Noel Mobbs

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, together with his brother, Herbert, founded the Pytchley Autocar Company in 1903 to sell private vehicles: the business was later bought by Mercantile Credit.[1] Another of Noel's brothers, Edgar, was a well-known Rugby player.[2]

In 1920 he and Sir Percival Perry acquired Slough Depot, a vehicle park where thousands of disused military vehicles had been abandoned.[1] First they sold the vehicles and then they converted the factories and let them out for industrial use, so establishing the Slough Trading Estate.[1]

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.[3] He also established the Stoke Poges Garden which is open to the public[4] as well as the Slough Community Centre which opened in 1936.[3]

He was made a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 1948.[5]

Mobbs was an avid bridge player[1] and in 1950 he chaired the British Bridge League.[6] He died in Bournemouth in 1959.[1]

Family

He married Frances.[1] His grandson was Nigel Mobbs, a more recent Chairman of Slough Estates.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Stoke Park Club
  2. ^ Obituary: Sir Nigel Mobbs Daily Telegraph, 22 October 2005
  3. ^ a b Slough History
  4. ^ Buckinghamshire Literary Map BBC
  5. ^ London Gazette: no. 38311. p. 3369. 10 June 1948. Retrieved 2009-07-26.
  6. ^ The Great Bridge Scandal By Alan Truscott Page (x) Master Point Press, 2004, ISBN 978-1894154673
  7. ^ Obituary: Sir Nigel Mobbs The Independent, 1 November 2005


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