."
