Sussex-based property firm celebrates 200 years spanning Chichester’s livestock markets to modern house sales

Sussex-based property firm celebrates 200 years spanning Chichester’s livestock markets to modern house sales

An estate agency with roots stretching back to the days when livestock markets filled the streets of Chichester is celebrating a remarkable milestone this year. 

Property agency Henry Adams traces its origins to the agricultural valuers Wyatt & Son, founded in 1826, and is now marking 200 years of serving communities across Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire.

The business began when Edward Wyatt, a farmer from Chidham who bred Southdown sheep at Up Marden Farm, expanded his work into agricultural valuations before later moving into auctioneering and surveying.

Wyatt & Son operated from offices in the city centre for more than a century. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the firm was closely connected to the region’s rural economy at a time when livestock markets were a regular feature of city life.

On market days, cattle, horses and pigs filled the streets around the Market Cross and East Street until a new purpose-built site opened in 1871. The late Henry Adams recalled that Chichester hosted one of the largest pig markets in southern England, with more than 1,000 pigs a week being traded during the 1950s and 1960s by farmers from across West Sussex and beyond.

Wyatt’s had diversified in 1900 by taking on the lease of Baffins Hall, which was formerly a chapel. Today, it remains home to Henry Adams Fine Art Auctioneers and is where the firm continues to hold regular antique and fine art sales.

From Wyatt & Son to Henry Adams

The modern era of the business began when Henry Adams, a chartered surveyor and auctioneer, joined Wyatt & Son in 1952 and later became Senior Partner. In 1990, he formed a partnership with Simon Lush, who continued to head the firm’s rural and agricultural division for many years and retired in 2022. 

Together, they built on the already long heritage of Wyatt & Son, expanding the firm’s services while maintaining its strong local roots. After briefly trading as Prudential in the late 1980s, by 1991, the company had adopted the Henry Adams name.

Today, Henry Adams has grown into a multidisciplinary property firm employing around 175 people across a network of offices throughout Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire. Its full range of services includes residential sales and lettings, commercial property, land and development, planning, agricultural advice, surveying, fine art auctions and holiday cottages.

Remarkable growth 

The company now sells almost half a billion pounds’ worth of residential properties each year, manages more than 3,000 rental properties, has more than 250,000 website visitors, and arranges more than 2,600 holiday bookings through its Holiday Cottages business.

David Adams, Partner at Henry Adams and son of the late Henry Adams, said the bicentenary was an opportunity to reflect on both the company’s heritage and its future.

“From our beginnings as agricultural valuers to the multidisciplinary property firm we are today, the business has continued to evolve with every generation,” he said.

“But the values that shaped the firm in the Georgian era, of dedication, respect, teamwork and know-how, remain just as important today as they were nearly two centuries ago.”

The company has witnessed enormous changes in the property market over that time, trading through two world wars and the volatile peaks and troughs of the UK housing market.

Goodwood connections

Among the many stories preserved in the firm’s historic records is the fact that, between 1901 and 1914, the firm conducted the sale of horses at Goodwood. The rostrum used for these auctions was a particularly fine Sheraton piece, which folded for transport to the racecourse. When the business later moved from its East Street offices, the rostrum was presented to the Duke of Richmond, along with the auction sale books, where they remain today.

While the firm’s heritage remains central to its identity, Henry Adams has also embraced new technology to improve the service it provides to clients.

Technology and community

Modern marketing tools now include drone photography, social media, digital client dashboards allowing sellers and landlords to track progress in real time, and secure online document-signing to streamline property transactions.

Alongside its thriving business operations, the firm also maintains strong links with the local community. Henry Adams supports charities including St Wilfrid’s Hospice and Sage House Dementia Support in Chichester, and runs annual school competitions involving more than 23 schools across the region.

Reflecting on the firm’s heritage, David Adams said, “The business has always been about people, and I’d like to thank everyone who has played a part in our success over the years. We are also enormously grateful to Simon Lush, whose leadership of our rural division helped shape the modern partnership.

“Property markets change and technology advances but helping people find homes for the next stage of their lives and providing professional services to help shape new homes for future generations are things that will never go out of fashion.

“As we look ahead to the next chapter of Henry Adams, it’s incredibly rewarding to see that our partnership remains deeply rooted in the wonderful communities it has served for two centuries and counting…”

More information about Henry Adams and its range of property and auction services can be found at www.henryadams.co.uk.

Images:

1 Mr Edward Wyatt, who had this picture taken in 1865 when he was 80 years old with nearly 60 years of business behind him

2 David Adams by adverts for Wyatt & Son sales from 1902 and 1946

3 The Chichester team outside our head office and saleroom in Baffins Lane

4 Henry Adams auctioneering at Findon Sheep Fair in 1983

5 Chichester market shortly after it opened in 1871

6 Chichester cattle market

7 Penned livestock in North Street, Chichester

This link shows a brief drone video of the current Henry Adams Chichester team; drones are often used in property marketing these days, showing just how far the sector has come.