Arthur Dallimer believes people should embrace change

Hosted by Fiona Scott, today’s podcast welcomes Arthur Dallimer, who Fiona met a few years ago. Arthur is an extremely experienced property developer local to the Swindon area. He’s been doing property for 12 years and contacted Fiona to learn about PR and how to develop his business. He’s Swindon born and bred; he knows the people and has a great love for Swindon. 

Arthur shares his opinions about Swindon as a town, and he wants to encourage people in the community to embrace change. 

Fiona begins by asking Arthur about property and he shares that when he was 17 years old a property went up for auction in the local village where he was raised. He knew the house, he knew it had been burnt down many years ago and ended up in auction because the man who owned it had passed on. He goes on to state that because he knows the house and the road so well that he felt a great connection to the property and wanted to save it. Arthur says he was lucky enough to have inherited £50,000 so he bought it and decided to renovate it. He estimates that he made around £70,000 from his first project. 

Arthur says he learned a business brain from a young age. Fiona then asked Arthur how he knew he had a ‘business brain’ and where he learned this from. Arthur shares that at 9 and 10 Arthur began selling chicken eggs at school with a friend of his. He said he became engaged in trying to solve problems and create solutions. He also went to a business school over the summer where he learned a lot about money. He also shares that he’s always had a dream of being able to make money so that has been a motivator over the years.

Fiona asks Arthur where his attitude towards money comes from. Arthur replies that it’s deep from his upbringing and he felt a lot of responsibility to help with his autistic older brother. He also shares that support doesn’t come without a price and he wants to give his family the best life possible. Fiona also goes on to ask Arthur what he likes and enjoys in life. Arthur states that he soon realised material goods such as clothes and accessories didn’t bring him much satisfaction. He wants to do something to support a better lifestyle and to see the world. He shares that he loves going on holiday and wants to experience as much of the world as he can.

Fiona then asks him about uni, studying, making money and property. Arthur says he went to university and studied accounting and finance. His mother instilled a need in him to drive for the best and although he says he doesn’t use his degree on a daily basis, he feels he’s learned a lot from it and the university experience. Arthur recounts that when he was a student, he would complete his lectures and coursework and then come home at the weekends to work on the houses. He says he worked around 100 hour weeks, including his part time job, but it was something he loved doing and so he felt it was worth it. He says ‘not to worry, I did still have fun at uni and party! But I also wanted to make money.’

Arthur shares that he became a millionaire at the age of about 23. He says he uses his accountancy degree to use the knowledge to his advantage. But collecting assets was more his interest and this is where his business grew. He says he sells property for commercial purposes and also for residential purposes. 

When Arthur hyper focuses on something and he wants to get it and find a challenge, he homes in on how to get a project completed. Arthur shares that he enjoys the social side of it and wants to benefit the people of Swindon. He said when he bought ‘Apsley House’ from the council he really made sure that he was the only option for the council. Arthur wanted Fiona’s support to help navigate the negative connotations that come with developers and people wanting change for the town. 

Arthur and Fiona discuss the difference between embracing and inflicting change on a community. Some people can be very reluctant to this, but Arthur feels embracing change is really important. 

Fiona asks Arthur what is going to be happening with Apsley house in 2026. Arthur says they’ve signed up commercial tenants for a bakery, a restaurant and a coworking tenant who is already signed. He says they are moving onto the construction phase where they’ll get people in to look at the cladding, the windows and ‘the fancy bits.’

He says his side of the development ends in July when the commercial tenants can come in and set things up. The tenants and the operators will probably be setting this up throughout September and October where they will then launch the project in time for Christmas. 

Fiona then goes on to ask Arthur to share why he has chosen to live in a manor house which he bought. Arthur says he bought Burderop House because it was a house he saw daily on his route to school and that he never in a million years thought he’d be able to buy it, but with luck and determination he made the dream a reality. 

Arthur says that he had a private opening for people to attend, in which he thought about thirty people would come and it was more around the 300 mark. Fiona goes on to ask about what work he’s done to the property. Arthur says the house is 27,000 sq. ft. Compared to a standard 1400 sq ft it is a real difference. 

It was a stately home without buildings which he’s renting and renovating to make into a liveable space. 

Arthur shares that for a long time he’s been an advocate that for a place to develop you must provide a very enriched cultural offering. He’s trying to encourage people to bid for the cultural capital of the UK for 2029, because it opens so much funding for the area and opportunity.   

Arthur makes it clear that he feels his space really should be open and enjoyed by others. He wants it to be a place to experience new things and to be part of something positive for the town. Fiona asks Arthur how he manages conflict with others who don’t want the space to be enjoyed by others. Arthur says ‘naturally you have the worry and anxiety around what might happen. He reassures that he’s not doing this alone and he has professionals coming in to manage the events.’

He feels Burderop house could be like the likes of Glastonbury and Westonbirt and it is something we need in this town/area.

Fiona then asks Arthur what his future plans are and he explains that he wants more renovations on his home including tennis courts etc. but that he also wants to pivot from property, and he wants to launch tech businesses and a medical business. 

You can connect with Arthur via his Instagram page @william_arthur_property or via his website www.williamarthurproperty.com for more information.

Listeners can tune in to hear all about Arthur’s story.

To get in touch with Fiona and the Scott Media team, visit www.scottmedia.uk.

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