Noel Mobbs

Sir Arthur Noel Mobbs KCVO, OBE (1878 - 1959) was the founder of Slough Estates, one of the United Kingdom's largest property businesses.

Career

Brought up in Northampton, Noel Mobbs was educated at Bedford Modern School.[1] Together with his brother, Herbert, he founded the Pytchley Autocar Company in 1903 to sell private vehicles: the business was later bought by Mercantile Credit.[2] Another of Noel's brothers, Edgar, was a well-known Rugby player.[3]

In 1920 he and Sir Percival Perry acquired Slough Depot, a vehicle park where thousands of disused military vehicles had been abandoned.[2] First they sold the vehicles and then they converted the factories and let them out for industrial use, so establishing the Slough Trading Estate.[2]

He was also keen to establish sporting and social facilities for the people of Slough and in 1928 he bought Stoke Park Golf Club for £30,000 and reformed it.[4] He also established the Stoke Poges Garden which is open to the public[5] as well as the Slough Community Centre which opened in 1936.[4]

He was made a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 1948.[6]

Mobbs was an avid bridge player[2] and in 1950 he chaired the British Bridge League.[7] He died in Bournemouth in 1959.[2]

Family

He married Frances.[2] His grandson was Nigel Mobbs, a more recent Chairman of Slough Estates.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Bedford Modern School of the Black And Red" by Andrew Underwood, 1981
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Stoke Park Club
  3. ↑ Obituary: Sir Nigel Mobbs Daily Telegraph, 22 October 2005
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Slough History
  5. ↑ Buckinghamshire Literary Map BBC
  6. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 38311. p. 3369. 10 June 1948. Retrieved 2009-07-26.
  7. ↑ The Great Bridge Scandal By Alan Truscott Page (x) Master Point Press, 2004, ISBN 978-1-894154-67-3
  8. ↑ Obituary: Sir Nigel Mobbs The Independent, 1 November 2005