Arthur Cawrey was born on 8th April 1920 in the Charnwood Street area of Leicester.

He spent his childhood days at the gateway school near the centre of Leicester and it was there that his talent for woodwork came to light. Whilst a student at the school, Arthur gained a Silver Medal in Building Technology. This qualification, in turn, led to his apprenticeship as a carpenter in a joinery shop. In 1940 he passed his final exam in carpentry and joinery in the first class, awarded by the City and Guilds of London Institute. It was not long before Arthur progressed in his career and became Site Foreman and, within a few years, a Director with Calverley, a local building company which ceased trading in the late 1970's.

Despite holding a prominent position at Calverley, Arthur was an ambitious and enterprising man and in 1948 he made the decision to leave the company and set up business on his own. Arthur formed a partnership with Fred Bowles and the new company was established as Cawrey Bowles Limited. The firm began operating from offices on Hinckley Road, Leicester. After the war, housing was needed urgently and soon the firm was contracted to build housing estates for local authorities. The first major contract was undertaken for Market Bosworth Urban District Council.

During the early years of the company, Arthur fulfilled a variety of roles including Estimator, Buyer and Site Manager, watching over the construction which was carried out using brick laid with lime mortar, produced in a mortar mill.

In 1952 the partnership between Arthur and Fred Bowles came to an end and Arthur founded Cawrey Limited. Under the newly formed company, much of the work was general contracting. The new-build construction was mainly for local authority housing estates, but included some private houses and factories. During the mid 1950's the firm built its first school at Overdale Road in Wigston.

By 1954 the company had grown to such an extent that it was necessary to move to larger premises. Cawrey Limited moved into converted milking sheds at Gorse Hill, Anstey. It was also in this same year that the firm took on an apprentice, Michael Freeman. Who started working as a bricklayer but progressed to become a site agent in 1974 and was still working for the company 47 years later until his retirement in 2001.

The year 1969 was a significant one for the firm. It was in this year that work started on building new houses in Ratby, a village five miles northwest of Leicester. Work on the development has gradually continued ever since with the company obtaining planning consent for new sections whenever the opportunity became available. In fact, by 1999 Cawrey Limited had built a total of 750 homes on this development as well as planting over 4,000 trees.

Throughout the 1970s the company's focus gradually switched to speculative housing and the firm continued to flourish. The 1980 opened with a happy event, when Arthur's son John Cawrey, joined what could then be called the family firm.

By 1988, one of the company's long-term employees, Ken Callis who had been a Director since the early 1960's and had taken over the duties of Estimator, Buyer and Quantity Surveyor, finally retired.

Sadly in 1990, Arthur Cawrey died after a short illness. The founder had remained Managing Director until his death and he was succeeded by his son John, Who took the company forward in his father's name. Under his leadership, in 1998, the company relocated to Kirby Grange Farm in Ratby and a year later on could boast a turnover of 1.5 million and a permanent staff of 15.

Today Cawrey Limited Continues to thrive. Most of the work undertaken consists of speculative housing development, however, some work is carried out for housing associations and local authorities and the company also has investments in commercial office and light industrial premises. After over 50 years of experience, Cawrey Limited has built its success on more than bricks and mortar. Indeed, it is this experience combined with a flexible approach and the commitment of the company's long term staff that will ensure that Cawrey Limited's success continues in Leicestershire into the future.

Arthur Cawrey. Portrait taken in 1967 in his role as president of the National Federation of Building Trades Employers Leicestershire association.

Arthur Cawrey's daughters, Jean and Mary, with the company offices in the background, formerly used as a milking shed. 1956.

John Cawrey aged 6,
on the trowel.

A new four bedroomed house on a recent section of the Ratby development.