Ward and Smith Ltd

Ward and Smith Ltd began as a haulier in 1918 having previously operated as a coal merchant in the Leicestershire village of Oadby.

Inaugurated by Joseph Ward, the company rapidly grew thanks to a superb word-of-mouth reputation for quality service, professional standards and first-class reliability.

With the haulage and coal merchant operations running hand-in-hand, the business was taken over by Reginald Ward in the 1950s following his father Joseph's passing.

Today, the company is owned and run by Joseph's grandsons John and Peter who have been at the helm since 1983 when their father Reginald passed-on.

Around that time, with the demand for coal merchant services becoming less and less,

the decision was taken to cease that side of the business and to concentrate solely on Ward and Smith's haulage operations.

Having been part of the fabric of Oadby for several generations, as landowners and through business, the end of an era and beginning of a new chapter for the Ward family came in 2006 when the decision was taken to relocate Ward and Smith Ltd to the current Abbey Gate site.