A family owned company established in 1810, Hoare Banks Stonemasons started life providing building and stone masonry works in the London area. In 1894, William Alford Hoare made the decision to move the company to the south coast of Dorset – a move that proved a prudent decision.
With stonemasonry becoming the focus, high-profile work was soon secured including the War memorial in Bournemouth Gardens, the Convent of the Cross school and Corpus Christi Church. By the time William’s two sons, William Jr. and Reginald, joined the business it was very well established within the area.
After Serving in World War Two, Reginald’s sons, Eric and Raymond, continued the tradition as they began to learn their craft and joined the family business. Alongside his father and uncle, Raymond developed his skills in lettering and design, winning several national awards.
In the 1950’s, Eric Hoare moved to the well-established Hampshire based company – David Banks, in the New Forest – a company which had enjoyed the patronage of H.R.H., Queen Victoria. Throughout the 1950’s and into the 1960’s, Eric built an enviable reputation reflecting the Hoare family tradition for quality and craftsmanship.
In 1964 Eric and Raymond reunited their skills when a partnership between the two companies was formed, with each business maintaining its individual identity: W. A. Hoare working out of Bournemouth, Dorset, and David banks based in Southampton and the New Forest, Hampshire.
In the 1990s the two companies merged and began trading under the name Hoare Banks Stonemasons.
Having been passed down through six generations, the business is currently managed by Steve, Marcus and Donna Hoare. With each generation came improvements in equipment, skills and processes. Today the latest computer aided machinery is at work alongside the traditional skills and craftsmanship that have always been at the heart of the business.
Steve, Marcus and Donna are committed to maintaining the reputation, history and values of Hoare Banks, always striving to provide a first class service to their customers across the UK.
