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Chris Huntley, Huntley Cartwright

Chris Huntley Interview

A real pillar of the Caterham community, Chartered Surveyors Huntley Cartwright have been based at their offices at Victoria House, next to the station, for over 30 years. Here we meet founding partner Chris Huntley to find out what he thinks of the town

Tell us a bit about Huntley Cartwright…

Based from our offices in Caterham, we provide quantity surveying and project management services for education, museums, commercial, residential and public realm throughout the UK. We have worked on a number of high-profile projects across London and the Home Counties – ranging from conservation work on the Palace of Westminster to high-quality residential projects on Grade I and Grade II listed properties to more contemporary schemes such as the new wharf for the Thames river taxi at Canary Wharf. In another interesting assignment, we have been working with the Greenwich Maritime Museum on the conservation project to restore Europe’s largest painting, Thornhill’s Battle of Trafalgar, so every day is different.

What made you decide to set up in Caterham?

It’s a really good location for us geographically, as it’s easy to get in and out of the town, and very accessible for London and the Home Counties. We are also right next to the station, about 50 metres away, so that’s very handy too. Finally, we also really liked the building itself, as it’s quite unusual architecturally with its curved facade and mansard roof.

Is there any advice you would have for other business owners in the town?

As a Founding Partner of Huntley Cartwright and Director of the Caterham BID, I could go on for hours about how to run a successful business, and how things might be improved, but there isn’t really space to go into that here! What I would say, however, is that I think we would all welcome an uplift to the retail sector, with a more diverse, creative and interesting offering.

Why should someone visit your business for the first time?

As members of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), we are qualified Chartered Surveyors with a wealth of experience behind us. We also provide a very strong training programme, with eight university students currently with us, all at various stages of their degree. We are slightly old-fashioned in our approach, in that we always make sure our work is absolutely sound, based on traditional principles and we offer a proactive and reliable service. We are also a friendly and happy group.

What would be your top tip for someone visiting Caterham?

There are exciting plans afoot in the town with the new Caterham Masterplan. The regeneration plans include a complete overhaul for Church Walk, with a new frontispiece for the centre, about 180 PRS flats to be built above and a number of new retail units, both within the site and fronting Station Avenue, as well as new pavements. Hopefully, this will help to give the town a real lift.

Describe your typical lunch break to us…

I always make a point of going out for lunch, as I think it’s important to get away from the desk and to catch up with colleagues, both socially and about work matters. We tend to either grab a sandwich or sometimes have a hot meal out. Usually, this tends to be at Casa Lola tapas bar, Bambino’s, the sandwich bar next to the station or the transport café around the corner.

Finally, tell us your favourite thing about the town…

My office! Seriously, though, it’s a really interesting building so, if you’re in need of a quantity surveyor, come and pay us a visit.

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