Published in the Evening Telegraph on Tuesday 4 October 2011 15:51

IT was April 1941, the world was at war, Peterborough’s population hadn’t yet reached 50,000 and the invention of calculators was still two decades away.

Accountant Denis Rawlinson paid £800 to purchase a branch office from Larking, Larking and Whiting, based in Long Causeway Chambers. That first year he earned £1,169 in fees and paid average weekly wages of about £3.

Seventy years later, Rawlinsons is one of the leading accountants in the Greater Peterborough area. Seven partners, two associates and 53 members of staff work out of offices in Lincoln Road and the development of the firm is far beyond anything Denis could have imagined.

Yet there are constants in the Rawlinsons history, namely a small band of clients, representing some of the best-known names in Peterborough, that have remained loyal since day one.

“We have enjoyed some very long, mutually advantageous relationships,” said senior partner Chris Collier. “We like to think that’s testament to our attention to customer relationships and professional service.”

That ethos was begun by Denis Rawlinson and has continued over seven decades.


Peterborough has changed dramatically in the intervening years, but Rawlinsons has retained a strong foothold in the business sector, expanding and diversifying to meet the changing requirements of its growing client base.


“We don’t work for clients, we work with clients,” said partner Ken Craig. “In Denis Rawlinson’s day accountants balanced the books. Now, in many cases, we are the financial arm of our clients’ companies, undertaking everything from the preparation of financial strategies right through to the bookkeeping and payroll.”

Over the years, Rawlinsons has merged with other firms, the latest being the Peterborough office of Thomas May & Co in 2006.

“These landmarks have helped the firm become what it is today,” said Ken. “They have allowed Rawlinsons to strengthen its team and inject fresh ideas.”



The firm organises regular seminars and conferences, many targeted at specific business sectors. It is involved with business support and sponsorships and has a long-standing trainee scheme, taking on post A-level pupils and seeing them through to qualification and beyond.

The future is also in evidence through the firm’s commitment to new technology and forms of communication. An enhanced website has been launched this year and linked to a new format e-newsletter for clients and contacts.

But the personal touch that has helped the firm to the privileged position it occupies has not been forgotten.

Just recently, the firm has engaged in a training programme to remind staff, in the era of digital communication, of the importance of retaining the personal touch.

“The value of a face-to-face meeting, or a phone call, can never be over estimated,” said Ken. “Denis Rawlinson used to hand deliver sets of accounts typed on heavyweight cream parchment, tied with a ribbon. I’m not sure our clients expect that nowadays but that personal service is one we still fervently believe and invest in. It is that which we believe will carry us through our next 70 years.”