Our History

Lesters was established in Wallingford in 1992 by Robert Lester, and in 2001 the business was acquired by the Partners, Julian Walley and James Gesner.

In the following years the business evolved and grew, through the determination and commitment of the Partners and staff who quite simply are passionate about property and customer service. In 2002 the business launched its Residential Lettings & Property Management department, and 2008 saw the opening of our second office, located in Didcot. More recently, Lesters have expanded further into Commercial Property and Residential Conveyancing services.

Julian Walley is a long-time Wallingford resident. He has been helping local people to move home for 25 years. Since taking charge of Lesters with James in 2001, he has helped to build a strong local business which is widely recognised locally as a market leader through the delivery of exceptional results and customer service. A strong advocate of “keeping it local”, Julian supports many local causes including his children’s primary school, St Johns, through free sign board advertising for their local events and projects.

James Gesner began his career as a Negotiator with Lesters in 1996 and with Julian, took over the business in 2001. James lives locally with his wife Gemma, and their three children, who attend the local primary school. A familiar face about town in both Wallingford and Didcot, James grew up in Brightwell, a village with fond memories and where he now manages the Under 10's football team. Local knowledge is key when selling or renting property, and anything James doesn't know about the local market simply isn't worth knowing!