A chance discussion at a dinner with Liveryman Nigel Buchanan in 2015 placed Tylers and Bricklayers into my radar and consequently in 2017 I started my career in T & B’s.

My birth county is Northumberland and following a career as a graduate engineer with a consulting engineering practice named Sandberg. They are a “testing house” with a specialisation in materials engineering, a fledgling discipline in my formative years but it gave me a sound grounding and a Membership of the Institution of Civil Engineers. This career path led me to live an itinerant life pattern with projects normally being completed in 24 months and then onto the next exciting part of the country.

This came to an end when 50 years ago when Jacqueline and I married and Anglian Brickwork was shortly after formed. We are in our fourth decade of trading, enjoying working with clay and really interesting schemes, Buckingham Palace, Mansion House, numerous Cambridge Colleges, internationally acclaimed singers chapels, art galleries etc and many other jobs in between. The love of working with clay has followed me throughout my career. The pinnacle of trade recognition was our success in being awarded the Brickwork Specialist Contractor and Supreme Champion 2018 for our efforts recognised by the BDA after our works at the acclaimed Cambridge University Storeys Way.

Since then I’ve been honoured to be a member of the Judging Panel of The BDA Brick Awards, a role I relish. 

I live near Cambridge with my wife Jacqueline and a Jack Russel Lilli, we are fortunate to be situated very close to Liveryman Charlotte Pienaar our daughter and the mother of our dear granddaughter Annabelle. Charlotte is a huge support in our business and her university days at Newcastle have equipped her well as Finance Director of Anglian Brickwork.

We as a family have the pleasure of a flat in Bamburgh Castle in my beloved county of Northumberland and spend precious days of refection enjoying the vista.

My community based commitments are as School Governor to a SEND school and also chair of trustees to another SEND school.

I rate sport as being my greatest pastime, Rugby, having the dubious honour of playing at county level for Northumberland and Essex Since I ceased playing I became Chairman of Cambridge RFC. I’m a member of The Hawks Club in Cambridge also being elected chairman. Golf plays a part in my relaxation periods, being an enthusiastic participant at Saffron Walden GC since 1985. Proudly Freemasonry is also large part of my life with membership of a London lodge and shortly being fortunate to be awarded “”London Grand Rank” this year.

Long may Tylers and Bricklayers flourish root and branch.