History of the Company

Originally established in 1882, two plumbers in Leeds, Herbert Webster and Ion Dyson Decided to join together and form a company called "Webster & Dyson" (Plumbers & Sanitary Engineers) which was located at 60 Kirkgate, Leeds 2. The majority of their work was for Leeds City Council which we still work for and have done for over 100 years.

In the early 1920’s Herbert Webster and Ion Dyson went their own separate ways where Herbert Webster set upanother company called “H. Webster & Sons” located at 1 High Court, Leeds 2 and then to 15/17 High Court Lane, Leeds 2 in the early 1930’s. The company continued to carry out plumbing and heating work for Leeds City Council as well as Ind Coope Brewery, Tetley’s Brewery and also many mills and clothing factories in and around Leeds.

Herbert Webster died aged 96 in 1953 and his son Jack took over the company. In April 1958 David Charles Blackie started as an apprentice plumber when the management of the company was Jack and his daughter Dorothy Norton.

The company remained unchanged until David’s wife, Margaret started working in the office in 1980 and then in 1982 David’s son, David Andrew Blackie joined as an apprentice plumber, like his father. In 1984 Jack Webster asked David and Margaret to take over the business before retiring the next year. During this time David and Margaret, with the help of Margaret’s brother, Ronald Burwell, a joiner and cabinet maker, decided to expand the company and carry out joinery work as well as plumbing and heating. Only after another joiner started in 1986 did the company spread out further employing bricklayers, plasterers, roofers and electricians to carry out Multi-Trade work for Leeds City Council. Jack Webster died aged 92 in1991 but the company still traded as “H. Webster & Sons” many years later.

With the recent increase in work and employees the company needed extra space so in 1993 it moved premises to 107 Easy Road, Leeds 9, where it remains today. In 1996 David’s other son, Richard, joined the company after working as a Clerical Officer for Wakefield Metropolitan District Council, to be mainly based in the office as the company quickly moved forward.

Since the company was now run by the Blackie family the name changed to “DC, DA, RC & M Blackie T/A H. Webster & Sons” (Multi-Trade Building Contractors) and then soon after to “Blackie T/A H. Webster & Sons” (Property Maintenance Contractors).

On 6th October 2004 the partnership changed to a Private Limited Company where David Charles Blackie (Chairman), David Andrew Blackie (Managing Director), Richard Blackie (Company Secretary) and Margaret Blackie are all now Directors.