Chris Berry visits Jimmy Charleton at Edmondsley, County Durham

I’ve just built the business up as I’ve gone along. There’s never been any grand plan, that’s just the way I do it. Jimmy Charleton is as matter-of-fact about his business as anyone and has now been in the trade for 39 years, having started out when he was 17 - but he actually started even before that.

He tells me, “I used to work on farms with my dad. He’s a very clever man. He could do fencing and drystone walling and I used to go with him from being about 8 years old.” It proved a great grounding and Charleton Fencing is now one of the best known names in the north east and particularly in the Chester le Street area.
Recently Jimmy moved his business up the fell to Mount Pleasant Farm, Edmondsley looking down on Chester le Street, as well as Newcastle, Gateshead, Durham. Lumley Castle and one of the North East’s most famous landmarks, Pencher Monument. He started trading as Charleton Fencing when he was 19 after having previously worked as a sub contractor for a forestry company that the Duke of Westminster once owned.

“I just thought I could get one or two contracts of my own, making sure I didn’t stand on the toes of the person I had worked for, and I managed to get various contracts and went from there. Manual work was always my thing and I stayed ‘on the tools’ until I was about 35.” Jimmy finally came off them as the business grew and grew, spending more time in the office.

“I do miss being on the tools, so I keep my hand in by going on them every now and again, but I’ve never had a partner in business because I don’t believe in them. You can’t work all day and then work in the office until 10 at night, so I had to come off the tools. What I do believe in though is running a tight ship.”

Today Jimmy’s trade covers a number of main areas. He handles large contract work for various councils, as well as a number of private companies. He also sells direct to the public and undertakes private contract work.

“Our name is well-known and we put our badge on every fence we erect. We handle council contracts worth anywhere from £400 to £250,000 and I attend meetings to make sure we are giving people what they want. Because we are generally so busy most private customers who ask us to undertake work for them will wait 2 or 3 months for us to do it because they know that when they do they will get a good job.”

Charleton Fencing supplies direct to the public as well: “We also get a number of people buying timber from us to erect fencing and decking themselves,” says Jimmy who currently employs around 25 staff.

He remains loyal to his main suppliers BSW in Carlisle for timber, Procters in Leeds for concrete posts and McArthurs in Newcastle who supply a great deal of products for fencing. “We’ve been loyal to each other and that’s important in this business.” Jimmy has special words for two people who play both a present and hopefully future part in his company: “I have to mention Pamela (Timms). She’s my secretary and has been for the past eight years. She started here as a junior and is a fantastic part of today’s operation. Also there’s Joseph, my son. He’s only 12 but already knows a great deal about what’s involved here.”

Jimmy’s other interests include rugby, he’s a lifelong rugby fan and was wearing a Newcastle Falcons shirt when I visited, and his 56 acres he now owns at Mount Pleasant Farm. “I might do a bit of farming next year,” he says. One thing he won’t be short of is boundary fencing!

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