Our History
In October 1958, Purves Stewart took the bold step in creating his own firm of Chartered Accountants in Camberley. Almost immediately, Neil Doody joined as a trainee accountant and Stewart & Co. quickly grew and established a reputation in the local area for offering a quality personal service.
Since then, the firm has continued to expand and today we have five partners and over thirty members of staff serving a wide-ranging client base. The current partners have continued with the philosophy of offering a service based upon the highest possible professional standards, whilst maintaining the ethos that the relationships we have with our clients is what makes this business a success.
We will continue to be a forward-looking partnership, proud of our heritage. We will forever hold a huge debt of gratitude to the founding partners, the staff and the clients that have supported us on our journey so far.
1958
Purves Stewart starts Stewart & Co. Located at 1 High Street, Camberley.
Neil Doody joins as an Articled Clerk, qualifying in 1963 and becoming a partner in 1965.
1 Pound = US$2.90
1958
Elvis Presley is enlisted into the U.S Army and assigned to Second Medium Tank Battalion, Second Armoured Division.
1959
Buddy Holly dies in a plane crash - referred to as ‘the day the music died’.
1962
The start of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The crisis ended 2 weeks later.
1964
Stewart & Co. take over the practice of CD Clarke including all employees.
Stewart & Co. moves to Knoll House, Camberley, occupying then just half of the lower floor.
1966
England win the World Cup
1967
Christian Barnard performs first human to human heart transplant.
1968
Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.
1969
Neil Armstrong and Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin are the first men to walk on the moon as part of the Apollo 11 mission for NASA.
1971
The Pound becomes a decimalised currency where 100p = £1
1973
Value Added Tax (VAT) is introduced to the UK at a rate of 8%.
1974
The top-rate of Income Tax is increased to its highest level since the war - 83%.
1974
Harold Wilson elected to a second term in office as Prime Minister
Richard Nixon resigns as U.S President following the Watergate scandal.
1975
October ‘75 to August ‘76 saw just 43% of normal rainfall at Kew.
1977
Graham Cobb becomes a partner of Stewart & Co.
1978
Andrew Cousins joins Stewart & Co. as a trainee chartered accountant.
1979
Margaret Thatcher elected as first lady Prime Minister.
1980
The Institute of Chartered Accountants celebrates its Centenary.
1981
The Wedding of HRH Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.
1983
Andrew Cousins marries Roz Pepper - Secretary of Neil Doody.
1985
1 Pound = US$1.00
1985
Live Aid, the multi-venue rock and pop concert, is organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in aid of famine in Ethiopia. It boasted an estimated 1.5 billion viewers across 100 countries.
1987
Andrew Cousins becomes a partner of Stewart & Co.
1987
The Great Storm of ‘87. Winds gusting in excess of 100 knots cause £2 billion of damage and 23 deaths.
1988
Pan Am Flight 103 is blown up over Lockerbie killing 270 people.
1990
David Hartley joins Stewart & Co. in 1990.
1990
Neelson Mandela is released from prison after 27 years.
1991
VAT increased to 17.5%
1992
David Hartley becomes a partner.
1992
The World Wide Web is launched and by the end of the year there are 26 web servers.
1994
Phil Clennell joins Stewart & Co.
1994
Channel Tunnel officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II and François Mitterrand.
1996
Phil Clennell becomes a partner
The introduction of Self-Assessment Income Tax.
1996
Prince Charles and Princess Diana are officially divorced.
1997
Tony Blair is elected as Prime Minister.
1998
David McCusker joins Stewart & Co.
2000
The turn of the Millennium dampened by fears of havoc caused by the Millennium Bug.
Opening of the ill-fated and controversial Millennium Dome.
2001
David McCusker becomes a partner
2001
Terrorist attack the World Trade Centre.
2003
Allied forces invade Iraq. Start of the 2nd Gulf War.
Johnny Wilkinson kicks the winning drop goal to secure England’s Rugby World Cup victory.
2004
Gary Robinson joins Stewart & Co
2005
Inland Revenue and HM Customs & Excise merge to become HM Revenue & Customs
2007
Lucy Evans Joins Stewart & Co
2007
Gordon Brown succeeds Tony Blair to become Prime Minister
2010
Gary Robinson becomes a partner
Stewart & Co. take over the practice Scott Bonella including all employees.
2010
Air traffic throughout Northern and Western Europe was seriously disrupted when a volcano in Iceland began erupting, sending a volcanic ash cloud into the atmosphere
David Cameron becomes Prime Minister with Conservative victory ending 14 years of Labour power
2011
VAT increased to 20%
Charlotte Salter joins Stewart & Co
2012
Stewart & Co. take over the practice SMBB Bookkeeping including all employees.
2012
London hosts the Summer Olympics
2013
Stewart & Co. take over the practice Cook & Co including all employees.
2014
Scotland hold a referendum and vote to remain part of the United Kingdom
2015
Lucy Evans becomes a partner
2016
Stewart & Co. take over the practice Tilbury Young including all employees.
2016
The United Kingdom hold a referendum with a small majority of those voting supporting leaving the EU
Theresa May succeeds David Cameron to become Prime Minister
2018
Stewart & Co. celebrates its 60th anniversary
2019
Making Tax Digital for VAT is introduced
Boris Johnson succeeds Theresa May to become Prime Minister
2020
Global Covid Pandemic began