Charles Norman Glidewell founded Chambers in 1946. He came to the Bar comparatively late in life after a career in commerce. He may have started late as an advocate, but he learned quickly. He is still talked of as a fine advocate with a mastery of detail. He was universally known as CNG and these initials were applied to Chambers' bank account into which until recently members contributions to expenses were paid! Chambers were based at 28 Kennedy Street, Manchester.
The original membership comprised CNG, Donald Summerfield, and Philip Biron. CNG set the highest standards as an advocate and lawyer. The very loyal and capable Albert Shuttleworth, who retired as recently as 1988 after serving chambers for 38 years, took over in 1950.
The reputation and strength of chambers developed slowly but surely over the next few years, including the recruitment of CNG's son, Sir Iain Glidewell (as he now is) who was to enjoy a glittering career at the bar and on the bench, becoming a Lord Justice of Appeal. He is still very much one of us - he is an arbitrator for Chambers. Another recruit at that time was George Spafford, who was later to become Head of Chambers himself .
In post-war Manchester and other bomb-damaged cities, the new post war Town and Country Planning Acts were particularly important and led to the development by CNG and the others of a specialism and expertise in Planning and Local Government Law. Of the other founder members of Chambers, Philip Biron went on to become a High Court Judge in Dar-es-salaam and was later knighted thus becoming the first member of Chambers to achieve high judicial office. Donald Summerfield left Chambers in 1960 to become Manchester City Coroner.
Chambers moved to Bow Lane in 1957 by which time it had 10 members. Recruitment to the Manchester Bar was very haphazard in those days. Chambers did recruit some notable practitioners - including (as they are now) The Hon Mr Justice Douglas Brown, His Honour Judge Singer and Nigel Macleod QC (later Chairman of the Planning and Environment Bar Association), but it virtually stopped between 1960 and 1968 until John Hoggett QC (as he now is) was recruited. By the time Chambers was 25 years old in 1971, there were still only a handful of practitioners at 25 Bow Lane. The total number of Barristers in Manchester at that time was little more than 100 whereas today there are more than 850.
In 1972, CNG died. Sir Iain Glidewell was now in Silk, and as was always the practice with Silks in those days, had moved his principal base to London, although he was still a member. CNG had seen Chambers establish itself as an excellent, although still smallish, set, with some particular members who were obviously attracting excellent work. Recruitment had started again, albeit fitfully. Of our current membership, John Hoggett QC and Andrew Gilbart QC became pupils in 1968 and 1972.
George Spafford became the next Head of Chambers in 1972. He carried on CNG's vision and hard work, but in a quite different style. One of his greatest contributions (among many) to Chambers was to encourage those who wanted to see it expand through recruitment of the most able candidates. From 1972, there was a sustained campaign to expand Chambers. Among its earliest fruits were His Honour Judge Philip Raynor QC (as he now is) and Charles Cross. Charles had been Town Clerk of Prestwich for many years, but he was also the leading authority in the country on local government law, highways, public health and other related subjects. A man of enormous learning, matched only by his enormous modesty about himself, Charles Cross soon established himself as the doyen of his area of law. In 1976, a new pupil (now Stephen Sauvain QC) joined us, who has carried Charles' mantle forward. Like Charles, Stephen is a distinguished author and editor of practitioners' textbooks.