Peggy A Plato & John James Plato
Founders & Directors
John James Plato (aka) “Jim” was born 13 June 1921 and died 5 Jan 2012 age 90.
He was by his own admission, “self-made”, having left school at thirteen he became an accomplished carpenter at an early age and at the outbreak of WW2 joined the RAF where he became a ground engineer working on a variety of aircraft. He was stationed at a number of different bases around the UK as far afield as Lossiemouth Scotland and Uxbridge in Middx.
His parents (Charles Henry & Clara Matilda) were publicans originally from East Ham London and ironically later owned a pub in Uxbridge (The Pipemakers Arms) but both died during the war aged 50 & 54 respectively. Consequently, at the end of the war, Jim returned to Uxbridge but with no surviving parents had to create his own livelihood and so established a small engineering busines in Uxbridge called Plato Engineering with one of his younger brothers Reg. This business partnership was dissolved shortly before Jim met his future wife, Peggy in a local pub managed by Peggy’s sister.
They married in 1951 by which time they had created their own launderette business nearby, initially living above the shop before Jim sought to establish a new business from which Plato Estates would eventually emerge.
This business was called Uxbridge Service Station and was founded by Jim & Peggy Plato in circa 1958 when they developed their first motor dealership with petrol station in Uxbridge, Middx. Jim acquired the leasehold interest of a site at the corner of what later became Uxbridge Industrial Estate from the Ecclesiastical Society or Church Commissioners and in a few years later acquired the freehold interest of the site that he slowly set about creating the family motor trade business on.
This dealership initially represented Standard Triumph and Austin Morris and later Peugeot, it was also subsequently a high volume petrol site. Following further redevelopment in the mid 1970's, Vauxhall, Opel and Bedford light vans became the franchises.
Jim described himself as a “jack of all trades” and physically built most of the garage himself including the workshop that was created by purchasing a former WW2 aircraft hangar and relocating it on the site in Uxbridge.
Peggy was the Company Secretary as well as a co-director and oversaw the administration of the business. They made a formidable team.
Peggy Amelia Plato was born on 29 May 1924 and died on 5 August 2011 aged 87.
Originally from Twickenham, she left school during the War and worked in Local Government administration and later was an ARP Warden.
She devoted herself to building a business alongside her husband, initially doing most of the laundry in their joint launderette for Jim to deliver or collect the cleaning from clients in the evenings before then undertaking a lot of the construction work on his new garage in the evenings while Peggy kept the books.
As the dealership developed, Peggy oversaw the accounts and administration of the business as well as serving as PA/Secretary to Jim. She was also actively involved in the management of subsequent operations such as Essential Auto Accessories Ltd & Plato Petroleum Ltd also found by her and Jim which resulted in the acquisition of a substantial 4 acre property near Tring in Hertfordshire that was developed together with their son, into another large car dealership & petrol station..
Between 1977 and 1983, the principal business activity was operating these two franchised dealerships and the separate fuel retail and wholesale operation (Plato Petroleum Ltd). This company supplied approximately 30 independent filling stations and heating oil to a considerable number of industrial and commercial consumers. In 1987 the fuel wholesale business was sold to a division of Petrofina by Phillip.
They both “retired” around 1985 from active daily participation in the business as their only son Phillip assumed control but they retained non-executive directorships and interest in the business until 2007.
Their efforts created Plato Estates Ltd.
