Stanley Clarke

Sir Stanley William Clarke, CBE, DL (7 June 1933 – 19 September 2004) was an English businessman, property developer, horse racing enthusiast, and philanthropist. Early life Stanley William Clarke was born in Woods Lane, Stapenhill, Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, on 7 June 1933. His father, Victor, was previously a brewery worker, disabled by tuberculosis; while his mother, Mabel, was a maid at Dunstall Hall. To help his family financially, nine year old Clarke undertook a daily paper round before school, delivered prescription medication in the evenings, and on weekends, delivered meat for the local butcher. Clarke was thinking of leaving school to become a farmer's hand, but his father persuaded him to stay on at Burton Technical High School. Clarke's father died when Clarke was aged 11. Career Aged 15, he became an apprentice plumber. Upon graduating, he started his own business. Working from a bicycle with a front carrier for his tools, he aimed to provide a better service, at a better price, than anyone else. Aged 21, he agreed a deal with a local farmer to buy one acre of land. The farmer agreed to waive the purchase price of £125 until Clarke had gained planning permission, which he duly did and sold the land ownwards for £650 before paying for it.