A FOUNDER of a prominent local property business who left an indelible mark on Dorset has died.

Chris Nettleship will be remembered professionally as a Chartered Surveyor who co-founded the company Nettleship Sawyer, which has helped scores of Dorset companies thrive while maintaining the county’s heritage.

However, to a lucky few, he will be remembered as a loving husband, father and grandparent.

Christopher Michael Nettleship was born on September 10 1944 to Ralph and Susie Nettleship. He grew up in Halifax and went to Crossley and Porter School for Boys.

Bournemouth Echo: A young Chris Nettleship in the late 1950sA young Chris Nettleship in the late 1950s

His father Ralph worked for car firm British Leyland, while mother Susie worked for the family firm, William Greenwood & Son – a business making shade cards in Halifax.

After leaving school in 1961, Chris’ father told him to train as a valuer and auctioneer and paid a local firm £300 to take his son on and teach him the ropes.

Six years later, Chris decided it was time to leave Yorkshire behind and see the world. He and fellow student John Wilson boarded the Empress of England at Liverpool and sailed across the Atlantic to Canada. After arriving in April 1967, the pair found jobs at first as gardeners until they were recruited to the International Nickel Company in Manitoba.

Chris was given seven days a week shifts in a nickel refinery, a job he did without a day off for five long months. The friends then decided to save up and buy a car to tour North America, resulting in the purchase of a rusty 1962 VW Beetle.

Settling in Toronto, Chris met his first wife Becky at an insurance firm he had a job at as an underwriter. They lived happily in Toronto for two years but in 1969, after a holiday to the UK, Chris realised how much he missed home. His father had been unwell and Chris had promised he would return to England to complete Chartered Surveyors studies.

He then enrolled at Shirecliffe College in Sheffield to resit his final year exams. For Becky, this was hard and in 1973, the pair decided to separate.

Back in England, Chris was working for Calderdale Council. In 1975, he met a mother of two named Anita at a nightclub in Yorkshire. By the summer of 1976, Chris, Anita and her children Nikki and Vikki became a family.

Bournemouth Echo: Chris Nettleship and his wife of 44 years, AnitaChris Nettleship and his wife of 44 years, Anita

After their son, Patrick, was born in 1980 the family lived for a time in Perth, Scotland – where their youngest son, Tom, was born in 1983. They finally made their way to Bournemouth in 1985, where Chris would later become a prominent member of the community.

He began working for property consultant Alder King and it was here he met Agnes Sawyer. The pair went on to establish their own Chartered Surveyors company in 1992 named Nettleship Sawyer.

A joint statement from Agnes and the current Nettleship Sawyer management said: “Chris was instrumental in a number of major commercial developments and prestigious investment deals throughout the area, but some of the more unusual (and challenging) properties seemed to give him the most satisfaction.

“For example, the sale of the 19th century Durlston Castle on Swanage clifftop, the very quirky Arne Toy Museum near Wareham, Wallisdown Methodist Church, and Middlemarch Saw Mill, deep in the countryside towards Yeovil.

“On occasions, colleagues were heard to say ‘he’ll never get rid of that,’ but Chris’s mix of tenacity, imagination and sheer optimism more often than not proved them wrong.”

Bournemouth Echo: Chris Nettleship at daughter Nikki's wedding (L) and daughter Vikki's graduation (R)Chris Nettleship at daughter Nikki's wedding (L) and daughter Vikki's graduation (R)

Through his work, Dorset has many hidden reminders of his influence and a number of large commercial developments and investments were created on his watch.

Another former colleague said: “He was a lovely man, a pleasure to deal with and an integral part of the business community in the area.”

Shortly after founding the company, the Nettleship family settled in Corfe Mullen. Almost 20 years later in 2010, Chris retired from Nettleship Sawyer – giving him the opportunity to spend more time doing things he loved.

Friends and family recall his passions for squash, golf, live music, fast cars, good red wines (as a member of Ferndown Wine Society) and most of all – travel. Chris and Anita took the decision to move to New Zealand, where at the time both Nikki and Vikki lived with their families, and settled in Auckland before returning to England in 2019.

An avid squash player, he played at The Haymoor club in Canford Heath for several years.

Chris's inspiring character can be found in the careers his four children have embarked on. Daughter Vikki is a valuation surveyor, while Nikki is an architect. Patrick's career in digital marketing can be traced to the business knowhow and hardworking traits Chris instilled, while his youngest Tom runs the successful Young Music Makers Saturday music school in north London, and is a film score composer alongside his partner Daisy.

Bournemouth Echo: Chris Nettleship and his wife of 44 years, AnitaChris Nettleship and his wife of 44 years, Anita

Chris died on Monday January 3, 2022. He was 77 years old.

He is survived by his loving wife of 44 years, Anita Nettleship, his two daughters Nikki and Vikki, his sons Patrick and Tom, as well as four grandchildren.

His funeral will be held on Friday, January 28, at Harbour View Burial Ground in Lytchett Minster.

Have you recently lost a loved one? Email andrew.goldman@newsquest.co.uk if you want to celebrate their life with the community.