Noel Mobbs
Sir Arthur Noel Mobbs KCVO, OBE (1878 - 1959) was the founder of Slough Estates, one of the largest property businesses in Britain. He was an active class warrior being a co-founder of Aims of Industry in 1942.[1] Both his son Gerald and his grandson Nigel followed in his footsteps in both Slough Estates and Aims of Industry.[1]
Career
Brought up in Northampton, Noel Mobbs, together with his brother, Herbert, 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 Francis.[2] His grandson was Nigel Mobbs, a more recent Chairman of Slough Estates.[8]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Aims of Industry 30 years of Aims of Industry London: Aims of Industry 1972.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Stoke Park Club
- ↑ Obituary: Sir Nigel Mobbs Daily Telegraph, 22 October 2005
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Slough History
- ↑ Buckinghamshire Literary Map BBC
- ↑ Template:LondonGazette
- ↑ The Great Bridge Scandal By Alan Truscott Page (x) Master Point Press, 2004, ISBN 978-1894154673
- ↑ Obituary: Sir Nigel Mobbs The Independent, 1 November 2005
