John Cathles Hill

At the age of 21 he moved to London, where a relative, George Cathles Porter, was working as a speculative builder in Hornsey.

He focussed on suburban communities for the middle classes complete with houses, shops and pubs.

When his businesses ran into trouble, these five were taken over by his cousin William Cathles and some survived till the middle of the Twentieth century.

In 1910 Hill founded a national association of brick manufacturers to try to tackle the trade's endemic competition which had been threatening its ruin.

[7] Hill told the bankruptcy court that his failure had been brought about by the Finance Act, 1909, which had entirely destroyed the value the equities his mortgages.

He was a local councillor in Fletton[7] and served on the London County Council as member for Islington North from 1909 to 1912,[9] when he resigned.

[13] Four years later, success enabled a further move to a pseudo-gothic mansion called Southwood Hall at the junction of Muswell Hill Road and Wood Lane in Highgate.

He died of a heart attack on 5 April 1915 at 20 Ventnor Villas, Hove, while on a visit to the resort.