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Somerston's origins date back to
1854 when Ralph Chapman first went into business as a ship’s agent and manager taking a partial ownership interest as
payment. He also made investments in various Tea Clippers that he was managing,
including the “Stornoway”, “Isabella” and “Agenoria”.
From 1878 onwards, the company
owned and operated a small fleet of merchant ships. It contracted for the
construction of new ships, offered prospectuses to attract co-investors and then
operated and managed the ships. At first, these were all sailing ships but soon
the company shifted to steamers.
The company went through
the usual expansions and contractions, surviving the Depression and during the
Second World War the devastating loss of a large proportion of its fleet in the
Atlantic convoys.
The company flourished
again after the war but the great age of British shipping was drawing to an end
and prospects were dimming for companies that lingered in the sector.
In the late 1960’s, after over 100 years in the
shipping business, the Somerston Shipping Company made the crucial decision to
diversify its interests. By 1975, the last of the shipping interests had been
sold and property investment and development had become the new focus.
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“Heritage
is important. Without it each generation must start afresh”
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