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History of Property Development and Investment Sheppy Industries has developed it's place in the property market through leasing, sales and property management, also investment in green and brown site developments. Sheppy has a long history of dealing in property commencing in 1830 by John Stevens when he was only 25 years old. Little is known from the companies records, but he was one of the many contractors building houses in the East End of London in places in Poplar and Mile End. In those early days he traded under Stevens & Company but in 1860 his son William Carr Stevens at the age of 24 joined him when he changed the companies name to Stevens & Son. John and his son William Carr Stevens operated their Chemical Works manufacturing soap, potash, alum, lime, superphosphate of lime and organic fertiliser compounds from a place on the Limehouse Cut near Bow Common Road, London. They lived in Forest Gate, they then moved to Hooley Cottage, Redhill at a time when the expansion of the railways lead to a migration from London to the suberbs. William Carr Stevens moved from Redhill to Horley between the years 1875 to 1878 into a house called the Oaks,(which he built) later to be renamed Bonnars Place. John Stevens and his daughter Margaret moved to The Grange, Horley at the same time. The Waggon Shed buildings were part of this Property's small farm and was known as Bonners Farm on which they build large Victorian houses.
William Carr died on 26th November 1890 only partly realising their ambition leaving the projects unfinished! His widow, Flora Hastings Stevens, sons John William and Frances Hugh Stevens, carried on with the developments. It would appear that Flora Hasting Stevens leagally challenged a covenant preventing the further development of the Yattendon Estate. The case was heard by Mr Justice Chitty on the 17th December 1894 and was setted in favour of Flora Hastings Stevens enabling the continued development. John William, son of William Car, turned his attention to the development of the Chemical Works at Queenborough and in 1896 puchased more land to the south of the Chemical Works on the other side of the creek. He called this Marsh Works and it was later to be called Klondyke. John William Stevens also turned his attention to farming. He purchased Bonehurst Farm which coverd 120 acres and built a large house opposite Bonner Place, which he called The Oaks. The family also owned Petridge Wood Farm at Salfords, part of which, was devleoped into affordable dwellings in the early Twenthieth Century. Following this purchase a big investment was made in the fertiliser industry and because John William had a chemical background which enabled the manufacture of Iodine from Irish Kelp mainly gathered from the Isles of Arun off the coast of County of Cork, calcinded bone for the manufacture of Bone China and even soap was added to the product list.
Stevens & Son continued to trade in fertilisers and properties in London from a production unit at Lime House until 1886. However after 1881 William Carr Stevens decided to limit his trading liabilities by forming four limited companies:-
All these companies traded but did not own the land from which they traded. The factory land was owned by Stevens & Son(in 1860) just like the Yattendon Estate and the others. This position remained the same right up to or just after World War II. Our head office was at 34 Mark Lane, London very close to the old Corn
Exchange, during the bombing of London in the last war the whole area
was destroyed. Overnight the company moved to Cedar Lodge in Bonehurst
Road the A23. It is thought that the family named the road after they
built the grand houses in it. The Cedars was one of those houses owned
and built by the family. More time was spent developing the Chemical Works until the start of the decline of the Chemical Industry in the early 1970's. It was at that time the familys activity in the property market increased and Michael Stevens and David Stevens recognised the potential of growth for the companies. David Stevens went on to form a property development company called Montash Properties Limited which he and his son Charles Stevens have developed with great succsess. David and Charles have developd a niche market in exclusive period housing
using the specialist services of Cox Restoration. For many years, Cox Restorations has repaired, restored and extended period property in Kent. During this time, the need for truly traditional housing with 20th Century standards and comforts has become apparent.
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William
Carr and his Father John had ambitions as developers, leading them to
purchase land for the purpose of building houses. They developed Oakwood
Road, Bonehurst Road and Yattendon Estate selling some plots to other
developers to help subsidize the development of Oakwood Road.
Sheppy
Glue & Chemicals Works Ltd. had a large requirement for bones, some 200
tonnes per week, most of which were collected from London. The company
had two London depots, one on the Hackney Marshes and the other Ceylon
Street, Battersea where they had stabling for horses and carts for bone
collections. While the farm at Horley was used for normal farming operations,
the horses from London were given holidays on the Home Farm, at regular
intervals.