Charles Boot
Encyclopedia
Charles Boot of Sheffield
, England was the creator and builder of Pinewood Studios
on the estate of Heatherden Hall at Iver Heath in the parish of Iver
in Buckinghamshire
, England.
(trucks) and the company itself had developed into a business of "Joiners, Builders, Plumbers, Painters and General Contractors" operating from a building on Moore Street in Sheffield
, England.
(1914–1918), the Henry Boot company built a British Army
camp at Catterick
in Yorkshire
; RAF Manston
Aerodrome
near Ramsgate
; the Calshot Naval Air Station
at Calshot
in Hampshire
; Tees Naval Base; a U.S. Army
Rest Camp and hospital
at Southampton
and Chepstow
Military Hospital
. The company also constructed over one thousand military buildings and over 50 miles of roads and sewers.
the Henry Boot company established an office in Paris, France to administer French government contracts for the reconstruction of war-ravaged towns and villages. In 1920 Henry Boot's business became a public company
with operations in England, France, Spain, and Greece undertaking the construction of harbours,
underground railway
s, waterworks
, and drainage systems throughout Europe. In 1927 the company was awarded one of the biggest contracts of the time in Athens
, Greece involving extensive land reclamation and protection, irrigation works and the construction of roads and bridges. The contract was completed in 1952. (Work was suspended during World War II
). Prior to World War II
Henry Boot built in excess of 80,000 houses in the United Kingdom.
.
, England. Charles Boot based his designs upon what were at the time the latest ideas being employed by other film studios in the production of movies at Hollywood, California
, USA. Charles Boot managed to complete the work in twelve months. In the years that followed the Henry Boot company also undertook further work on both the Pinewood Film Studios and the Denham Film Studios
, both of which had by then become a part of the J. Arthur Rank
Organisation.
as a worldwide group of companies whose activities include property development, land management, and plant hire.
and Bradfield
in South Yorkshire
, England, apparently to create work for people during the depression http://www.follytowers.com/boots.html. For more information, see the Follies and Monuments website http://www.follytowers.com/boots.html and a satellite visual http://maps.google.com/maps?q=http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/download.php%3FNumber%3D285282&om=1&ie=UTF8&z=17&ll=53.406181,-1.654837&spn=0.002757,0.007296&t=k&iwloc=A.
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, England was the creator and builder of Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios is a major British film studio situated in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, approximately west of central London. The studios have played host to many productions over the years from huge blockbuster films to television shows to commercials to pop promos.The purchase of Shepperton...
on the estate of Heatherden Hall at Iver Heath in the parish of Iver
Iver
Iver is in the south-east corner of the English county of Buckinghamshire and it forms one of the largest civil parishes in the South Bucks district.Iver railway station is in Richings Park.-Etymology:...
in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, England.
Basic biography
In 1886 and age 35, Henry Boot commenced a one-man business as a builder with one handcart and later one horsedrawn cart. By 1914 Henry Boot had 20 horses and carts and 6 mechanically propelled lorriesTruck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
(trucks) and the company itself had developed into a business of "Joiners, Builders, Plumbers, Painters and General Contractors" operating from a building on Moore Street in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, England.
1914 to 1918
During World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
(1914–1918), the Henry Boot company built a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
camp at Catterick
Catterick, North Yorkshire
Catterick , sometimes Catterick Village, to distinguish it from the nearby Catterick Garrison, is a village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England...
in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
; RAF Manston
RAF Manston
RAF Manston was an RAF station in the north-east of Kent, at on the Isle of Thanet from 1916 until 1996. The site is now split between a commercial airport Kent International Airport and a continuing military use by the Defence Fire Training and Development Centre , following on from a long...
Aerodrome
Aerodrome
An aerodrome, airdrome or airfield is a term for any location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve cargo, passengers or neither...
near Ramsgate
Ramsgate
Ramsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century and is a member of the ancient confederation of Cinque Ports. It has a population of around 40,000. Ramsgate's main attraction is its coastline and its main...
; the Calshot Naval Air Station
Calshot Naval Air Station
RNAS Calshot was a First World War Royal Navy air station for seaplanes and flying boats, mainly operating as an experimental and training station, but also providing anti-submarine and convoy protection patrols....
at Calshot
Calshot
Calshot is a coastal village in Hampshire, England at the west corner of Southampton_Water where it joins the Solent. A settlement at the site is believed to have existed since the fifth century AD...
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
; Tees Naval Base; a U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Rest Camp and hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
at Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
and Chepstow
Chepstow
Chepstow is a town in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the River Wye, close to its confluence with the River Severn, and close to the western end of the Severn Bridge on the M48 motorway...
Military Hospital
Military hospital
Military hospital is a hospital, which is generally located on a military base and is reserved for the use of military personnel, their dependents or other authorized users....
. The company also constructed over one thousand military buildings and over 50 miles of roads and sewers.
1919-1931
Following World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
the Henry Boot company established an office in Paris, France to administer French government contracts for the reconstruction of war-ravaged towns and villages. In 1920 Henry Boot's business became a public company
Public company
This is not the same as a Government-owned corporation.A public company or publicly traded company is a limited liability company that offers its securities for sale to the general public, typically through a stock exchange, or through market makers operating in over the counter markets...
with operations in England, France, Spain, and Greece undertaking the construction of harbours,
underground railway
Underground railway
Underground railway may refer to:*The Underground Railroad, a network of clandestine routes by which African slaves in the 19th century United States attempted to escape*Rapid transit, urban railways that sometimes use tunnels...
s, waterworks
WaterWorks
WaterWorks is a water park owned by Cedar Fair, located at the back of Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia. When it debuted in 1992, it was originally named Hurricane Reef...
, and drainage systems throughout Europe. In 1927 the company was awarded one of the biggest contracts of the time in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece involving extensive land reclamation and protection, irrigation works and the construction of roads and bridges. The contract was completed in 1952. (Work was suspended during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
). Prior to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Henry Boot built in excess of 80,000 houses in the United Kingdom.
Death
In 1931, Henry Boot died and his son Charles Boot took control of the company where he had worked with his father. In 1932 the company moved from Moore Street to its present head office at Banner Cross Hall, a "distinguished listed building" dating from 1821, which is also in SheffieldSheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
.
Pinewood Film Studios
In 1934 Charles Boot embarked upon the design and construction of what would become Pinewood Film Studios located among the pine trees of the 100 acres (0.4 km²) estate of Heatherden Hall at Iver Heath in BuckinghamshireBuckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, England. Charles Boot based his designs upon what were at the time the latest ideas being employed by other film studios in the production of movies at Hollywood, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA. Charles Boot managed to complete the work in twelve months. In the years that followed the Henry Boot company also undertook further work on both the Pinewood Film Studios and the Denham Film Studios
Denham Film Studios
Denham Film Studios were a British film production studio operating from 1936 to 1952.The studios were founded by Alexander Korda, on a 165 acre site near the village of Denham, Buckinghamshire. At the time it was the largest facility of its kind in the UK, but it was merged with Rank's Pinewood...
, both of which had by then become a part of the J. Arthur Rank
J. Arthur Rank
Joseph Arthur Rank, 1st Baron Rank was a British industrialist and film producer, and founder of the Rank Organisation, now known as The Rank Group Plc.- Family business :...
Organisation.
Today
The Henry Boot Company that began as a one man operation is now listed on the London Stock ExchangeLondon Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
as a worldwide group of companies whose activities include property development, land management, and plant hire.
A Footnote
Prior to establishing the Henry Boot company, Boot had begun a small housing maintenance company with George William Marsden. Due to a combination of disputes between the two men and Marsden's drink problem, Boot's partner dramatically left the firm, declaring Boot a 'fool.'Boot's Folly
Charles Boot built Boot's Folly in 1927, an imposing folly clearly visible between StrinesStrines
Strines is a village in Greater Manchester, located in the valley of the River Goyt midway between Marple and New Mills and about six miles southeast of Stockport. The village falls mainly within Marple parish and Stockport metropolitan borough, though a small part falls within the boundaries of...
and Bradfield
Bradfield
-Australia:* Division of Bradfield, an electoral district in the Australian House of Representatives, in New South Wales-England:* Bradfield, Berkshire, England** Bradfield College, a public school in Bradfield, Berkshire, England* Bradfield, Devon, England...
in South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, England, apparently to create work for people during the depression http://www.follytowers.com/boots.html. For more information, see the Follies and Monuments website http://www.follytowers.com/boots.html and a satellite visual http://maps.google.com/maps?q=http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/download.php%3FNumber%3D285282&om=1&ie=UTF8&z=17&ll=53.406181,-1.654837&spn=0.002757,0.007296&t=k&iwloc=A.