Our History and Heritage
Churchill Living is a British company, independently owned by the McCarthy family. Family values are embedded throughout the business, which means passion, pride and quality underpin everything we do, just as they have from the very beginning.
Our Story
Our story began in 1994, when brothers Spencer and Clinton McCarthy founded the company as Emlor Homes, building stone and thatched cottages in and around Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire. We started out modestly, with our very first office in co-founder and Managing Director Clinton McCarthy's garage in the New Forest, but the business grew quickly, and by 1998 WhatHouse? Magazine had voted us 'Housebuilder of the Year'. From those beginnings, we've grown into one of the UK's leading developers of retirement apartments for the over-60s. Here's how our journey unfolded.
Purpose-Built Retirement Properties
Purpose-Built Retirement Properties
In 2000, we made a defining decision: to change direction and focus exclusively on developing purpose-built retirement apartments. Following the tremendous success of our first retirement development, Avon Lodge in Southbourne, we sold our remaining open-market sites to concentrate solely on retirement living. In 2003, we renamed ourselves Churchill Retirement Living, and the company went from strength to strength, winning the WhatHouse? 'Housebuilder of the Year' award once again in 2016, and becoming the first ever retirement specialist to do so. Along the way, Churchill established itself as one of the UK's most trusted providers of specialist housing and services designed exclusively for the over-60s.
Our Rebrand to Churchill Living
In 2024, following extensive research into our target market, we rebranded from Churchill Retirement Living to simply Churchill Living. Dropping the word 'retirement' reflects the different ambitions, expectations and associations that people have with getting older today. The lifestyle we offer is defined by friendship, choice, security, independence and peace of mind, the qualities that create real 'living value' for our Customers and their families. Our logo underlines this with the words 'Your Lifestyle. Your Choice.', a reassuring representation of the trust, integrity, safety and security that Churchill stands for.
24 Years of Churchill
24 Years of Churchill
2024 was a landmark year in more ways than one. As well as unveiling our new brand, we celebrated our 30th anniversary as a business and the 21st birthday of the Churchill brand. It marked another major step forward in our journey, and with our fresh new identity, we remain as focused as ever on building, managing and maintaining high-quality later-living communities at an attainable price, with among the lowest running costs in the sector.
Built on Integrity and Trust
Churchill Living is built on integrity and trust. We're proud to offer a quality product, backed by a strong, established and trusted relationship with our Customers that's supported by our experience, our knowledge and our award-winning management company, Churchill Estates Management. Today, the Churchill Living Group manages over 250 retirement developments across the UK, offering a range of services including estate management, lifestyle support and resale. It's a scale built on the very same family values we started with, and on our reputation as one of the UK's most trusted providers of specialist housing for the over-60s.
Our Awards and Customer Satisfaction
With first-class Customer satisfaction at the heart of everything we do, we're proud to have won numerous awards for our customer service and the way we operate. We hold a consistent 5-star rating for Customer Satisfaction based on the HBF's independent survey, and over 90%* of our Customers say they would recommend us to a family member or friend. It's recognition we've been earning ever since our very first accolade as WhatHouse? Housebuilder of the Year back in 1998, and we're proud to keep building on it.
Why Choose Churchill Living for Your Retirement?
A Churchill apartment is a lifestyle people choose positively, offering independence, simplicity and peace of mind. Many are actively seeking friendship and a low-maintenance way of living, while for others the time has simply come when maintaining a house is no longer easy. Either way, our developments are designed to make retirement living easier, with a secure, purpose-built home, a community of like-minded people and support when you need it, while giving you the freedom to live life your way. It’s a lifestyle that also gives families reassurance, knowing their loved ones are living safely, comfortably and independently. It’s what we’ve been perfecting for 30 years, and what we believe makes Churchill the retirement housebuilder of choice.
Thinking about moving?
Book a no obligation visit, download a brochure, or speak to our team. However you'd like to explore your options, we're here to help.