Map Of The 10 Oldest Companies In The UK

The map above was created by BusinessFinancing.co.uk and shows the oldest companies in each UK region.

* Note the data for Northern Ireland is wrong, reader Stephen pointed out: “The News Letter in Belfast however predates this [Derry Journal] as it was founded in 1737 and is still in operation today. (Among its many achievements, The News Letter was the first newspaper in the world to publish the American Declaration Of Independence!)”

Below you can find data for the oldest city in 58 different UK cities.

10 Oldest UK Companies

Here is a list of the 10 oldest companies in the UK:

1. Aberdeen Harbour Board

Aberdeen, Est. 1136

According to the Guinness Book of Business Records, Aberdeen Harbour is the oldest existing business in Britain. Established in 1136 by King David I of Scotland, the harbour has played an intrinsic role in the commercial success of the city that grew up around it over the past 881 years thanks to fishing, shipbuilding, textiles, and global transportation of stone.

2. Trinity House

London, Est. 1514

Incorporated by Royal Charter in 1514, Trinity House is a charity dedicated to the safety of shipping and the wellbeing of seafarers. As the General Lighthouse Authority, the Trinity has a duty to deliver reliable, efficient, and cost-effective aids to navigation service. Serving for over 500 years, it is the UK’s largest-endowed maritime charity.

3. Cambridge University Press

Cambridge, Est. 1534

The University of Cambridge is a world-renowned university, but did you know that it is also home to the oldest and second-largest university press in the world?

Cambridge University Press (CUP) was granted letters patent in 1534 by King Henry VIII. It is also the Queen’s printer, responsible for producing official documents issued by the Queen.

4. Oxford University Press

Oxford, Est. 1586

The University of Oxford’s publishing arm began in 1586, when its right to print books was recognised. Oxford University Press (OUP) remains the largest university press in the world and is the second-oldest after Cambridge University Press.

The press has printed a number of academic and educational books, including the authorised version of the King James Bible and the Oxford English Dictionary.

5. Firmin & Sons Ltd

Birmingham, Est. 1655

Firmin & Sons Ltd has been designing and manufacturing uniforms, buttons, and ceremonial accessories since 1655. The company supplied buttons to both sides in the American Civil War.

With a Royal Warrant of appointment, they currently produce the uniform of the Household Cavalry.

6. Berrow’s Worcester Journal

Worcester, Est. 1690

The Berrow’s Worcester Journal claims to be the world’s oldest newspaper. The first issue was published in 1690, and the paper continues to be published weekly. In 1990, the newspaper celebrated its tercentenary (1690–1990), and specially commissioned china was produced by Royal Worcester Porcelain to mark the historic occasion.

7. Bank of Scotland

Edinburgh, Est. 1695

The Bank of Scotland is the fifth-oldest extant bank in the United Kingdom and is recognised as one of the oldest continually operating companies in the world.

First opened in 1695, it became one of the first banks in Europe to print its own banknotes. It is the only commercial institution created by the Parliament of Scotland that still remains.

8. Kentish Gazette

Canterbury, Est. 1717

The Kentish Gazette began life as the Kentish Post back in 1717. It was the 28th regional paper to be formed in the country. After a few weeks of rivalry, the Post merged with the Gazette (founded in 1768) and chose to operate under its current name.

In 1942, the Gazette’s offices in Canterbury were destroyed by a Luftwaffe raid on the city. Despite this, the newspaper continued its circulation and claims to be the second-oldest surviving newspaper in the UK.

9. Blackhurst Swainson Goodier LLP

Lancaster, Est. 1720

Blackhurst Swainson Goodier LLP is an independent solicitor with history dating back to 1720. What began as two separate firms, Blackhurst Swainson and Oswald Goodier & Co., merged in 2005 to create the present firm.

The company has a large number of experienced lawyers specialising in conveyancing, personal injury, family law, and commercial work.

10. P&G Wells

Winchester, Est. 1834

The origins of bookselling and binding on the south side of College Street can be traced back to 1729. In 1834, Joseph Wells began as an apprentice to the previous bookshop owner.

Three generations of the Wells family ran the shop until 1982. A new partnership began in 1983 but continued trading under the name of P&G Wells. It is the oldest bookshop in the country and the oldest shop in the city of Winchester.

Here’s the full list for 58 different UK cities:

There’s no secret formula that determines whether or not a business will be successful. But when it comes to the oldest continually operating businesses in the UK, it’s no surprise to see both world-renowned businesses and common household names make it on the list.

From the printing and publishing arms of two of the world’s most famous universities, Cambridge University Press (1534) and Oxford University Press (1586), to one of the oldest banks in the country, The Bank of Scotland (1695).

Not forgetting childhood-favourite confectioner Rowntree’s (1862) and the experts in all things health, beauty and top-tier meal-deals — Boots (1849).

City	Region	Year Founded	Oldest Company	Sector
Aberdeen	Scotland	1136	Aberdeen Harbour Board	Harbouring
London	London	1514	Trinity House	Corporation and registered charity
Cambridge	East	1534	Cambridge University Press	Publishing
Oxford	South East	1586	Oxford University Press	Publishing
Birmingham	West Midlands	1655	Firmin & Sons Ltd	Manufacturing
Worcester	West Midlands	1690	Berrow's Worcester Journal	Publishing
Edinburgh	Scotland	1695	Bank of Scotland	Banking
Canterbury	South East, England	1717	Kentish Post	Newspaper
Lancaster	North West	1720	Blackhurst Swainson Goodier LLP	Solicitors
Winchester	South East	1729	P&G Wells	Retail (books)
Coventry	West Midlands	1730	Astleys	Commercial & Industrial
Derby	East Midlands	1734	Bennett's Department Store	Retail
Exeter	South West	1750	Besley & Copp	Printing services
Gloucester	South West	1758	WSP Solicitors	Solicitors
Sheffield	Yorkshire and the Humber	1760	William Whiteley & Sons	Manufacturing
Derry	Northern Ireland	1772	Derry Journal (newspaper)	Publishing
Portsmouth	South East	1783	T Coleborn & Son	Building services
Bristol	South West	1793	Averys Wine Merchants	Wine merchant
Plymouth	South West	1793	Plymouth Gin Distillery	Distillery
Stirling	Scotland	1794	D & J MacEwen Ltd	Property and investments
Chichester	South East, England	1798	The Fountain	Inn
Liverpool	North West	1798	Boodles	Retail (luxury goods and jewellery)
Preston	North West	1800	Napthens Solicitors	Solicitors
Southampton	South East	1803	W.J French & Son	Shoe makers
Inverness	Scotland	1817	The Inverness Courier	Newspaper
Salisbury	South West	1817	W Carter & Son	Jewellers
Perth	Scotland	1831	James Banks & Sons	Retail
Carlisle	North West	1831	Carr's	Food
Wolverhampton	West Midlands, England	1834	Marston's plc	Brewery
Hereford	West Midlands	1836	Pritchard's	Tailors
Salford	North West, England	1839	W. H. Bailey and Co	Manufacturing
Glasgow	Scotland	1840	Laings of Glasgow	Jewellers
Nottingham	East Midlands	1849	Boots	Retail
Lincoln	East Midlands, England	1857	Ruston & Hornsby	Manufacturing
Sunderland	North East	1860	Reynolds’ Outdoor Centre	Retail
Durham	North East	1861	Harrison & Harrison	Manufacturing
York	Yorkshire and the Humber	1862	Rowntree's	Confectionery
Kingston upon Hull	Yorkshire and the Humber	1863	B. Cooke & Son Ltd	Manufacturing?
Leeds	Yorkshire and the Humber	1867	Britannia Turnbulls of Leeds	Removals company
Newport	Wales	1869	Monmouthshire Building Society	Financial services
Peterborough	East	1872	Sharman & Company	Printing services
Leicester	East Midlands	1874	Leicester Mercury	Publishing
Belfast	Northern Ireland	1878 1737	Ulster Arcade (Brands') Limited News Letter	Financial services Newspaper
Wakefield	Yorkshire and the Humber	1878	Esseco UK	Manufacturer of chemicals
Bradford	Yorkshire and the Humber	1880	Leeds, York And North Yorkshire Chamber Of Commerce And Industry	Business support
Manchester	North West	1881	F. Duerr & Sons	Food
Newcastle upon Tyne	North East	1882	Fenwick	Retail
Stoke-on-Trent	West Midlands	1883	Goodwin Steel Castings Ltd	Engineering
Brighton & Hove	South East, England	1884	Brighton & Hove Bus Company	Transport
Cardiff	Wales	1884	The Rumney Pottery	Potters
Dundee	Scotland	1888	Alliance Trust	Financial services
Norwich	East	1901	Mundesley Golf Club Limited	Operation of sports facilities
Chelmsford	East, England	1904	Woodcote Grove Estate Limited	Real estate
Bath	South West	1904	Bath Building Society	Financial services
Chester	North West	1908	Bellis Brothers Farm Shop & Garden Center	Retail (farm shop)
Swansea	Wales	1919	Neath Garage, Transport And Haulage Company	Real estate?
St Albans	East	1923	Carpenter's Nursery & Farm Shop	Farm shop
Lichfield	West Midlands	1935	The Tudor of Lichfield	Coffee shop

How did they gather the data?

We used sources such as Companies House, city location guides, local authorities, historical societies, and chambers of commerce to find the oldest companies in each city. In cases where a business was bought out, we included said business if there was a reasonable degree of continuity. For merged businesses, we used the date of the oldest business.

Any data which lacked a reasonable degree of certainty was excluded from the final article. If you believe that your city has an older business, we’d love to hear from you.

Also see: Map Of The Oldest Company in Every Country