About Us

James Worley & Sons was founded by James Worley in Fenchurch Street in about 1874. James Worley was one of the early members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, which was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1880.

The Kingston office was opened in 1936 in the Market Place and moved to its present offices (close to the River Thames and within easy reach of both Kingston and Surbiton stations) in 1984.

Our firm is a member of HAT, a consortium of chartered accountants based in London and the Home Counties. HAT provides specialist training for our students and continuing professional development programmes for our qualified staff.

The partners based at the Kingston office are Peter Grant FCA, John Spalton FCA and Robert Rouse FCCA.

Partner Profiles

Peter Grant FCA

Peter trained at JWS and, after qualifying in 1968, moved abroad to the Cape Town office of one of the ‘Big Six’ firms. Returning to JWS’s London office in 1970, Peter became a partner in 1972 and subsequently split his working week between our London and Kingston offices. He has been based full-time at our Kingston office since 1990.

Peter’s principal clients are a Spanish bank and a general insurance company and his varied portfolio also includes a number of medical and dental practioners. Peter is a tax specialist and he particularly enjoys advising small to medium-sized family controlled businesses and building relationships with clients and other professional contacts.

In his spare time Peter is a keen golfer and enjoys horse-racing, travel to warmer climes and ‘eating and drinking’! Peter is the Honorary Treasurer of the old boys’ club of his alma mater, King’s College School in Wimbledon. He has two grown-up daughters.

mailto:peter.grant@jws.co.uk

John Spalton FCA

John joined JWS as a trainee chartered accountant following a brief career in professional cricket. He qualified in 1976 and became a partner in 1980.

John enjoys assisting businesses in all areas of management, future planning, cash flow and strategic development. His broad portfolio of clients encompasses personal tax clients and multi-million pound international companies. As an excellent communicator, it is the ‘people’ aspect of his role that John finds most rewarding.

Outside office hours, John is the Chairman of the Board of Governors of a Surrey school and sits on various sports-related committees, where he has played a pivotal role in major projects. A keen sportsman, John plays cricket, golf and squash on a regular basis and has notched up 10 marathons! John is married to Annie and they have two sons – the eldest is at university and the youngest is still at school.

mailto:john.spalton@jws.co.uk

Robert Rouse FCCA

After completing his training at JWS, Rob qualified in 1980, achieving the highest examination results in the country that year. Rob transferred from JWS’s Watford office to our Kingston office in 1990 and became the firm’s newest partner in 2003.

Rob particularly enjoys the variety of work at JWS and the regular contact with clients: his portfolio includes small to medium-sized businesses, charities, schools and pension schemes as well as personal tax cases - each with their own unique requirements. ‘One of our strengths is the strong relationships we build with clients’, says Rob, ‘which is why they stay with us and recommend us to others!’

Rob is married with two daughters, one of whom is studying to be an actress and the other a singer. He plays golf ‘but not often enough!’ and is a keen DIYer. He enjoys travelling, especially to Sweden and Italy, and spending his spare time with family and friends.

mailto:rob.rouse@jws.co.uk