While the FMB was evolving in the 1940s, one of its members, Sykes and Son Limited had already been trading for just short of 200 years. Established in 1759, this London company has been trading continuously from Essex Street and the adjoining courtyards within the Parish of St. Clement Danes, London WC2.
The company’s original offices were at 47 Essex Street and although that building has long gone, it is astonishing that 250 years later, its head office has moved less than 30 metres.
EARLY DAYS
The business was founded by John Willis, a member of the Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass (usually known these days as the Glaziers Company). The St. Clement Danes Parish Rate Books for 1759 show that John Willis was living in Essex Street, probably at number 47 and this remained the address of the company right up until 1844.
John Willis married Mary Hoare, the daughter of another glazier in 1753, and the first evidence of work being done by him can be found in the St. Clement Danes Church Warden Accounts. An entry on 12 April 1759 shows that he was paid £6.1s.00d for cleaning the church windows. Using average earning guides, this is equivalent to £9,500 today.
In 1763, John Willis started work at the Honorable Society of the Middle Temple, one of the four Inns of Court. Their account books show that he was appointed as the Middle Temple glazier and that he made more or less monthly visits to carry out glazing and cleaning right up until his death in 1801. In fact the company he started still carries out building and restoration work there to this day.
In 1778 Mr Wills took his son (also John) as his apprentice and it is thought that the two worked together until John junior married Frances Hartley in 1790. The couple had three children; John, Mary and Joseph, and in 1801 John junior took over the family firm when his father died and moved back to 47 Essex Street.
DIVERSIFICATION
From about 1820 onwards, the firm started to diversify and John Willis is advertised in trade directories as a glazier and painter, and sometimes as a plumber, glazier and painter. John died in 1836 leaving his entire estate to his wife, Frances. She ran the business until her own death just two years later, leaving their daughter Mary in sole charge of the firm. No-one knows what happened to either of John and Frances’ sons.
Mary Willis never married so was the last of her line, she ran the business on her own until 1847 and the workload continued to increase. In April of that year, a bill for £695 14s 04d appears in the Middle Temple accounts.
In October of 1847 records show that Mary had taken on a new partner, John Sykes. He set the business on the path to becoming the multi-disciplinary construction company it is today. It is thought that John Sykes may have had experience in the building trade as the Middle Temple bills show that the firm began to take on carpentry and construction work.
In 1851 Mary retired to Sydenham, leaving the business and her house to John Sykes. She must have retained some interest in the business though as trade directories still show the business as Willis and Sykes, although they are now classified as builders rather than painters and glaziers.
John Sykes married Emily Hird Potter, the daughter of a solicitor in 1854, and soon after, trade directories start to list the firm as John Sykes, Builders. By 1871 John, his family and the business had outgrown the premises at 47 Essex Street, so the family moved out to a new house John built on Wandsworth Common and 47 Essex Street became the company’s office.
When John Sykes died in 1879, his widow took over the business. Then in 1883 the firm became known as Sykes and Son Builders, it may have been John Sykes’ sons Arthur and Edward who were running the business now and in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Sykes and Son carried out much building work in and around the City.
When Arthur Sykes died in 1919, the business was sold to Alfred Gee a builder from Kent. It continued to operate from the Essex Street premises but began to undertake substantial new build contracts, refurbishment work and Public Works Projects, including work outside of London.
The second generation of the Gee family took over the business on Arthur’s death. Stephen Gee ran it most successfully during the Second World War and beyond and when he died in the mid 1960s his wife Dorothy became the sole owner of Sykes & Son Limited. Cyril McKellow took on the day to day running of the business for Mrs Gee until he died in the late 1960s, Mr Len Buttleman took over then, assisted by Mr John Beslier.
When Dorothy died in the 1970s, the company ceased to be wholly owned by the Gee family. Shares were divided between family, friends and staff, so that now there are more than 40 individual shareholders of the company. Chairmanship passed to Mr Victor Morley Lawson QC on Dorothy’s death, and he held that position right up until his death in 1988. He was succeeded by Len Buttleman whose work was paramount in the company achieving the status it still enjoys today. Mr John Hayden became Chairman in 2008 having been MD since 1990.
FMB and Sykes and Son
Research into this fascinating FMB member was carried out by Victor Longhorn and Andrew Burr. If you want to delve deeper, visit www.sykesandsonltd.com but we will revisit Sykes and Son Limited in future issues of Master Builder magazine to find out more about the work the company carries out in the 21st Century – it’s FOURTH century.
