Case Study - J W Wishart Plumbing & Heating Ltd
Monday 27 July 2026A century of service: the family firm keeping Fife's homes warm since 1926
Not many businesses get to celebrate a 100th birthday. The firm was started in 1926 by my great grandfather, and this year we are proud to be celebrating a full century of trading in Kirkcaldy. Four generations on, we are still very much a family business. My father, who is 82, is still actively involved in the firm, and my wife works in the office alongside Linzi, our office manager.
We have deliberately kept the business roughly the same size over the years. We currently have six staff, and that is by design. Personal service tends to fall away when a business expands too rapidly, and personal service is exactly what people have come to us for over the past hundred years.
J W Wishart Plumbing & Heating at a glance
- Based in Kirkcaldy, covering Fife, Edinburgh and the surrounding areas
- Family run since 1926, now in its fourth generation and celebrating 100 years of trading
- Plumbing repairs, bathroom installations, boilers, central heating and warm air heating systems
- Gas Safe registered, with six staff and an office team based in the town
- Rated 4.9 out of 5 from 323 verified customer reviews on the Fife Trusted Trader scheme
- The business and its owners have been vetted by Trading Standards
A hundred years of plumbing in Kirkcaldy
We provide the full range of plumbing services, from general repairs through to complete bathroom installations, water main replacement and water tank replacement. We also cover all gas work, including boiler replacements, servicing, repairs and upgrades, as well as warm air heating systems, a speciality that fewer and fewer firms still service and replace.That last one matters more than it sounds. Warm air systems were fitted in a great many Scottish homes in the 1960s and 1970s, and as engineers who know them retire, householders can struggle to find anyone willing to look at one. Keeping that skill alive in the workshop is part of what a hundred year old firm is for.
Why we joined Fife Trusted Trader
We joined the Fife Trusted Trader scheme back in 2011 to build a list of verified reviews, raise our profile and let our customer feedback do the talking. It gives new customers a clear understanding of the services we offer, and the chance to read through the reviews we have gathered over the years before they ever pick up the phone.Fifteen years on, that review list now speaks for itself. On our Fife Trusted Trader profile we hold a 4.9 out of 5 rating from 323 verified reviews, with customers regularly mentioning the friendly service, tidy workmanship and clear communication from first call to finished job.
What membership has meant
The scheme has proved very beneficial in creating work and adding another level of professionalism to the firm. Just as importantly, it gives confidence to both existing and potential new customers, through the reviews and the visible history of work we have carried out. Being a Trading Standards vetted Trusted Trader means people can see that the business and its owners have been independently vetted, which matters more than ever in a trade where homeowners need to know who they can trust in their home.“Our Family Serving your Family for over 100 Years.”
Looking ahead
That line above is the strapline you will find on our literature and our quotes, and it sums up everything the business stands for. A hundred years in, the plan is simple: stay true to the personal, friendly service that has kept families in Fife coming back to Wisharts for generations, and be here for the next one.Scott Wishart
Director, J W Wishart Plumbing & Heating Ltd
Common questions
What does Trading Standards vetted mean?The business and its owners have been vetted by Trading Standards before being admitted to the scheme. Trading Standards vet the business and its owners, they do not check, inspect or approve the quality of the work carried out.
What areas does J W Wishart Plumbing & Heating cover?
The firm is based in Kirkcaldy and covers Fife, Edinburgh and the surrounding areas.
What plumbing and heating work does J W Wishart carry out?
General plumbing repairs, complete bathroom installations, water main and water tank replacement, and all gas work including boiler replacement, servicing, repairs and upgrades. The firm also services and replaces warm air heating systems, a speciality that fewer and fewer firms still offer.
- View J W Wishart Plumbing & Heating's Fife Trusted Trader profile.
- Read J W Wishart Plumbing & Heating's verified customer reviews.
- If you would like to become a Trusted Trader, you can apply here.
- If you are a Trusted Trader and would like to leave a case study either as text or as a video, get in touch.