Ayling Sotogrande

Ayling Property Services was founded by Lieutenant Commander Leslie Ayling RN (Retd), a distinguished naval officer. Ayling Property Services was founded by Lieutenant Commander Leslie Ayling RN (Retd), a distinguished naval officer. Born in 1928 in Gillingham, Leslie was very proud to be known as a Man of Kent. In the summer of 1944, at the age of 15, he joined the Royal Navy as an engineering apprentice. By his early twenties, his potential was fully appreciated by his superiors and he was commissioned as an electronics and weapons engineering officer. A keen sea-going man, he served on many ships, ending up on HMS Phoebe, the fictional HMS Hero of the famous 1970's television series 'Warship'. On a visit to Gibraltar in the summer of 73, during the filming of 'Warship', Leslie met and fell in love with Gladys Margaret Buttigieg, a teacher. In mid 1974, Leslie wangled a posting to Gibraltar as the Senior Systems Engineer and, in December 1974, on Leslie's birthday, he married Margaret. In 1977, after a tour that was both professionally and socially rewarding, Leslie left his beloved Royal Navy. Within a few years, Leslie realized that there was a great future in real estate work in both Gibraltar and Spain. This was a bold move for one of limited means. Moreover, the border between Gibraltar and Spain had been closed for over 8 years. This meant long trips by boat to Estepona and lots of hard work but Leslie was convinced he was on the right track. In 1979, Leslie persuaded Margaret to leave her teaching job and join the business full-time. Little by little they acquired the rights to increasingly important projects and within a few years Ayling's reputation as a major force in the estate agency business was solidly established.