FJL's Autobiography - By Stuart Luxton
The history of the company is some what clouded in the mists of time but my understanding of the roots are as follows. William Luxton was involved in many different trades, his credentials cover a Journeyman Mason to a Publican. Ive been told that a Journeyman is the old word for a qualified apprentice so I assume that the company began with William. Now for the Publican bit - I found a photo in the local pub called the Lamb & Flag of the pub back in William's day. The sign hanging outside makes reference to the Luxton's Lamb & Flag so whether the family had something to do with the pub who knows, but being such a small town I am pretty sure that a few ciders were consumed by him and fellow workers here! Right up to this day the Lamb & Flag has been a meeting place for the Luxton family on many social events, although cider isnt any longer top of the hit parade.
References to our company start around 1855 and it is my belief that the firm became well established around the time of the Great Ottery Fire.
Many people find it odd that we are Funeral Directors as well as Builders but if you go across the borders to Wales you will find many such companies. However if you think about it, it makes sense that the carpenters were available to make coffins and this continued until the late 1980's. Times have changed now though and although coffins are still made in wood, a hand crafted coffin is very costly compared to a factory produced equivalent.
Moving on, Frederick John Luxton established the company as we know it today but obviously without all the new technology we have now! Fred had many sons and daughters as can be referenced to our family tree. One daughter married a Skinner and this is the roots of Skinners of Sidmouth. The two building companies worked as one to build Trow Hall before going their separate ways.
In the 1940's the company split once again with Walter's brother, Fred going off to build massive estates in Poole, Dorset. I was in Poole some time ago and was really surprised to see a manhole cover with the inscription F.J. Luxton & Son, Ottery St Mary inscribed on it! This particular branch of Luxton's disappeared after Fred's death but the Ottery and Sidmouth branches continued to florish.
During the war Fred Wood ran both companies (Skinners and Luxtons) until our lads returned. After the war, Frank Luxton (my father) came back to work in Ottery and the company grew in size taking on many developments including a good part of West Hill and Ottery St Mary and also many individual properties and sites such as Eastfield and Eymore.
Michael (my older brother) took over the good work after my father died in 1975 and continued to hold the reins until he retired due to ill health in 1996. The firm is continuing to do well although most of our work is in and around Ottery but we have just completed some work in Exeter and as far as Dartmoor on some quality properties.
The future.... well that is to be written yet, however if you live in properties built by us or employ this company to do work for you, we would always like to think that quality is remembered long after price is forgotten.
