Chestertons is one of the oldest firms of estate agents in the world. First established in 1805 by a man named Charles Chesterton, the firm has continued as one of the most familiar names in property for well over 200 years and is now one of the most respected international property companies.

Charles Chesterton (1779 – 1849)

Charles John Bickerton Chesterton was born in London in March 1779. Very little is known of Charles’ early years, but when he was a young man, he was sent to Kensington which was at that time a rural area.

Charles thrived during the early years of the 19th century. A local business directory from 1805 recorded that he was collecting rents for the Phillimore Estate. 1805 is therefore the date that has been accepted as the founding year of Chestertons, although it is possible to have been a few years earlier.

Arthur Chesterton (1815 – 1902)

Charles Chesterton married in Marylebone on 3rd August 1810 and had four children. Of the four children, it appears that only Arthur followed his father in the family business and in the 1830s, he became the first of the Chesterton family to officially call himself an ‘estate agent’.

Chesterton and Sons

Arthur Chesterton and his wife, Susannah (b. 1810), had several children, but it was Edward (b. 1841), the eldest, and Sidney (b. 1851) who played key roles in the development of the firm during the late 19th and into the early 20th centuries.

Edward joined his father in the business during the 1860s, prompting Arthur to change the company name to ‘Chesterton and Son’. The 1861 census records Arthur Chesterton as ‘Estate and House Agent’ and Edward, then 19 years old, as ‘clerk in auctioneer’s office’, presumably his father’s.

The 19th century saw enormous growth in the population of London, and with it many new streets and houses spreading across the capital. This provided a lot of potential business for Chesterton and Sons – by now a respected and well-established firm of estate agents offering surveying and auctioneering services in Kensington.

The sons of both Edward and Sidney would go on to have prominent careers, but it was only Sidney’s son, Sidney James, that continued with the family firm and followed in the footsteps of his father, grandfather, and great grandfather before him.

Frank Sidney Chesterton (1877 – 1916)

Frank Sidney Chesterton, the eldest son of Sidney Chesterton, became a partner in Chesterton and Sons but is best remembered as an architect, designing several buildings in London and the surrounding counties.

In 1907 Chesterton and Sons moved its offices to the newly completed Hornton Court, and the Kensington branch of Chestertons remains there to this day. Frank served as Second Lieutenant with the Royal Field Artillery, but he died from wounds fighting in the Somme offensive in November 1916.

Sidney James Chesterton (1879 – 1938)

Sidney James, second son of Sidney Chesterton, was the only one of the younger generation of Chestertons who went on to work in the family business. The 1901 census reveals that at that time he was 22 years old, an ‘estate agents clerk’ and was living with his parents and his brothers in Pembroke Road.

Throughout the late 19th and early 20th century, Chesterton and Sons continued to thrive in London and in 1895 the company opened its first office outside of Kensington: No.51 Cheapside in the City of London. This was quickly followed by additional offices in Chelsea at No.15 Sloane Street, and No.1 Norbury Parade in Norbury, Surrey, the first branch outside of central London.

The late Victorian and Edwardian period also saw several prominent employees join Chesterton and Sons. These former employees, directors, and partners all played significant roles in developing the strength of the Chesterton name.

William Henry Wells

William Henry Wells joined Chesterton and Sons in 1897. In 1917-1919 he served as President of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and President of the Auctioneers’ and Estate Agents’ Institute, and it was also in 1919 that he helped found the College of Estate Management (now the University College of Estate Management).

With Chesterton and Sons, he also worked as the surveyor for the estates of the Marquis of Salisbury, in both London and Lancashire. In addition, he served as Commissioner of Income Tax in the West End, was on the board of management for the West London Hospital, and was a special constable. Sir William H. Wells had a distinguished career and given the long list of accomplishments, it is no surprise that he was described as ‘an astonishingly energetic man’.

Henry Weston Wells (1911-1971)

William Wells’ son, Henry Weston Wells, joined the firm in 1931, and quickly rose through the ranks to become partner in 1934. In 1943- 1946, he became Chief Estates Officer of the Ministry of Town and Country Planning and was one of the chief architects of the Town and Country Planning Act 1947. In 1965, Henry Wells was elected President of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyor, and was knighted in the birthday honours list the following year. His son Henry also joined Chesterton and Sons in 1959.

Geoffrey Blake

Geoffrey Blake joined Chesterton and Sons in 1923 and by 1933 had risen to become partner and in 1938 was promoted to senior partner. Geoffrey was heavily involved in the Chartered Auctioneers’ and Estate Agents’ Institute (given Royal Charter in 1947) and was elected president in 1955. In 1965, Geoffrey Blake also conducted the public enquiry into the proposal for Stansted Airport in Essex.

Sir Oliver Sidney Chesterton (1913 – 2007)

Oliver Sidney Chesterton, son of architect, Frank Sidney Chesterton, was the last direct descendant of Charles Chesterton to work for the family company, joining the firm in 1931, when only 17 years old.

Oliver became a senior partner in 1945 and alongside his colleagues, continued to build the reputation of Chesterton and Sons in post-war Britain. During the 1960s, he took on several additional roles, including President of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (1968) and Commissioner for the Crown Estate (1969 – 1982). In 1969, Oliver Sidney Chesterton was knighted in the Queen’s birthday honours list and became the first master of the newly established Worshipful Company of Chartered Surveyors in 1977.

One of Chestertons’ longest serving employees, who is still with the company today, remembered that Sir Oliver Sidney Chesterton was ‘an accomplished and witty speaker and was known for often making jokes about his fellow partners’. Sir Oliver continued as senior partner at Chesterton and Sons and it was only in 1980, the company’s 175th anniversary year, that he retired after over 45 years with the family firm.

Sir William Henry Weston Wells

Following the footsteps of his father and his grandfather before him, William H.W. Wells also joined Chesterton and Sons in 1959 and became partner in 1965. He worked with the firm at a time of great change and oversaw several significant alterations in the running of the firm, as well as managing the company through the ups and downs of the property industry in the latter part of the 20th century. He became managing partner of Chesterton and Sons in 1984 and oversaw the incorporation of the firm in 1991, creating Chesterton plc. of which he was chairman from 1992 to 1997. Sir William Wells continued his involvement with the firm and served as President of Chesterton International plc. from 1998 to 2004.

A new name and a grand expansion

After over 100 years as ‘Chesterton and Sons’, the company officially changed its name to ‘Chesterton’ in 1972 and opened a new head office at No.75 Grosvenor Street. The business expanded rapidly during the 1970s and 80s, with new offices in Notting Hill and Queen Street in the City of London (1979) and New York (its first international office) in 1981. In 1984, a new head office was opened in Brook Street, Mayfair, and the following year new offices opened in Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester and Singapore.

Continued expansion and change

Chesterton International’s expansion continued into the early 1990s with new offices opening over the UK and across the world. In 1992, it merged with De Groot Collis, which brought with it significant commercial offices in Holborn, the City, and the West End, as well as residential offices in prime positions in Chelsea and Knightsbridge. On 23rd June 1994 Chesterton International was listed on the London Stock Exchange, valued at £51million.

Challenges and a new beginning

By the late 1990s, Chesterton International had become one of the largest and most recognised property firms in the world with 158 offices across 36 different countries. However, the new millennium brought with it some very difficult times for many property companies and Chesterton International was not immune. In 2003 the company was acquired by Phoenix Acquisitions Ltd, de-listed and reverted to being a privately owned business.

In the spring of 2005 the company was split up, and part of the business – which included 16 branches in London – was acquired by Mercantile Group, the current owners. Under this ownership, the business focused on the flourishing London market and steadily grew its reach across the capital to 21 branches by 2008.

Chestertons Gibraltar

As part of its international expansion, the franchise for Gibraltar was granted to Mike Nicholls FCA, previously finance director of Ocean Village group of companies in Gibraltar. Establishing its premises as the first commercial outlet in Ocean Village, Chestertons rapidly took a position in the top six agencies in Gibraltar despite not having any shareholder links with local lawyers or property developers. By 2015, Chestertons, known for its professionalism and service levels, had become the largest estate agency in Gibraltar by virtue of the number of staff employed by the business. In late 2017, Chestertons was awarded the “Best Estate Agency in Gibraltar” in the European Property Awards for 2017/18. An accolade which coincided with its 10th year anniversary in the jurisdiction. Mike remains the managing director and the business employs some 14 staff from its original premises in Ocean Village plus a second private client office in Marina Bay.

Chestertons today

Chestertons has grown to become one of the largest and most respected estate agents in London and has expanded the business into exciting new international markets, such as the Middle East, Singapore, South Korea, Cayman, St Lucia, and Mauritius. Today the Chestertons network covers 21 countries and five continents through over 100 offices.

Edited from an original article by historian: Mel Backe-Hansen