We recently marked our 130th anniversary here at Randall & Payne. Founded in Stroud in1879 – the same year that Einstein was born and Thomas Edison invented the light bulb – our history spans two World Wars, five recessions and countless social and technological advances.

As our founding partners John Randall and George Payne worked by candlelight late last century they can’t have imagined that their names and their venture would live on into the new millennium. From humble beginnings, Randall & Payne would go on to become one of the county’s largest independent accounting firms.

In 1879, Randall & Payne took on the running of the Stroud Building Society – an association that would last more than 125 years until the retirement of Richard Payne, George’s great grandson, as chief executive in 1992. In the early days of the Stroud Building Society Messrs. Randall & Payne would collect mortgage payments outside their offices at 5 Rowcroft.

In 1930, a young Laurie Lee joined Randall & Payne two weeks before his sixteenth birthday. Lee was already an aspiring writer thirsting for knowledge and he soon realised that he wasn’t cut out for the accounting profession.      

In “As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning”, Lee describes his resignation from Randall & Payne in 1934 and his subsequent journey on foot to London: carrying only a small tent; a violin wrapped in a blanket; a change of clothes; a tin of treacle biscuits and some cheese! Randall & Payne’s former office junior would go on to become an internationally acclaimed author.

Randall & Payne grew steadily over the years and by 1965 we needed bigger premises. Rodborough Court was built in 1888 for local mill owner Sir Alfred Apperly but in 1965, with no potential buyer, the historic building was at risk of demolition. We stepped in to save Rodborough Court which would become a Grade II listed building in 1974 – it remains our head office today.  

Today, Randall & Payne is a six partner practice with offices in Stroud, Cheltenham and Gloucester. Mike Anthony, our managing partner, attributes Randall & Payne’s longevity to a few key factors;

“Succession is probably the most important factor,” says Mike Anthony. “We always plan for the next generation, making sure that somebody is ready to take the reigns when a partner retires.”

“We’re constantly developing our services to suit the times – we don’t stand still and we make sure that we know what’s around the corner.”

“We also have close personal relationships with our clients. We maintain constant communication - delivering the right advice at the right time to help them achieve their goals.”