Colin Aylott worked at Hindwoods for 52 years, and was instrumental in giving the firm and clients continuity

Posted on 23 June 2026

The property industry is not usually characterised by long careers. But when Colin Aylott retired from Hindwoods in 2017, he had worked in the property industry for 52 years starting out at White Dent & Co after he sat his A levels. Both the length of his career in one industry and the time spent in one company – White Dent & Co merged with Hindwoods in 1990 – are unusual. 

As Hindwoods celebrates 140 years in business, it is also celebrating the careers of some of the people who have contributed to its success. Colin, who chaired the firm, is one of those people. He took on and improved many of the founding principles that were put in place by Victor Hindwood, including promoting people from within and keeping the firm as a proud independent. ‘There is something special about the firm,’ says Colin. ‘I think the principles of the company have always been around looking after staff and being rewarded by those staff wanting to stay.’

A focus on people

The focus on people has shaped the culture of the business over decades. Long-serving staff and internal progression are not exceptions but remain part of how the firm operates. It is an approach that has created consistency for clients and a sense of continuity within the business itself.

His career in property might have been long, but by his own admission Colin arrived there by accident. ‘I didn’t want to be in an office; I wanted to be out and about. Being a surveyor ticked that box,’ he says. ‘The training that I had was unique. I was taught all aspects of estates management from collection rents to building and surveying.’

When he started out the working environment was very different to today’s digital-first landscape. Colin describes it as being ‘very professional’, which is shorthand for a place where there was a clear hierarchy, and you referred to colleagues as ‘Mr and Mrs’. When he arrived at White Dent & Co (which was established in 1897) he describes a strong work ethic and an adherence to old fashioned values such as the men wearing a suit and tie even in the heat of the summer.  Much of the day-to-day business of collection of rents happened in person and payments were in cash. He remembers the ledgers being ‘beautifully scripted’ and then having to tally them manually. ‘We had a bookkeeper at White Dent & Co who worked into her 90s, she could add up a column of figures always be correct.’

In 2026, 140 years after it was founded, Hindwoods still prides itself on staff who stay with the firm for many years- sometimes decades – and who choose to work beyond retirement. ‘Victor Hindwood was an incredible man,’ says Colin. ‘The same principles are still in place and that comes from the top. The way the company is run is that we are professional and we work hard, and we are fair and honest. That is the difference between Hindwoods and other companies.’

An independent business

Being an independent is also a factor. ‘It is imperative. We decide our own fate and decide what we want to be. We have had lots of approaches [from other companies to buy us] but we refused them all.’ Instead, Hindwoods has always merged or done deals with firms that similar in outlook or aspiration. ‘I started in a two-man partnership,’ explains Colin. ‘They were getting to the point of retiring and saw the chance to do business with Hindwoods. We were similar and did similar work for many years and knew each other well. There was an opportunity to do an amalgamation.’

Over the years that followed that merger, Colin was instrumental in developing the company and expanding, with offices in Blackheath, Greenwich and Dulwich. At the same time as expanding, the firm continued to work with clients it had cultivated over many years. ‘I have acted for father and then son,’ says Colin. ‘It was extraordinary.’

In 2017 Colin decided he was ready to retire and pass the baton on to the current team. Kevin Bright, Hindwoods Director, says: ‘He embodied things that we really care about at Hindwoods: people, property and having a passion for the work we do.’

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