McDowalls Surveyors Ltd was founded in 1880 by George A McDowall who, at the time, was a poor rate collector for West Ham Council. In 1920 Myles Francis joined and the practice expanded considerably under the name of McDowall & Francis to encompass development, valuations, compulsory purchase, sales, and auctions. In 1973 Douglas Stratford joined and the company continued to expand its core range of business activities.
