We think big birthdays are worth celebrating and not so long ago, we did just that with the advent of our 75th anniversary year in 2005. It gave us a great opportunity not only to look forward to the next 75 but also to the past and where we’ve come from. Established in 1930 by Charles Gerald Eve, we started as a seven-strong team in a single office.
Our current values are a result of our heritage. Charles was a consummate professional and demanded the very best from staff, telling them, “If you know 110% of what the other side knows, then you’re in a winning position”. Our thorough approach and attention to detail remains today.
The firm has always been involved at a national level in advising on legislative changes. The early partners were appointed to advisory committees on some of the key policy developments of the time. Charles himself served for many years as chairman of the Surveyors Institution’s Parliamentary committee. From the requisition of land and buildings for war purposes through to current Business Improvement Districts, our partners have helped shape Government policy throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.
Our partners have also consistently provided expert witness evidence in some of the UK’s highest profile cases at the Lands Tribunal, High Court, Court of Appeal and even the House of Lords. Over a quarter of the firm’s partners today regularly provide expert witness evidence, so trusted is our reputation for expertise and impartiality.
Over the years, the firm has acquired or merged with a number of smaller niche practices, including:
- Howarth, Wickman & Buchele (1968) – specialised in the oil industry
- Sidney & Graham Motion (1970) – specialised in licensed premises and hotels
- Moseley & Webb (2007) – specialised in central London planning advice
Now, there are nearly 350 of us in nine offices across the country, and we have worldwide presence via our membership of the Global Network of Realtors. But we continue to remember our roots and the legacy of values that Charles Gerald Eve left us.