Great Yorkshire Show 2026: A Fantastic Opportunity to Con...
Posted on 16th July 2026
Find out how we have been successfully helping vendors, buyers, landlords and renters for over 200 years.
As one of Yorkshire’s most established estate agents, we’ve been providing expert residential sales and lettings services for over 200 years. Our property advice is built on sound local knowledge and our outstanding professional team, complimented and enhanced by cutting-edge technology. We pride ourselves on delivering personalised, reliable service across our network of 17 Yorkshire offices.
Our dedicated sales and lettings teams bring extensive expertise to every stage of your property journey, guiding you through all aspects of your move. Our trained negotiators guide and support throughout your transaction and we can offer referrals to mortgage brokers and conveyancing solicitors, ensuring you have expert support for all your property needs.
As a people-focused business, we prioritise matching each buyer or tenant with the property that best suits their needs. Our proactive approach ensures that customers are always informed and supported, making the process of finding or changing homes as smooth and stress-free as possible. We’re incredibly proud to have won the Feefo Platinum Customer Service award for five years in a row.
We fully embrace the roll of technology in generating exposure for our customer’s properties, using the latest market-leading tools to promote awareness to the widest market – a complement, not a replacement to our personal approach.
Powerful Property Marketing from an Award-Winning Team
Feefo Platinum Trusted Service Award winners for four years running.
We target match to our extensive database when a property is launched.
Promotion of your home in an exciting, informative and visually appealing way.
Digital plans make it easier for buyers to imagine your home before or after viewings.
Your house will stand out from the crowd with professional or digitally enhanced images.
Regular promotions of our brand and properties keep us at the forefront of the Yorkshire market.
Keen movers are notified when marketing begins to encourage an early viewing appointment.
Promoted properties are available on all the UK’s leading websites giving effective 24 hour coverage.
Our highly regarded website typically attracts over 34,000** visitors per month.
All homes are available throughout our network of strategically located Yorkshire offices.
Discover the history of Dacre, Son & Hartley over the past 200 years.
Dacre, Son & Hartley has deep Yorkshire roots, dating back to 1820 when John Dacre traded as a shoemaker and collector of taxes – this is the beginning of what would later lead to the formation of the company.
John Dacre originally operated from Bramhope but in 1847 moved to premises on Bondgate, Otley before again moving within the town in 1850 to Bridge Street. John Dacre died in 1860 and the firm was taken over by his son who coincidently was born in 1820 – the year the firm was founded.
Records of the early days show dealings in furniture, linen and plates along with auctioneering and the valuation of personal chattels. The firm also became established within the agricultural community and was engaged in the valuation of farmland, standing crops and livestock.
John Dacre was succeeded by his eldest son who continued the agriculture and live stock valuation business but also started an auction mart, complete with sale ring, on the west side of Station Road, Otley – a business that became known as Otley Livestock Auction Mart.
In 1881, the firm moved once again, this time to Station Road, Otley, on a site opposite the present offices.
In 1906 Thomas Hartley had a established a business in Ilkley which included the sale of household furnishing, auctioneering and undertaking. His son Douglas succeeded him in 1924 who took over the auctioneering role. Just four years later Douglas Hartley moved to premises on The Grove in Ilkley.
This was followed by direct competition with Douglas Smallwood’s business when Hartley opened an office in Otley, virtually opposite his competitor. In 1936 the two practises merged under the title Dacre, Son & Hartley. Offices soon followed in Skipton and Keighley.
In 1926 Alleyne W S Berry of Hull acquired the business following the death of John William Dacre, and he continued as sole proprietor until 1932 when the business was sold to Douglas H. Smallwood. The character of the business began to change from its estate agency and agricultural background to include the sale and letting of industrial and commercial premises.
New areas of expertise were introduced including rating appeals and the valuation of industrial plant and machinery for insurance purposes. This work took staff to Europe and even Africa.
The war years disrupted the business considerably. Douglas Hartley was engaged in war damage claims for the Government in Hull, whilst Doulgas Smallwood operated both the Ilkley and Otley offices, with John Smallwood at Keighley.
The present Head Office was acquired immediately following the Second World War and in 1967 the present Skipton Office was opened on the cobbled Sheep Street.
The 80’s saw acceleration in the growth of the firm with the establishment of offices throughout the Yorkshire region. This caught the eye of the Abbey National who in 1989 acquired the firm as part of the Cornerstone Group of estate agents.
The selling partners of the firm, however, insisted the business name Dacre Son & Hartley should be retained – a unique state of affairs within Abbey National’s estate agency holding.
1995 saw further change when a management buyout returned the firm to local ownership with Jim Horsley as Chairman and Martin Thompson as Managing Director.
The firm remains a private limited company with the majority of the shareholders embedded within the business and taking very much a hands on approach. Our offices now provide comprehensive coverage in the core Yorkshire region, covering the market towns of the Yorkshire Dales including properties for sale in Skipton, Settle and Pateley Bridge, whilst other offices cover Wharfedale, the Aire Valley, Leeds, and to the south and south west of Bradford in Morley.
Harrogate, Knaresborugh, Ripon and Wetherby are also popular communities where the firm offers prominent representation.
At Dacre, Son & Hartley we wish to take a meaningful part to protect both the planet and our environment for future generations, and we’re now on a journey to reduce our carbon footprint as much as possible
Having partnered with Make it Wild following a carbon audit, we offset more than 100 tons of carbon dioxide emissions by planting native trees in Nidderdale in 2022.
We’ve taken steps to ensure that all the electricity that we use across our entire office estate is certified as 100% renewable from wind, solar and hydro sources in the UK.
Our Feefo customer reviews help fund 50 trees a month via Ecologi, who work with project providers to engage with local communities and restore landscapes.
We operate a small fleet of cars, they’re all hybrid vehicles with one being fully electric – we aim to reduce our emissions further over time.
Explore the local initiatives that Dacre, Son & Hartley support.
We typically support more than 50 local sports clubs, community events and organisations throughout North and West Yorkshire each year. We are proud to be deeply routed in the communities we serve.
We appreciate the importance of home and are proud to assist Homeless Hampers, a local charity who support those facing housing insecurity. Our fundraising events supported their weekly outreach, providing essentials like meals, clothing, and bedding.
Click to view our Client Money Protection (CMP) certificate, explaining how we look after your funds.
Posted on 16th July 2026
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Posted on 3rd July 2026
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