HISTORY OF THE FIRM

Charles H. Burrows, a former pupil of the Royal High School in Edinburgh, received his training with the firm of James Fleming Robertson and qualified as a CA on 8th November 1927.

His employers thought highly enough of him to present him with a fine clock to mark his setting up his own accountancy practice on 11 May 1928. (The clock is still displayed in Burrows’ offices today.)

Initially he shared a one-room office with a young solicitor in Picardy Place, Edinburgh.

They were so tight for space that if one was seeing a client, the other would have to go out for a walk. The friendship was long and lasting, however, and the two businesses maintained strong connections for many years.

Outgoing and enthusiastic, Charles steadily built up his client base. By 1931, he was ready to take on an apprentice, John Wilson, who went on to become his first Partner in 1938. (John’s son, Derek, followed in his father’s footsteps and was Senior Partner until his retiral on 31 March 2010.)

As the firm grew, Charles Burrows moved into larger offices close by at 67 York Place where they remained until 1965 when a number of factors, not least their continued growth, prompted a move to the current premises in Palmerston Place.

Charles Burrows remained senior partner of the firm until his death in 1957. The family connection wass maintained through his widow Sybil, a remarkable lady in her own right, who died in 2008, a year after celebrating her 100th birthday.

Throughout its long and distinguished history, Charles Burrows & Co has engendered a tangible sense of continuity and loyalty, as is clear from the number of clients who have remained with the firm from its earliest days.