Nigel Broackes

Sir Nigel Broackes (21 July 1934 – 29 September 1999) was the founder of Trafalgar House, one of the United Kingdom's largest contracting businesses.

Sir Nigel Broackes
Born	Nigel Broackes 21 July 1934 Wakefield, Yorkshire, England
Died	29 September 1999 (aged 65) Chelsea, London, England
Nationality	British
Education	Brambletye School Stowe School
Occupation	Businessman
Known for	founder of Trafalgar House
Spouse(s)	Joyce Edith Horne
Children	3

Career

Born in Wakefield, Broackes was son of solicitor Donald Broackes and Nancy Rowland (née Tansley) Broackes. His father died in 1943 whilst serving in the Army, leaving only a small estate.[1] Broackes was educated at Brambletye School in Sussex and Stowe School, and joined Stewart & Hughman, a firm of Lloyd's underwriters on leaving school.[1] He then did national service and was commissioned into the Royal Armoured Corps in 1953.[2]

After completing his national service and with the support of Eastern International, a small finance house, he started buying up bomb sites in London.[1] Eastern International became Trafalgar House and Broackes took a 21% stake in the business when it was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1963.[1] In 1964 the Company took a 49% stake in Bridge Walker, a construction company owned by Victor Matthews.[1] After that Broackes and Matthews worked together to build Trafalgar House into one of the United Kingdom's largest contracting businesses.[1] Trafalgar House owned the Cunard Line from 1971 to 1998. Broackes resigned in 1992 following heavy losses associated with a diversification into offshore activities.[1]

In 1979 Broackes became chairman of the London Docklands Development Corporation, from which post he resigned in 1984.[1] He was knighted for his role at that organisation in 1984.[3]

He died in 1999 in Chelsea[1] and is buried in the St Peter and St Paul, Checkendon.[4]

Family

He was married to Joyce Edith Horne; they had two sons and a daughter.[1]

References

1. Nigel Broackes at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
2. "No. 39877". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 June 1953. p. 3099.
3. "No. 49966". The London Gazette. 27 December 1984. p. 17387.
4. "Checkendon Churchyard Memorials". Find a grave. Retrieved 15 January 2018.

Further reading

• Broakes, Nigel (1979). A Growing Concern. Littlehampton Book Services. ISBN 978-0297776543.