 | |
 The company's head office at 32, Cornhill | |
| Industry | Insurance |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1905 |
| Defunct | 2007 |
| Fate | Acquired by Allianz |
| Headquarters | London, England |
Cornhill Insurance was a major British insurance company based in London, England.
History
[edit]The company was founded by the directors of Willis Faber as a fire insurance company in 1905.[1][2] It moved to new offices at 32, Cornhill in London in the mid-1930s. The offices were designed by Gunton & Gunton in the neoclassical style, built in ashlar stone and completed in 1935.[3] A pair of doors for the building were sculpted in clay by Walter Gilbert and then carved in mahogany by B. P. Arnold at H. H. Martyn & Co.[4]
Thomas Tilling acquired a majority interest in the company in 1943.[1] The company became a major sponsor of test cricket, thereby significant increasing brand awareness, in 1978.[5] After Tilling Group was acquired by BTR in 1983, Cornhill Insurance was marketed for sale: it was acquired by Allianz in 1986.[1] Cornhill Insurance went on to acquire the British Reserve Insurance Company in 1987,[6] Petplan in May 1996[7] and DBI Insurance in August 1999.[8]
Allianz decided to retire the brand in the early 21st century. It ceased sponsoring test cricket in 2001[9][10] and, after its closed life fund was sold to Britannic Assurance in December 2004,[11] the remaining business was rebranded as Allianz Insurance in April 2007.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Allianz Insurance". Bargate Holroyd. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
- ^ "Allianz Insurance". Companies House. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
- ^ Bradley, Simon; Pevsner, Nikolaus (1997). London: The City of London. Yale University Press. p. 470. ISBN 978-0300096248.
- ^ "A door in Cornhill". Spitalfields Life. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
- ^ "That's out: the sponsors who walked". The Guardian. 20 August 1999. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
- ^ "Marco announces the acquisition of British Reserve Insurance Company Ltd from Allianz Insurance plc". Businesswire. 25 August 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ^ "Cornhill buys Pet Plan for £32.5m". The Independent. 1 May 1996. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ^ "Cornhill Insurance". Insurance Post. 19 August 1999. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
- ^ "New Sponsor Sought For Test Cricket As Cornhill Ends Sponsorship Next Summer". Sportcal. 2000. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
- ^ "Cornhill severs ties with Test cricket". Insurance Times. 7 January 2000. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
- ^ "Britannic: life after death in the insurance world". CityWire. 15 December 2004. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
- ^ "Cornhill name to be dropped". The Daily Telegraph. 30 April 2007. Retrieved 16 September 2025.