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Harry Hyams

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Harry John Hyams (2 January 1928 – 19 December 2015) was a British millionaire who made his money as a speculative property (real estate) developer. He was best known as the developer of the Centre Point office building in London. He was considered to be reclusive, and was the long-term owner and resident of Ramsbury Manor, near Marlborough, Wiltshire.

In 2008, a raid at Ramsbury Manor by the Johnson Gang was described as the biggest ever private burglary in England.[1]

Ramsbury Manor, Ramsbury
Centre Point, London

Early life

Hyams was born in Hendon, Middlesex. His father was an importer and after private schooling he joined an advertising agency, then joined an estate agency and switched to property development.[2]

Career

Hyams made much of his fortune developing office space in London at a time in the 1960s and 1970s when rents there were rising significantly. He preferred to find single, blue-chip tenants for his properties, having them fully repair and insure the buildings they occupied, as is common with commercial property in the UK. This approach enabled Hyams to manage a valuable and sizable property business with a staff of just six. It was also used by Hyams as justification for keeping his Centre Point development empty for years after completion – he claimed he could find no tenant willing to lease all 202,000 sq ft (18,800 m2) of space.[3]

Praise and controversy

Hyams met with both praise and controversy for his approach. Property developer Sir Stuart Lipton called him “the first man to recognise the importance of skilled planning and development”. But Hyams and his building Centre Point became a focus for protest against what some saw as the greed of profit-driven developers.

Private life

In 1954 he married his wife Kay in Chelsea.[4] She died 1 February 2011, aged 91.[5] On 19 December 2015, Hyams died at the age of 87.[6]

References

  1. ^ "Five jailed for biggest burglary". 6 August 2008. Retrieved 6 August 2008.
  2. ^ Harry Hyams Obituary, theguardian.com; retrieved 20 December 2015.
  3. ^ "Harry's Sore Point". Time.com. 24 July 1972. Retrieved 6 August 2008.
  4. ^ Tanz, Meryl. "HYAMS Kathleen Therese (KAY): Memorial". Nwnannouncements.co.uk. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  5. ^ "Kathleen Hyams obituary". Gazetteandherald.co.uk. 1 February 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  6. ^ Notice of death of Harry Hyams, telegraph.co.uk; accessed 20 December 2015.
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