If you’ve lived in St Helens for any length of time, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of JB&B Leach – or perhaps you’ve sold a home through them, let a property, or simply walked past the offices on Hardshaw Street and known instinctively that they were a fixture of this town. That reputation wasn’t built overnight. It was built over 165 years.
So when the name changed to Belvoir St Helens, we understood that people had questions. What happened? Are they still the same team? Is the local knowledge still there? Who do I call now if I want to sell my home or talk to someone about letting my property in St Helens?
This blog is my attempt to answer all of those questions honestly and in full. Because if you trusted JB&B Leach with one of the biggest decisions of your life, you deserve to know exactly what that means today.
A bit of history — because it really does matter
The story of JB&B Leach begins in 1856. Joseph Bithell Leach, the eldest son of a Runcorn shoemaker, opened his first estate agency on Bridge Street at just 15 years old. He was soon joined by his brother Benjamin, an accountant, and together they formed what would become one of the most enduring names in St Helens property: JB&B Leach.
The brothers chose St Helens deliberately. The town was at the heart of the Industrial Revolution – growing, changing, and full of opportunity. And for the next 165 years, that same spirit shaped everything the firm did.
Joseph himself was a significant figure in the town. A devout Christian, a staunch Liberal councillor, and a philanthropist who arranged free meals for the underprivileged children of St Helens. He was honoured with a Knighthood but tragically, he passed away just two weeks after being informed, before he could attend his investiture. Sir Joseph B Leach became St Helens’ third knight of the realm, after Sir David Gamble and Sir Joseph Beecham.
The business remained in the Leach family until 1939, when Joseph’s son Wilfred passed away with no heirs. It was then taken over by Philip Johnson – himself from a highly regarded family of chartered surveyors, Herbert Johnson and Sons of Warrington, who went on to become High Sheriff and Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside and served as a Major in the Royal Engineers during the Second World War.
Through further changes in ownership over the decades, one thing never wavered: the JB&B Leach name and the values behind it.
“The business has been in the hands of six generations and over a period of 165 years has serviced the needs of local homeowners and investors for experienced, knowledgeable and professional advice on all property matters.”
What happened in 2020 — and why we acquired JB&B Leach
I’m Dave Roberts. I was born in Cowley Hill and grew up in Haydock. St Helens isn’t just somewhere I work; it’s home. So when the opportunity came up to acquire JB&B Leach in 2020 as part of my independently owned Belvoir franchise group, I didn’t hesitate.
I’d long admired what JB&B Leach stood for. Their reputation in this town was – and still is – something that takes generations to build. The moment I walked through the door and met the team, it became clear to me that the most valuable thing we were acquiring wasn’t the premises on Hardshaw Street, the database of properties, or the 165-year history. It was the people.
Our first six weeks of ownership happened to coincide with the first Covid lockdown. In some ways, that gave us time. We used the closure period to update and modernise all of the back-office systems, IT infrastructure, and processes – bringing everything into line with our other Belvoir offices in St Helens, Haydock, and Wigan. But we did it quietly, carefully, and without disrupting a single client relationship.
The team didn’t miss a beat. Their knowledge of the St Helens property market, the postcodes, the streets, the price points, and the kind of buyers who are serious and the ones who aren’t is something you simply can’t replicate. It comes from years of working in this community, and it’s exactly the kind of local expertise our sellers and landlords deserve.
So why the name change to Belvoir St Helens?
This is the question I’m asked most often, and it deserves a straight answer.
Running JB&B Leach as a sister office to our existing Belvoir branches worked well for a period. In fact, the combination of our offices meant that in 2021, we sold more properties in the St Helens area than any other agent. That’s not a claim we make lightly; it’s a reflection of what happens when exceptional local knowledge meets the backing of a strong national network.
But over time, it became clear that operating under two separate brands in the same town was creating unnecessary confusion for clients, for referrals, and for the market generally. By bringing everything together under the Belvoir name, we’ve created something that’s genuinely greater than the sum of its parts: the largest combined sales and lettings operation in St Helens, with the depth of expertise that JB&B Leach built and the infrastructure that Belvoir provides.
It was a decision we didn’t take lightly. It will always be a little sad to see the JB&B Leach name step back. But the values it stood for – professionalism, community, honest advice, exceptional local knowledge – haven’t gone anywhere. They’re simply operating under a different name now.
“It’s a new name, but the same great team.”
What this means if you’re thinking of selling in St Helens
If you used JB&B Leach to sell a property in St Helens in the past – whether that was five years ago or twenty-five – you’ll find the experience with Belvoir St Helens immediately familiar. The same approach to valuation. The same commitment to getting you the right price, not just a quick sale. The same honest, no-jargon conversation about the market.
What’s changed is the reach. As part of the Belvoir network, your property benefits from national-level marketing, a significantly larger pool of active buyers, and the kind of digital visibility that modern sellers expect, such as professional photography, premium portal listings, targeted social media campaigns, and more.
St Helens is a market we know in granular detail. Whether you’re selling a family home in Eccleston, a terrace in Newton-le-Willows, a property in the WA10 postcode, or something more rural on the edges of town, our team will give you a straight-talking, data-backed appraisal of what your home is worth and what it will take to achieve the best possible outcome.
If you’d like a free, no-obligation valuation, we’d love to hear from you. Just call us, drop into the office on Hardshaw Street, or use the valuation tool on our website. We’re here, we know this town, and we’re not going anywhere.
What this means if you’re a landlord in St Helens
St Helens has long been an attractive proposition for property investors and landlords. Solid rental yields, strong tenant demand across key areas, and a market that, while it has its nuances, rewards those who approach it with the right knowledge and the right agent.
If you’re a landlord who previously used JB&B Leach to manage your portfolio or find tenants in St Helens, rest assured: nothing changed in terms of how we look after you. Our lettings team manages a substantial portfolio across St Helens and the surrounding area, and we bring the same meticulous attention to compliance, tenant vetting, and property maintenance that this town’s landlords have come to expect.
The rental landscape has shifted considerably in recent years, particularly with the Renters’ Rights Act introducing significant changes to how tenancies work in England. If you’re a landlord and you’re uncertain about what those changes mean for your property, your tenancy agreements, or your responsibilities, this is exactly the kind of conversation we have with landlords every week. Come and talk to us.
And if you’re a new investor looking at St Helens for the first time, we’re well placed to walk you through the opportunities – from the postcodes with the strongest yields to the property types that attract the most reliable long-term tenants.
The community comes first — always has, always will
Joseph Bithell Leach arranged free meals for the children of St Helens. Philip Johnson served his country and his community. Every owner of this business across its 165-year history has understood that an estate agency is only as strong as its relationship with the town it serves.
That hasn’t changed with us. We sponsor junior sports across the borough. We support local charities. We turn up, we show up, and we stay involved. Not because it’s good for business, but because this is our town too.
The team at Belvoir St Helens are often described as ‘local legends’ – a phrase that was earned by JB&B Leach long before we came along and one we intend to keep earning every single day.
Ready to talk property in St Helens?
Whether you’re a seller trying to understand what your home is worth in today’s market, a landlord thinking about expanding your portfolio, or simply someone who remembers JB&B Leach and wants to know they’re still in safe hands, we’d love to hear from you.
Visit us at 24-28 Claughton Street, St Helens, call our team directly, or get in touch via the website. We’re the same people, doing the same job, with a lot more behind us than we had before.
St Helens’ property story is still being written. We’re proud to be part of it.
