Sudden death of shopping centre founder

Thursday 17th August 2006, 9:25AM BST.

The businessman revolutionised Wolverhampton’s then town centre in the 1960s and 70s and passed away last Wednesday in Newport, the Isle of Wight, it emerged today.

A director of Mander Brothers, he was one of the city’s most famous industrialists, also creating the village of Perton on his Staffordshire farm lands.

Eton-educated Sir Charles was born near Tong in the early 1920s and grew up in the Swiss Alps.

In 1946 he joined the family firm of Mander Brothers, the paint, varnish and printing ink manufacturers, established by his family in 1773.

He was soon the director in charge of its 57 shops and branches.

He later sold off the family home, The Mount at Tettenhall Wood, which became the Mount Hotel.

Sir Charles remained in the area until 1959 before moving his estate to Gloucestershire.

He was the High Sheriff of Staffordshire in 1963 and a councillor and was proud to be the oldest male Mander to have lived since records began in 1290.

A colourful character, he was vilified in the Press as “the ogre of Wolverhampton” for his sheer determination to develop the area. His cause of death is not yet known.

He leaves a wife of 60 years, Dolores, a daughter and two sons, 10 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.



Free e-Supplements

Business Awards

Book a Business Awards table Book a Business Awards table

Join our celebrations of the region's best in business on Thursday March 22 - book your table now

Lifestyle

Interactive Dining Out map Interactive Dining Out map

Hundreds of reviews by the Express & Star and Shropshire Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.

entertainment

All the film reviews All the film reviews

Before you plan a trip to the pictures, get our critics' verdicts on all the latest movie releases

OUR NEW APP

Get the new E&S app Get the new E&S app

Download the Express & Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.