A history of family wealth management

William Craven founded Craven Brothers machine tool manufacturers in Salford, Lancashire. Craven Brothers moved to Vauxhall Works, Reddish, Stockport in 1900.

Ellis & Sons Estate Agency was founded in Lancashire in 1877 and the family started building houses in the area. Ellis and Sons was a partnership of Surveyors and Estate Agencies with its head office in Manchester (21 Spring Gardens).

William Craven Ellis established the Family Office corporate structure in the 1920’s to take over his family’s property holdings, the origin of which came from Ellis & Sons and Craven Brothers.

The administration of the Group and the Ellis and Sons Estate Agency was based in Manchester and Altrincham until 1928 when the freehold of No 31 Dover Street was acquired and an office opened there.

The Group built houses at the Stocking Farm & Amery Hill Estates in Leicester and started the development of the Hamble Cliffe Estate, Southampton

In 1923 and again 1929, William Craven Ellis fought general elections as the unionist candidate for the Barnsley constituency. He was unsuccessful but rewarded for his efforts with two pierced silver fruit bowls, inscribed In recognition of his good efforts and presented by the local conservative association.
In 1931 there was another general election and William Craven Ellis successfully contested Southampton in conjunction with Sir Charles Barrie.

The Group built 204 houses and 10 shops at the Hamblecliffe Estate to house the workers for the neighbouring British Marine Aviation factory.

The development of the Hamble started just before the war and completed post war and emanated from a shareholding in British Marine Aviation (BMA) which was formed to build Amphibians. The factory was built by BMA and the houses were built by the Group to house the factory workers.

In 1947 the Group was refinanced by a £500k loan at 3.5% interest for a term of 45 years.

In 1950, the Group’s Manchester houses were compulsorily purchased by the Manchester Corporation for between £1 and £100 a house. They were subsequently demolished and replaced by tower blocks which have since been replaced by houses similar to the ones originally demolished.

In 1964 Michael Campbell joined the business which was being ably managed by Cyril Roland Cane who had been with the group since 1928. Cyril Cane had the stewardship of the Group following William Craven Ellis’ death.

The Group relocated its Head Office from 31 Dover Street and built new Head Quarters at Craven House, Farnham, Surrey

The Group formed Arundel House Securities and carried out a 10 year development programme for retention and sale throughout the South East

Commercial developments undertaken including a substantial development of Farnham

The Group started a Housing Equity Release business called Home & Capital Trust Ltd which later became Sovereign Reversions. It was founded in 1979 and the Group started investing in home reversions.

Home & Capital Trust Ltd was originally owned by John Inskip (chartered accountant), the Ellis Campbell Group and the Cecil’s (Lord Salisbury). The company bought residential reversions. It is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Sovereign Reversions Plc which was recently acquired by Patron Capital.

Michael Campbell established the Ellis Campbell Foundation in 1990. The Foundations principal aims are to grant assist organisations engaged in Education and Youth in the U.K. with special reference to Hampshire, Perthshire and London. The Foundation has a particular focus on bridging the gap between education and employment for disadvantaged young adults between the ages of 16 and 25.

Having established a process of outsourcing of all activities, Michael Campbell moved the office to Shalden Park Steading

Laura Montgomery joined the Group as Executive Director in 2007. The youngest of Michael’s daughters, Laura qualified as a solicitor in 2005 at Berlin Leighton Paisner and practiced in the property finance department until March 2007. She opened the Group’s London office at Heathcote House, Savile Row. The office subsequently moved to 10-12 Blandford Street sharing an office with C2 Capital Limited

In August 2009 Laura and Julian Carey (ex La Salle Investment Management) formed C2 Capital Ltd., to provide commercial real estate underwriting and investment opportunities including investment funds. C2 Capital Ltd. and The Ellis Campbell Group continue to work closely together.

The fund acquired 25 high quality multi-let industrial estates across the UK and was sold to Stenprop Limited for £127m in 2017.

The Hamble Estate was constructed by the Ellis Campbell Group in the 1930s and has been owned and managed by the Group up until the recent sale in March 2017. The portfolio at the time of sale consisted of 51 houses let out on a mix of regulated, assured and assured shorthold tenancies

Taken in 2019 at a lunch to celebrate 100 years of working with Harold Sharp Accountants and 100 years of friendship between the Campbell and the Sharp families.

The Group appoints STR Capital LLP to manage the commercial property portfolio and execute the investment strategy.

Toby Abbott is appointed as Chief Operating Office and, in this role, will oversee the management and leadership of the 145-year-old family-owned property investment office for the current and future generations of the family.