About Us

Over Five Generations of Building in Oxford

Our great, great grandfather, James Ward was born in 1833. Like his father William, he became a carpenter and joiner. By 1881 he had his own business in Oxford, employing 36 men and 1 boy.

His sons, Harry (see photo) and William, took over and by 1895 Ward Bros. was formed. The business was based in Thames Street, St Ebbes, where it remained until the 1970's when much of St Ebbes was demolished. During this time, Harry's sons Hubert and Roland, followed by Roland's son Richard, continued to carry on the tradition of carpentry based building in Oxford.

Relocation & Expansion

Forced to relocate in the 1970's, Richard ran the business with his wife Jean from their home in Cumnor until they retired. During this time the business expanded and became known as Richard Ward (Oxford) Ltd. Timothy, Alison and Jonathan took over the running of the Company in 1994, moving premises to Islip Village where it remains today. The addition of   Kidlington Joinery   to the company in 1996 not only provided much needed premises, but has also enabled the commissioning of purpose made joinery for our projects - in-house.