A History of Hortons` Estate

Transcription

A History of Hortons’ Estate
1 8 9 2 – p r E s E n t d Ay
Contents
Introduction..................................................5
Family values ................................................7
Foundations of the company ........................9
Centuries of success
– 1800s........................................................11
– 1900s........................................................13
– Hortons today..........................................15
– Atkinsons Brewery ...................................17
– seligmans.................................................19
Birmingham hoteliers .................................21
– the Midland Hotel ............................23-25
– the Burlington Hotel ..............................27
– the Grand Hotel ...............................29-31
A history of property investment.....................33
– development of Birmingham ......................35
– Landmark Birmingham investments ............37
– the Birmingham portfolio......................39-41
– planning and design expertise ......................43
– development of Wolverhampton.................45
– Landmark Wolverhampton investments.......47
– Investments outside Birmingham .................49
– Hortons' Estate developments Ltd...............51
A labour of love
– the workforce behind the success ................53
Charitable concerns ........................................55
the history behind the business ......................57
Isaac's descendants .....................................59-63
Additional references.......................................64
Left: stained glass roof of
128 new street, Birmingham,
now occupied by Waterstone’s.
3
I n tro d u c ti o n
Hortons is an independent, family owned property company. It was founded towards the end of
the nineteenth century by Isaac Horton, who used the opportunities presented by the Victorian
property boom to develop a substantial property business.
today, Hortons has grown into an organisation with wide ranging business interests that
encompass investments in leisure, offices, a core portfolio of industrial and retail properties as
well as a land development arm.
In 2008, Hortons owned and managed property worth £242m and had a net asset value in
excess of £190m. the Estate’s 1.8 million square feet hosts over 600 tenants, generating a rent
roll of over £15m per annum.
For over 100 years, Hortons’ vision has shaped the landscape of the Midlands. Most of its
development concepts have been heralded well ahead of their time thanks to the company’s
ethic of using only the best materials and technology to create quality, character buildings.
Left: the Grand Hotel,
Colmore row, late 1800s.
5
Fa m i l y va l u es
Hortons is proud to have remained a family owned and run company. the one hundred plus
shareholders are nearly all family members, based around the world, from Cape town to sydney.
the company today has stayed true to the hands-on approach which Isaac Horton began over a
century ago. this continued attention to fine detail is one of the reasons that the company has
remained so successful. As well as guiding the strategic direction of the company, the family
remains closely involved with the day-to-day running of the organisation, with three family
members on the board.
Led by peter Horton, as deputy Chairman, the family shareholders meet twice a year in forum
to discuss company strategy and proposals for the way forward. this ensures all shareholders
maintain a common purpose, enabling the company to be passed on to the sixth generation in
the years ahead. With no intention of either floating or selling the company, the success of the
Hortons’ family business looks set to continue.
Left to right:
the Hortons Board of directors.
Back row: Henry Horton, tony Green,
richard Kirby and richard Cambray.
Front row: rob Blyth, richard samuda
and peter Horton.
the Board is chaired by richard samuda, appointed in 2008, with tony Green stepping up to
become Chief Executive following the retirement of robert Blyth, who had been with the
company for over 24 years.
7
Fo u n d ati o n s o f th e c o mpany
the founding of Hortons can be traced back to Isaac Horton, who was born in 1821. He used
income generated by his family’s provisions, butchery and cheese factoring concerns to create a
substantial property and provisions business.
Upon his death, the provisions business was left to his eldest son, John, and the residue of his
Estate was split between his remaining six sons. In 1892, when the youngest son turned 21,
Hortons' Estate Ltd was incorporated, with each son owning one share. the Estate was then
valued at £600,000 with mortgages totalling £160,000.
since then, Hortons has remained family owned and run, and has continued to develop its
property portfolio within the West Midlands region, while expanding further into hotels,
brewing, commercial and retail development. In 2008, the company’s net assets were valued in
excess of £190m.
Left to right:
Isaac Horton.
Original book of Valuations,
schedules and residuary Accounts.
Copy of Valuation of Leasehold
Estate of Isaac Horton.
9
Above: the East prospect of Birmingham illustration, 1732.
10
C en tu r i es o f s u c c es s
the success of the Horton family’s property portfolio has already spanned more than two
centuries; surviving the Great depression and two World Wars.
the 1800s
Although he started his professional life running a provisions and pork butchery business in
Lichfield, Isaac Horton soon set about building a substantial property business. He acquired
various ground leases in the West Midlands, demolishing the old buildings and erecting new
shops and office blocks. Isaac foresaw the impact the railways would have on visitors to
Birmingham and he built the Midland Hotel in new street and the Grand Hotel in Colmore
row, both located near to the main Birmingham stations of new street and snow Hill.
11
C en tu r i es o f s u c c es s
the 1900s
In the early 1900s, Hortons acquired Atkinsons Brewery and expanded its food and beverage
operations.
during this time period, Hortons was growing fast, buying up properties in both Birmingham
and Wolverhampton. It was also instrumental in developing a significant amount of the centre
of Wolverhampton and building some of its earliest steel and concrete framed properties.
In 1912, the company developed one of the first concrete framed buildings in Birmingham city
centre, known as the White House. Between the wars, development works in new street and
Bennetts Hill served to both expand and improve the company’s comprehensive portfolio in
Birmingham.
the company also ran the Grand Hotel in Colmore row until 1969 and the Midland Hotel
(now the Burlington), in new street until 2004.
Left to right:
Architect drawings of 21 Bennetts Hill,
Birmingham.
the White House, new street, Birmingham.
the Grand Hotel, Birmingham.
13
H o r to n s to d ay
In recent years Hortons has continued to grow and diversify its property portfolio. Whilst
maintaining its historic strength in Birmingham and Wolverhampton, the Company has added
properties in Aldridge, Coventry, nottingham, solihull, Worcestershire and Kettering; by 2008
rental income exceeded £15m.
A trading and development business has been created and this has already completed a number
of successful schemes, both in Hortons own name and with a series of joint venture partners.
All of the activities are managed from the Estate Office at 31a Colmore row, where the
company has been based since the early part of the twentieth century. Management values
remain unchanged and staff are encouraged to take a proactive approach to working with the
Estate’s tenants that now number over 600.
Left: Central courtyard in Innovation
square, Birmingham, developed by
Hortons in 2003.
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16
A tk i n s o n s B rewer y
As part of its hotel operations, Hortons developed links with local suppliers of alcohol
including Atkinsons Brewery, which supplied ale to the Back Bar of the Midland Hotel.
Hortons decided to buy Atkinsons outright in 1908 when the brewery began buying up
licensed premises in a drive to compete with firms such as Ansell and Holt. By 1950,
Atkinsons owned and managed over 360 licensed premises, brewing its own cask ales at the
Aston park Brewery. In 1958, following the marriage of Edith Butler to Victor Horton, the
family established a relationship with the fast-growing Mitchells & Butlers brewery and the
decision was taken to merge the two brewing businesses. Colonel G t s Horton, the then
Hortons' Chairman, and ronnie Horton both joined the board of M&B, representing the
family's continued interest in the company. they remained on the Board until Atkinsons
Left to right:
the final apprentice at Atkinsons being
handed his indentures by Lieutenant
Colonel G t s ‘Gerry’ Horton.
A beer label from Atkinsons Brewery
in the last decade of their existence.
Founded in 1855 as Atkinson's Brothers, the
company was based at Aston park Brewery.
seen here in the livery of Atkinson's
Brewery, the Hydraulic Inn stood on the
corner of Lodge road and All saints street.
merged with Bass Charrington. Following the merger, Atkinsons continued to operate as a
separate entity for some time, but eventually its brewery closed and its operations transferred
to Cape Hill. Hortons kept hold of the premises that Mitchells & Butlers did not take up and
converted them to shops and offices.
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18
sel i g m a n s
the company’s involvement in the hotel trade also led to the development of a close business
relationship with a wine and spirit merchant, James seligman.
Upon his death, seligman left his company to Hortons. However, with the closure of the
Grand Hotel in 1969, the company was left with only the Midland Hotel account. robert
Clemow and david smith were then responsible for building the company into a substantial
business supplying wine bars and breweries all over the country. A considerable amount of
their business involved supplying to the Weymouth based devenish Brewery, which was on
an expansion drive throughout the UK. It was decided that it would benefit both the
company and its staff to join devenish and so seligmans was sold to the brewery in 1987.
19
B i r m i n g h a m h o t el i er s
the Hortons name is probably most famously associated with two of the hotels that helped
shape the history of Birmingham city centre: the Midland Hotel and the Grand Hotel.
Isaac Horton made use of local knowledge and built both hotels to serve the new railway lines
that he was confident would bring business to his establishments. Both hotels were designed by
thomson plevins and remain family owned to this day.
Left: Inside the Grand Hotel.
21
t h e M i d l a n d H o tel
In 1871 Isaac signed the lease for a new street site and by 1874 the Midland Hotel had been
built to serve the original new street station. Initially it was designed to house 50 guests, but
Isaac acquired further land in stevenson street which enabled him to enlarge the hotel to
145 bedrooms.
With its vast columns and sweeping expanse of marble, the Midland Hotel was a sumptuous
example of the palladian style of architecture which was championed by Lord Burlington in
the early eighteenth century. It was also completely self-sufficient, using coal-fired steam
engines to generate its power supply and drawing all the water it required from its own
artesian well.
Clockwise from left:
the Burlington Hotel.
new street, early 1900s and today.
the Midland Hotel stained glass
window that remains today.
23
t h e M i d l a n d H o tel - renowned guests
the hotel, with its sumptuous restaurant and Back Bar, famed for the real ale it served,
attracted a range of dignitaries, guests and celebrities of the time. rex Harrison and Lily
palmer conducted their romance there and the hotel was often frequented by actors from the
shakespeare memorial theatre including richard Burton and peter O’toole. Comedians
Laurel and Hardy also visited and tommy Cooper was said to have loved the real ale of the
Back Bar. the then Conservative Mp for Wolverhampton south West, Enoch powell, delivered
his now infamous ‘rivers of Blood’ speech from the hotel in 1968.
However, the famous were not just visitors to the hotel. the world renowned musician and
conductor, Mantovani, started his career at the Midland Hotel in 1924 with a quintet group.
throughout the years, the hotel’s various General Managers, including percy Gravett and
peter Wood, were tasked with ensuring the hotel remained one of the finest in Birmingham
and that standards stayed impeccably high.
Clockwise from bottom left:
Inside the Midland Hotel.
Mantovani album cover.
Enoch powell’s ‘rivers of Blood’ speech.
Laurel & Hardy.
25
t h e B u rl i n g to n H o tel
In 1994, Hortons undertook a £20m refurbishment of the hotel and associated offices and
shops, designed to take the building well into the twenty-first century. during the building work,
when some of the new street units were stripped of their floor finishes and plasterwork, the
builders found that they had sloping, rather than flat, floors. the theory behind this was that,
when they were built in the 1800s by Hortons, the passing horse and carts made it necessary
that anything that came in from the road could be easily swept out again. the builders were
also amazed to find that the original brick footings supporting the entire hotel were just 15
inches in width.
the upgraded Midland Hotel reopened as the Burlington Hotel in 1996 with the original
Victorian facade intact. designed to attract the increasing numbers of business visitors to the
city, the refurbished four star hotel had 112 bedrooms and a 450 seat function room, known as
the Horton suite.
the family continued to manage the hotel until 2004 with Michael Horton as Managing
director, when the decision was taken to lease the Burlington to Macdonald Hotels. the hotel is
still operated by this chain and remains one of the premier four star hotels in Birmingham today.
Left: Burlington Arcade, Birmingham.
27
t h e G r a n d H o tel
Isaac built the Grand Hotel in 1875 near to the snow Hill railway line, which was, at the time,
the main station for the city centre. the hotel was constructed in a French renaissance style
beneath a French pavilion styled roof. the Grand initially set out to attract Victorian trading
salesmen who were visiting the city and Isaac provided lounges and coffee rooms as well as
hotel accommodation and stock rooms for the tradesmen to exhibit their wares.
Additions to the hotel building were made between 1876 and 1878, before it was substantially
altered in 1891 by Martin & Chamberlain and a rear building added in 1895. the most
important part of this work was the construction of the palatial Grosvenor room, a ballroom
which was the largest of its kind in the country which could accommodate 400 people.
decorated in a Louis XVI style, the Grosvenor room boasted ornate plasterwork, giant
Corinthian pilasters and elegant cartouches. Hortons used riveted steelwork, a construction
method still in its infancy in Great Britain, to support the wide expansive ceiling without using
supporting pillars and make the Grand one of the country's first steel-framed buildings.
Left: the Grand Hotel plus the
Cathedral Court building on the
right which was developed in 1988.
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t h e G r a n d H o tel to d ay
In its heyday, during the early part of the twentieth century, the Grand was a superb example
of Birmingham’s confidence and prominence in the Victorian era. royalty, including King
George VI and the late Queen Mother, were among its guests.
It also hosted large gatherings including the largest meeting of journalists ever to be held in
Britain for the inauguration of the national Association of Journalists in 1884.
the Grand closed in the late 1960s due to the poor economic conditions that existed at the
time. It was reopened under the ownership of turkish hotelier nevvar Hickmet in 1972, only
to go into receivership two years later. Grand Metropolitan then took on the lease and sold it to
Moat House Hotels in 1982, but the site continued to struggle and Moat House surrendered
the lease in 2002. It has since remained empty pending a decision on its future use, following its
Grade II* listing in 2004.
Ornate plaster work inside the Grand Hotel.
the Grand Hotel entrance.
the Grand Hotel in perspective.
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A h i s to r y o f p ro p er ty i nvestment
since its inception, Hortons has grown into a substantial property company with the majority
of its retail and commercial holdings still located in Birmingham and Wolverhampton.
However, the portfolio has recently expanded rapidly to include investments in areas such as
Coventry, nottingham, solihull, Kidderminster, Worcester, Evesham, tewkesbury and as far
afield as Kettering.
the company remains first and foremost an investment business. the current portfolio
comprises over 1m sq.ft of premises with approximately 600 tenants. the majority of the
investments, approximately 60%, are held in Birmingham, and around 17% in
Wolverhampton. When broken down at a sector level, 46% is in retail, 33% in office space,
and the balance being industrial/leisure.
Left to right:
Area 7 distribution park, Worcester.
Innovation square, Birmingham city centre.
Wayside Industrial park, Coventry.
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34
d evel o p m en t o f B i r m i ngham
during Victorian times, Birmingham transformed itself from a provincial town into a large and
thriving city. As its population increased, so too did its infrastructure and during the second half
of the nineteenth century much of the city centre was redeveloped. As a property investor, the
company began by purchasing leasehold and freehold land from many of the local estates, such
as the Colmore Estate and the Inge family, when properties were put on the market.
Isaac took advantage of the building boom to purchase a large portfolio of leasehold and
freehold properties for development within the city, beginning in 1864 with the acquisition of
the freehold of numbers 99 and 100 Bull street and three shops in Union passage. A large
percentage of Hortons’ property portfolio is still held within Birmingham city centre to this day.
Left to right:
schedule of lettings for
Lower temple street in 1953.
Entrance to Latham House.
35
L a n d m a rk B i r m i n g h a m investments
Although probably most renowned locally for owning and operating the Midland and
Grand Hotels through the twentieth century, Hortons also developed many other well-known
buildings within the city. One such was the Latham building in paradise Circus, which was
formerly known as daimler House. Originally created by A. Gilbey Latham, this building
housed the first Birmingham showroom for the world famous car maker, daimler.
the famous Corn and product Exchange site was acquired by Hortons in 1898 and then sold
to Marks & spencer in 1953, while the Cornex trading Company remains a subsidiary of
Hortons. In 1912 Hortons developed the White House, which was one of the first concrete
framed buildings in Birmingham city centre, located on new street.
Left: the White House, new street.
37
t h e B i r m i n g h a m p o r tfolio
the Birmingham portfolio has undergone a great deal of change over the years to reach the
robust position that it is in today. the Estate in Birmingham is comprised mainly of retail and
office property. the head office of the company is in Colmore row, within the Grand Hotel
building, which is now one of the future development schemes of the company.
Other prominent holdings include the Burlington retail block on new street which counts
starbucks, Oasis and Watches of switzerland amongst its occupiers, as well as the Waterstone’s
Book store at 128 new street, which was once a bank.
the piccadilly Arcade was created in 1926 from the former picture House, refurbished in the
1980s and then in 2007 to create a new store for Cotswold Outdoor whilst retaining the
original Edwardian arcade shops.
Inside the piccadilly Arcade.
Waterstone’s Book store at 128 new street exterior, entrance and interior.
39
t h e B i r m i n g h a m p o r tfolio continued
In 2007, 21 Bennetts Hill was refurbished and is now occupied by a number of smaller
businesses. the refurbishment included a thorough refit of the offices and common areas.
this has ensured that the building is kept up-to-date and offers more modern facilities.
Hortons also still retains 49/50 new street, occupied by Moss Bros. this building was one of
the first to be purchased by the company, having been bought in 1878.
the company has had to compete with the redeveloped Bullring, which was opened in
september 2003. However, Hortons has ensured that the properties on new street have
remained full of life by undertaking regular refurbishments and through working with its
occupiers, especially at Christmas when lights are installed into the Arcades, to bring a bright
aspect for visitors as well as for the businesses that trade from the buildings.
rental income also continues to form a key part of the company’s revenue. Over the years,
Hortons' properties have housed a wide selection of tenants, including a detective agency,
whose rented rooms in the White House building became the scene of the actual murder of
Left to right:
21 Bennetts Hill today.
49/50 new street occupied by Moss Bros.
Entrance to the Burlington Hotel.
a detective.
41
pl a n n i n g a n d d es i g n ex pertise
Hortons’ wealth of experience and commitment to quality in building and development has
enabled the company to work closely with the city’s planners. Hortons’ design expertise has also
made it a trendsetter throughout its history. In 1940, Hortons was able to obtain the materials
required to redevelop units within one of Birmingham’s main landmarks, the Bullring.
the company overcame the materials’ shortage caused by the war by including a public air
raid shelter within the plans.
Many of the company’s buildings have received public acclaim. In the 1990s the office
redevelopment on Colmore row, known as Cathedral Court and pre-let to Barclays Bank plc,
received plaudits from the city, building professionals and institutions alike.
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d evel o p m en t o f Wo l verhampton
Hortons’ development of property holdings in Wolverhampton was closely related to its acquisition of
Atkinsons Brewery in the early 1900s. the company retained a number of the Atkinsons Brewery
premises when the brewery merged with Mitchells & Butlers in the 1950s and converted them to
shops and offices. this gave the company a substantial foothold in one of the fastest growing cities in
Britain at the time.
In the mid-1920s, the company was instrumental in a significant amount of the development of the
centre of Wolverhampton and built some of the city’s earliest steel-framed concrete properties in the
principal shopping thoroughfare. Hortons also created a rooftop car park, which was the first of its
kind in Britain during its comprehensive redevelopment of Victoria street, school street and
salop street, and the company received one of the first urban development grants to develop its
King street properties.
the development of Victoria street.
Motif on the elevation of Wolverhampton’s
first rooftop car park above a parade of
retail units constructed in the 1950s.
Original sales particulars with plans for
Wolverhampton business premises.
Oscar deutsch, whose ambition was to own a cinema in every major British town or city, bought land
from Hortons to build the Wolverhampton Odeon which opened in 1937. the Low Hill Bushbury
Estate Company, which was part of Hortons, was sold to the Wolverhampton Corporation;
these 232 acres were later to form part of the Low Hill council house estate development.
since then, the portfolio has diversified but Hortons retains substantial blocks of land in the city;
in particular on dudley street, Queen street and King street.
45
L a n d m a rk Wo l ver h a m p ton investments
the Wolverhampton Estate has undergone a considerable change over the years, comprising
mainly of retail property within the city centre. this includes the red House, which is a well
known clothing shop on the corner of Victoria street and salop street. In addition, one of the
very first Woolworths stores was sited at 58/59 Victoria street. the property was redeveloped
after the second World War and subsequently housed a Barratts outdoor shop.
the main shopping area in the city is dudley street. the Estate owns a number of retail shops
here, including a Burton unit. In Queen street, just off dudley street, a former Boots Chemist
unit is now occupied by sports World. In the late 1990s, Hortons redeveloped a dudley street
property known as ‘the point’ which was let to GAp and then later assigned to river Island
and sold as an investment.
In the past, the Estate has held property in Worcester street as well as the land which houses
British telecom’s head offices in Wolverhampton. this is opposite the former scarla Cinema,
which is now being redeveloped. the company has disposed of several properties in
Wolverhampton over the years, some of which will form part of the proposed summer row
the point, Wolverhampton.
the red House original drawings.
58/59 Victoria street.
the red House today.
scheme, a project providing over 80 new shops south of the city centre. the legacy of Hortons
lives on in Wolverhampton and the Estate remains a major land owner in the city.
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48
I nves tm en ts o u ts i d e B i r mingham
Over recent years Hortons has successfully expanded outside its traditional heartland by acquiring
a number of well located sites throughout the greater Midlands.
In 2001 the company acquired an office park known as Interchange 25, an excellent site located
adjacent to junction 25 of the M1 between derby and nottingham. the acquisition comprised
seven let buildings and a commitment to fund the speculative construction of an eighth office
building which was let to the East Midlands strategic Health Authority before it was completed.
A number of industrial sites have been acquired which, as well as providing diversity, were also
bought with development in mind. Anchorbrook Business park, Aldridge, was acquired in 2002.
In addition to 23 industrial units of varying sizes the site included 4 acres of undeveloped land.
this enabled the company to build, in 2006, a 66,000 sq.ft. warehouse for Metalfin UK Limited,
a specialist steel stockholder.
the acquisition of Wayside Business park, near junction 3 of the M6 in Coventry, in 2005 also
provided a mix of well let space and additional land, on which, in 2008, a new 27,000 sq.ft.
industrial unit was built.
Further opportunities exist and the company remains committed to working with occupiers, both
Left to right:
Wayside Industrial park, Coventry.
Interchange 25 Business park, nottingham.
existing and new, to identify their requirements and provide the buildings necessary to fulfil them.
49
H o r to n s ' E s tate d evel o pments Ltd
As a means of diversifying the investment portfolio and creating a new profit stream, Hortons set up
a subsidiary to carry out developments of its own and begin joint venture partnerships across the
Midlands. the developments range from multi-let business parks to industrial units and town centre
retail schemes. A number of successful ventures have taken place with Business Homes, including
freehold office schemes such as Birmingham Business park in solihull, close to the M42, in 2007.
One of the first joint venture developments was in association with Alfred McAlpine special projects.
Known as Area 7, it was a site in Worcester near junction 7 of the M5. the first phase of the venture
was a 93,000 sq.ft unit for Apollo distribution. the remaining five acres were sold to Worcester
County Council for a new recycling depot. More recently Hortons has been working with trebor
developments to offer project management services to the public and private sectors. this includes
work in hotel and leisure developments.
Hortons itself also has an excellent track record in mixed-use development. the development
Left to right:
Cotswold Outdoor store at piccadilly
Arcade, new street, was developed out of
the old picture House.
Birmingham Business park, developed by
Hortons in 2007.
the development of Innovation square
in 2003.
of Innovation square in the professional quarter of Birmingham in 2003 incorporated over
40,000 sq.ft of office buildings alongside shops, bars and apartments.
the company has diversified in many ways over the years, away from some of the traditional
modes of investment into other sectors to expand the horizons for shareholders.
51
A l a b o u r o f l ove
the workforce behind the success
At the heart of every well-run company are quality employees and good staff management.
Over the years, Hortons has employed hundreds of local workers and many of its employees have been
with the company all their working lives. the longest serving to date is Ben Warr, who started as an
apprentice decorator at 15 and stayed at Hortons until his retirement, aged 65.
As a property developer and landlord, Hortons continues to employ teams of people to fit out and
service its properties. Maintaining such a large portfolio is a huge task and the paint colour of the
buildings used to be changed every five years to show when each was scheduled for updating. Because of
the varied demands of the job, Hortons has often employed multi-skilled workers: the ‘art’ on the walls of
the Backyard Bar at the Grand Hotel was made from scrap metal by labourers from Wolverhampton.
the in-house management team undertakes the day-to-day running of the Estates’ buildings.
they include seven property Managers, two of whom are Building surveyors. A team of five manage
the financial side of the organisation, and the buildings are looked after by six maintenance men and
three caretakers. proactively maintaining and refurbishing buildings is a key feature of Hortons’ property
management. Understanding the needs of occupiers is seen as vital, so that as tenants grow and require
more space they can be moved around within the Estate. Keeping the buildings well maintained and
Left: Building the Grand Hotel, 1875.
It was one of the country's first
steel-framed buildings.
presented helps to retain occupiers as well as attract new companies.
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54
C h a r i ta bl e c o n c er n s
Hortons is an active participant in the local community and has always been a generous
supporter of local charities and community schemes. the company is heavily involved in
sponsoring the local arts and has been the sole corporate supporter of the award winning
ensemble, Birmingham symphonic Wind, since 2001; coming runner-up in the Arts & Business
Jaguar Awards 2007 for its long-term relationship with this group. Hortons is also a corporate
member of Birmingham repertory theatre and Wolverhampton Grand theatre, and sponsors
the Chair of Mark O’Brien, the principal bass clarinettist of the world famous CBsO.
the company encourages staff involvement in charity work and runs a matched giving scheme
for shareholders. Every year, members of staff nominate a charity to support. nominated
charities have included radio Lollipop in the princess of Wales Children’s Hospital in
Left: the pop Quiz team for H.E.
Back row: neale powell, Jane phillips,
tony Green, Jade Brookes.
Front row: susan Morgan, Maureen Woodall,
Melissa smith, Melissa Harvey.
Birmingham, the prince’s trust, Acorns Children’s Hospice, Macmillan Cancer relief, nspCC,
County Air Ambulance and the Marie Curie Warren pearl Hospice in solihull.
Right: the Great north run.
From left: Emily Clayton, richard norgrove,
Melissa Harvey, neale powell.
Just some of the fundraisers undertaken over
the last 12 months for the Marie Curie
Warren pearl Hospice, solihull.
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t h e h i s to r y b eh i n d th e business
the ancient family of Hortons had been living around staffordshire for many years. However,
the story of the Hortons’ Estate starts with Benjamin Horton, who was born in 1796. He started
a general provisions business and was also a proprietor of property in and around Lichfield,
including a pig farm.
His son Isaac, born in 1821, also started off his professional life as a pig farmer but went on to
create a substantial property and provisions business. He married sarah and they had eleven
children: three girls and eight boys. Isaac spent most of his married life at Ferndale, Edgbaston
where he died in 1880 at the age of 58 years.
Upon his death, the provisions business was left to his eldest son, John and the residue of his
Estate was split between his six remaining sons: William, Joseph, Benjamin, Frederick, Harry
and thomas. In 1892, when the youngest son, thomas, turned 21, this was turned into a
limited company and Hortons’ Estate was born.
Isaac is buried at Key Hill Cemetery in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter.
Left to right:
At Fernhill, Moseley - an outing for Joseph
Horton’s family.
Isaac’s restored tomb at Key Hill Cemetery.
57
Clockwise from left: William and Edith Horton,
Joseph Horton, Edward Victor Horton and
sarah Horton (Isaac’s widow).
I s a a c ’s d es c en d a n ts
John
Isaac’s eldest son, John, was born in 1853. He married Charlotte Atkin in 1874 and they
had five children: Isaac, sarah, Becky, Alice and Frank. John inherited the provisions
business upon his father’s death. He died in 1907 and Charlotte died in 1921.
William
Born in 1854, William practiced as a solicitor and spent most of his life in denbighshire,
where he became High sheriff in 1935. In 1885 he married Edith sabin and had six
children: stanley, Irene, phylis, rachel, Barbara and Victor. Edith died in 1943 and
William in 1944.
Joseph
Joseph, who was born in 1855, married Lucy Holliday and they lived at Fernhill in
Moseley, Birmingham. Joseph died in 1927 but Lucy lived until 1943.
Benjamin
Benjamin was born in 1857 and married an American, Jenny roof. they lived at Hyde
park Gate in London, until Benjamin’s death in 1920. Jenny died in 1943.
Frederick
Born in 1859, Frederick tragically died in infancy.
dorothy
dorothy was born in 1860 and married Joseph Benson at yardley parish Church.
59
I s a a c ’s d es c en d a n ts co ntinued
Frederick
Frederick, who lived from 1863 to 1894, never married and died in County surrey.
Henry
Born in 1863, Henry married Mary tombs and moved to shropshire where they
farmed the land. they had three sons, Henry, Guy and ronald, and a daughter,
dorothy. Henry died in 1917 and Mary in 1825.
Jane
Jane was born in 1865 and in 1888 married William Grew, a wine merchant from
Moseley. He died in 1913 but Jane lived until 1938. After her death she was buried in
Knowle parish Church in Warwick.
thomas
thomas, born 1871, married Florence Judkins in 1893. they had three sons, robert,
Gerard and peter, and a daughter, Marjorie. thomas captained northamptonshire
Cricket Club from 1904 to 1905. He died in 1932 and Florence died in 1949.
Fanny
Fanny, who was born in 1874 married William Baker in 1898. they had two sons,
Howard and roderick, and one daughter, Josephine.
Henry Horton, Mary tombs, dorothy, Guy,
ronnie and Harry Horton, ronnie and
Wyn Horton and Fanny Baker.
61
r. t. Horton
ronnie tombs Horton went from driving a 3-wheeled Morgan in
sand-races at southport as a teenager to becoming a leading MG driver in
British races in the 1930s. He was also a champion on the Continent as
winner of the 800cc class at the Avusrennen in 1933.
62
Lt. Colonel G t s Horton
thomas Horton
Gerard Horton was awarded the Military Cross in 1918. He fought
thomas played for Marylebone Cricket Club between 1900
on the British lines in France and Belgium in World War I and then
and 1904 and then captained northamptonshire Cricket Club
on the somme in World War II and was promoted to the rank of
in their first two seasons as a first-class county. Board member
Lt. Colonel in 1941. Chairman of Hortons from 1939 to 1977,
from 1892 to 1932.
he was also High sheriff of Warwickshire from 1953 to 1954.
63
Additi o n a l ref eren c es
www.victorian-society.org.uk
www.localhistory.scit.wlv.ac.uk
www.birminghampost.net
www.cricketarchive.com
photography
Laurel & Hardy courtesy of www.patfullerton.com
© Atkinsons Brewery images courtesy of www.digital-photographic-images.co.uk
All photographs used within this book are copyright of Hortons unless otherwise stated.
All information used within this book is correct at the time of going to press. E&OE.
this book has been typeset in Baskerville typeface designed in 1757 by John Baskerville in Birmingham, England.
64

A History of Hortons` Estate

Transcription

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