Charles Church Developments

A 1980s Charles Church housing estate at Martins Heron in Bracknell

Charles Church was founded by Mr Charles JG Church and his wife Mrs Susanna B Church in 1965 as a luxurious residential developer in south-east England. It built its reputation on building top quality new homes to the highest standards, successfully growing during the late 1960s and 1970s.[1]

The company's rate of expansion grew during the 1980s. It had operations in residential developments, general construction, commercial properties as well as having operations in America. By 1985, the housebuilding arm consisted of three divisions, South East, Southern and Chiltern.[2] It built on sites ranging from just one plot to up to 400 plots. It expanded into the London market in January 1987.[3]

In April 1987 the company was floated on the London Stock Exchange, as Charles Church Developments plc, to further its expansion. At the time, the Church family retained over 80% of the firm's shares. Mr Church was Chairman and Mrs Church was Quality Control Director.[4]

The company acquired County Homes in August 1987 to expand into Essex.[5] It started building retirement homes in 1988.[6]

On 25 May 1989, just over two years after the company's public floatation, Charles Church Developments plc was taken private and de-listed from the London Stock Exchange by Charles Church Holdings plc, a company controlled by the Church family.[7][8]

On 1 July 1989, the company's co-founder and Chairman, Mr Charles JG Church, was killed in a plane crash at the age of 44. The Supermarine Spitfire aircraft which he was flying crashed on trying to land at Blackbushe Airport. He was one of the 200 richest people in the United Kingdom with a fortune of £140 million. He was survived by his wife Mrs Susanna B Church, two daughters and one son.[9]

Following the death of Mr Church, Mrs Church assumed the role of Chairman. In the subsequent recession, the company suffered under the debts taken on when it was taken private by the Church family.

The debts were restructured on 30 August 1991 and the company came under the control of its creditors, whereby if Charles Church met certain financial targets, control would pass back to the company's directors, i.e. the Chairman Mrs Church and her family.[10] However, the company went through another financial restructuring during 1994, with the holding company becoming The Charles Church Group Limited. Mrs Church retired from the company on 29 June 1994 as a result of this reorganisation.[11] Charles Church's lead creditor, Royal Bank of Scotland, bought out the other syndicate of banks for £22.6 million and became the sole owner of the company on 14 March 1996.[12]

On 13 May 1996 Beazer Group plc, then the UK's third largest housebuilder, paid £35.7 million for Charles Church, including £3 million goodwill for the "Charles Church" brand name. Under Beazer's ownership, Charles Church grew from being a regional housebuilder in the south east of England to a nationwide residential developer throughout the United Kingdom.[13][14]

In 2001 Beazer was taken over by Persimmon plc who retained the £37 million "Charles Church" brand name for its most upmarket homes.[15]