Frank Pullen
Francis Henry Pullen was an English businessperson and racehorse owner.
Early life
He was born, the youngest of four children, as Francis Henry Pullen to Arthur James and Alice Pullen at Catford, south London. His father died while serving with the Royal Marines during World War I and Alice Pullen had to support her children during the Depression. Young Pullen found work feeding the local workhorses, earning a shilling a week, showing early entrepreneurial flair and sparking his love of horses. Pullens first job was a cook and he later became a hotel chefWar years
Pullen enlisted in the British Army at the start of World War II and was one of the survivors of D-Day, landing at Gold Beach. Later during the conflict he helped liberate the Belgian town of Lessines. The grateful town gave him the freedom of the city and he later named three of his homes in honour of this town.Pullen Shops
After he was demobilised from the army in 1948, Pullen, along with his brothers Arthur and Albert, opened a series of general hardware shops, selling a wide range of products. These included his own brand of bleach "Pulbro", "Aladdin Pink" paraffin, wallpapers and paints, DIY and home appliances, cutlery and crockery, dustbins. He also held the concession to sell ice-creams at Lewisham Theatre on Catford Broadway. Pullen also specialised in the supply and fitment of his own brand of fireplaces. Branches covered south London, the first of these being on Catford Broadway. Pullen also owned and rented out many lock-up garages. Pullen became a millionaire and he enjoyed his wealth, and by July 1965 had bought his first new Rolls-Royce - Silver Cloud III Coupe from James Young, a luxury coachbuilder located in Bromley.Pullen Estates
Pullen started a business as a builder in a war-torn South London and became a member of the National House Building Council. Pullen became one of South London's leading property developers, and incorporated his business in 1962, using the slogan "We Build To Please". Pullen specialised at first in renovating houses, before concentrating on new builds; his first being "Karen Court", Blyth Road, Bromley, a block of three maisonettes. Other early examples of Pullen's can be seen with the bungalows of Clarence Road, Croydon. Pullen began the process of buying up old Victorian houses in south London, demolishing them and building blocks of flats, such as Tina Court, Knollys Road, Streatham and at Ravensbourne Park Crescent, Catford, along with Colin Court.Pullen moved on to housing estates, building over one hundred major developments. At Iona Close in Catford stands a type of Pullen's apartments that were purpose-built for Lewisham Council. In his later buildings, Pullen often employed the services of the architect and Le Corbusier admirer Joyce Lowman. Pullen gained a reputation as a builder of innovative houses and luxury apartments, and examples of these buildings can be found at Florida Court in Bromley, with three blocks in a low-density, five-acre landscaped plot. At Beulah Hill Pullen built Tropicana, a groundbreaking block of flats to Lowmans design, climbing up Spurgeon Road with balconies having a grand view over southwest London. Seychelle Court and Montreux Court in Beckenham continued his theme of building courts with exotic names. Pullen also built the Parklands apartments, Parkwood court, Ingleside Close, Highgrove Court and Gatcombe Court again in Beckenham, the last three being the innovative "catslide" roof design, again by Joyce Lowman.
Pullen developed extensively down Wells Park road, Sydenham and with Chevening Court built the whole of Brasted Close in Orpington, Kent. This is one of Pullen's last estates, reviving his old practice of naming his structures after Royal Houses. Pullen was a frequent visitor to Kenya where he created a racing complex in Nairobi and embarked on an ambitious project there to build a township including schools and hospitals. Pullen went on to form Bromley Industrial Consultants, based in Pall Mall, London, with the purpose of helping developing nations