​John Sadd & Sons Limited  (1729-1994)​ 

 John Sadd & Sons Limited builders and timber merchants. The first records of a carpenter in the family were a Thomas Sadd and his son John Sadd of Chelmsford, John who owned a number of shops in the Church Lane - New Street area of Chelmsford sold up and with the profit, purchased the assets of a carpentry business in 1729 at Fullbridge from the Scott family. With each eldest son being named John and the business passing from father to son, the business continued to grow with each passing generation. In 1831 John Sadd negotiated a 21-year lease for the premises and wharf owned by the Strutt family. Shortly afterwards the family moved the business to the new site where they stayed until their demise. Obtaining a wharf and larger premise enable John Sadd to expand with the import of hard and soft words from Norway, Finland, Canada and Russia with their own fleet of ships and barges.
On the 23rd July 1889 the business became incorporated in to a limited company “John Sadd & Sons Limited”. The first managing director being John Granger Sadd with an annual salary of  £ 300.00, the board of directors was made up of Alfred Granger Sadd, John Price Sadd, Henry William Sadd and Alfred Thorn.​