About Us

W C Matthews & Son Ltd is a family owned, independent building company and is one of the oldest surviving family businesses in the area as the firm was established in 1880 and has been family run ever since.

Mike Matthews, great grandson of the founder William Christopher Matthews, took over in 1973 having served his apprenticeship and worked in the business from the age of 15. His son Chris joined him as a young apprentice in 1997 so this is now the fifth generation of the family working in the business. Mike and Chris now work together as fully qualified tradesmen, highly experienced in quality construction and totally committed to serving the community in which they live and work.

Over the years the workforce has fluctuated from time to time according to world and economic events including two World Wars and the Great Depression but has stabilised in recent years to around 12 - 15 people including electricians and plumbers. All have been with the firm for a number of years and are loyal and hardworking members of the team.

Mike's wife Muriel has run the administrative side of things alongside him, again since 1973 and in November 2010 was joined in the office by Alison who is a great asset to the team.

Under the W C Matthews & Son umbrella we are also Funeral Directors which may seem an unusual combination but dates back to when our carpenters made the coffins as was often the case in a rural area. We are now one of only a handful of companies in the country that retain this traditional link between the two businesses.