John Miles (businessman)
John Miles | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1816-03-16 Blackfriars, London, England |
| Died | 1886-05-05 |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, landowner |
| Known for | Master of the Stationers Company; director of the New River Company; landholder in Friern Barnet and Whetstone |
John Miles (16 March 1816 – 5 May 1886) was a prominent English entrepreneur, who held the position of master at the Stationers Company and was a director of the New River Company. As a significant landholder in Friern Barnet and Whetstone, north London, during the late 1800s, he contributed substantially to the area's growth.
Early life and family
Miles was born on 16 March 1816 at 16 Bridge Street in Blackfriars. He married Sophia, and together they had children named Sophia, Charles, and Henry while residing in Chessington, Surrey. Subsequently, the family relocated to Hampstead and then Friern Barnet, where two more daughters, Eliza and Amy, were born.
Career
Starting his professional journey in 1829 with Simkin and Marshall, a bookselling firm, Miles eventually became a partner. He took on leadership roles as master of the Stationers Company and director of the New River Company, positions that brought him substantial financial success.
In 1851, he acquired Manor House Farm, a 29-acre property situated west of Friern Barnet Lane, for £6,000. He undertook the reconstruction of the farmhouse—potentially collaborating with architects Edward and William Habershon—and renamed it Manor House. Today, this building functions as the clubhouse for North Middlesex Golf Club. His landholdings also extended northward into Whetstone and Oakleigh Park North.
Philanthropy
Miles was a benefactor to charities associated with the book industry and engaged the Habershon architects to enlarge St James the Great church as well as design St James's School on Friern Barnet Lane. He gifted land and funded the establishment of All Saints' Church (constructed between 1881 and 1882), along with its parish hall and a vicarage located in Myddleton Park, to support the expanding community of Oakleigh Park. He fulfilled duties as churchwarden at both churches; his son Henry served as vicar at All Saints'.
Death and legacy
John Miles passed away on 5 May 1886. Following Sophia's death in 1902, their estate lands were gradually sold off for development purposes. In 1905, land situated west of Blackett's Brook, near Manor House Farm, was purchased by the Wilderness Golf Club with help from Ernest Lazarus. This territory, including what was once Manor House Farm estate, eventually became home to North Middlesex Golf Club.