This article belongs to the lore of Astyria.

Chaverleigh-Wells

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Chaverleigh and Wells Carriages Ltd. Coy.
Public company limited by shares
Founded30 June 1920; 103 years ago (1920-06-30)
Founders
  • E. G. Chaverleigh
  • M. O. L. Wells
Headquarters
Limmes, Larkshire
,
Great Nortend
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
  • E. M. Chaverleigh-Wells (Chairman)
  • E. T. Chaverleigh-Wells (Managing directour)
ProductsHorse and motor carriages

The Court and Company of Chaverleigh and Wells Carriages Limited, commonly known as Chaverleigh-Wells is an Erbonian manufacturer of horse-drawn carriages and motorcars based in Limmes in the county of Larkshire. It was formed in 1920 by the merger of the Chaverleigh & Sons family firm of coachbuilders and wheelwrights with Wells & Coy. which manufactured motorcar chassis and engines, establishing a partnership. It received its Royal charter of incorporation in 1926 during the Great Astyrian War and was incorporated as a public company limited by shares listed on the Lendert Stock Exchange.

Chaverleigh-Wells is also well-known for the Chaverleigh Register. Though originally a register of the attractions, sights, inns, hôtels and public dining rooms organised by locality within Great Nortend, it has since expanded across Astyria.

Chaverleigh & Sons

Wells & Co.

Chaverleigh Register

The growth in the railways through the 19th century had greatly reduced the popularity of long-distance travel by the much slower horse-drawn coach, thus reducing the business of the Chaverleigh firm which primarily sold its patented pneumatic carriage wheel tyres. A major concern was the difficulty in finding appropriate lodging and board in unfamiliar towns, which was alleviated for railway travellers by the advent of dining carriages, sleeping carriages and railway hotels.

In 1890 in order to promote travel by horse-drawn and thereby increase demand for its pneumatic tyres, E. M. Chaverleigh began publishing the Chaverleigh Register to provide travellers with a guide to attractions, sights and reputable lodging and dining establishments in towns across the country.

Originally restricted to the counties around Limmes and Lendert, the Register expanded in 1894 to cover the entirely of Nortend and in 1896, Hambria was included as well. It began awarding 'Chaverleigh crosses' in 1905 with a cross being awarded to the best lodging or dining house in a town, two crosses being awarded for the best in a county, three crosses for the best in a region and four crosses for the best in the country. However, since 1934, a single cross has been awarded to 'excellent' houses, two crosses for 'exceeding good' houses, and three crosses for the top houses in the whole country, with four crosses awarded to the three best houses in the whole country.

Notably, even as it grew in popularity as a general guide, the Register omitted the increasingly luxurious railway hôtels and restaurants until 1980.