Sun Alliance (company)

Sun Alliance Group plc
Company typePublic
IndustryInsurance
PredecessorSun Insurance
Alliance Assurance
Founded1959
Defunct1996
FateMerged with Royal Insurance
SuccessorRSA Insurance Group
HeadquartersLondon

Sun Alliance Group plc was a large insurance business with its main offices in the City of London and later Horsham. It was created in 1959 by the merger of Sun Insurance, founded in 1710, and Alliance Assurance founded in 1824. In 1996 Sun Alliance merged with Royal Insurance to form the Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Group.

In the mid-1960s Sun Alliance established its administrative centre in a large office block, spanning an A-road through the town centre of Horsham, a railway town 31 miles (50 km) south of London's centre.[1][2] and its head office at 1 Bartholomew Lane in London.[3] The Horsham building, St Marks Court is earmarked as developable.[4] In an external recess, to the market place (Carfax) side, is the tall spired tower of the church.[5] Its nave was demolished in about 1985.[5] The spire was part of the original church of 1841 constructed from sandstone. The tower's base has become a florist and volunteers’ centre.[5]

Sun Alliance went on to acquire the London Assurance Company in 1965 (becoming Sun Alliance & London)[6] and Phoenix Assurance in 1984.[6] The company thus added suffix "Group" in 1989, consolidated most UK-based operations into the Horsham office in 1990,[7] and yet kept its London head office.[8] The company merged with Royal Insurance to form the Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Group in 1996.[9]

Summary of all notable mergers to 1996 and company inception dates:[10]
    • Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Group plc (1996)
      • Sun Alliance Group (1984)
        • Sun Alliance & London (1965)[a 1]
          • Sun Alliance Insurance Limited (1959)
            • The Sun Fire Office (1710)
            • The Alliance Assurance Company (1824)
          • London Assurance Corporation (1720)
        • Phoenix Assurance (1680)
      • Royal Insurance (1845)
  1. ^ acquired Phoenix Assurance in 1984
  • Sun Alliance offices in Horsham, behind the spire that sits in one of its recesses
    Sun Alliance offices in Horsham, behind the spire that sits in one of its recesses
  • A Sun Fire Office insurance mark
    A Sun Fire Office insurance mark
  1. ^ Baggs, A P; Currie, C R J; Elrington, C R; Keeling, S M; Rowland, A M (1986). "'Horsham: General history of the town', in A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 6 Part 2, Bramber Rape (North-Western Part) Including Horsham". London: British History Online. pp. 131–156. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  2. ^ "Horsham: Historic Character Assessment Report" (PDF). Sussex Extensive Urban Survey. 1 October 2004. p. 19. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  3. ^ "No. 44336". The London Gazette. 6 June 1967. p. 6378.
  4. ^ St Marks Court Planning legal status of building. Horsham Council.
  5. ^ a b c Horsham Town Local List Horsham Council
  6. ^ a b Trebilcock, Clive (1999). Phoenix Assurance and the Development of British Insurance: Volume 2, The Era of the Insurance Giants 1870–1984. Cambridge University Press. p. 1021. ISBN 978-0521254151.
  7. ^ "Bridges Memorial Spire". Public Sculptures of Sussex. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  8. ^ Forsyth, J. (1991). Major Companies of Europe 1991/92: Volume 2 Major Companies of the United Kingdom. Vol. 2. Springer Netherlands. ISBN 978-94-011-3018-9.
  9. ^ Clarke, Gavin (10 August 2015). "RSA chief uncans insurance giant's mega IT infrastructure review". The Register. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  10. ^ "History - RSA Group". rsagroup.com. Retrieved 12 October 2017.