From Liverpool Docks to 200 years afloat
At GJW Direct, we've been helping boat owners through insurance for 200 years and we couldn't be more proud of that.
From being awarded Best Specialist Insurance Provider 2025 at the Smart Money People Awards, to being rated 'Excellent' on Trustpilot, we've worked hard to become a trusted name in boat insurance.
In 1826, Charles Groves started an insurance agency on Liverpool docks. He could never have imagined where that decision would lead.
In 1885 he signed a partnership deed signed and sealed in red wax, marking the start of a specialist insurance business built to last.
Two centuries on, that same business continues as GJW Direct. We support boat owners across the UK with deep experience and modern technology, while staying true to the heritage Groves built.
This is our story.
Meet the founders
Charles Groves
The Founder
Born in 1798, Charles Groves was originally destined for a career in the British Army, his father had already chosen his regiment. Charles had other ideas, and persuaded his father to let him sail to India instead, where he built a career as a merchant in Calcutta. He returned to England a wealthy man, settled in Liverpool, and entered the insurance trade, eventually founding the business that would carry his name for the next two centuries.
Away from the office, Groves became one of Liverpool's most prolific supporters of church building; donating an estimated £10,000 over his lifetime, and earning a reputation as a relentless (and much-loved) fundraiser. He died in 1886, aged 88, leaving an estate worth the equivalent of around £3m today.
Thomas John
The Senior Partner
The least flamboyant of the three founders, and arguably the most important. Thomas John joined the insurance trade as a young clerk and rose to become senior partner of Groves, John & Co, running the business from its offices at 4 Water Street for over half a century. He was still working as an insurance broker when he died in 1925, aged 81.
Henry Lenton
The Junior Partner
The third name in the 1885 partnership deed. Lenton joined the firm as junior partner, entitled to a quarter of its profits under the original agreement, rising as the business grew. He worked alongside Thomas John until his death in 1899, aged 63, and is buried at Anfield Cemetery, Liverpool.
Present Day
Today, at GJW Direct we help provide insurance for a broad range of leisure craft. Yachts, narrowboats, RIBs, motor cruisers, canoes and paddleboards, all covered through our Marina Scheme spanning more than 1,000 UK marinas. Since 2018, we've partnered with the RNLI to support water safety education and the charity's lifesaving work on the water.
In 2023, GJW Direct joined Ripe. Since then, we've invested in the things that matter most to today's boat owners: a faster, simpler way to get covered, built on modern technology. All without losing sight of what's made this business last two centuries. Genuine specialism, and people who actually understand boats.
