This is a thorough exploration of the evolution of the commercial property investment and development markets from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. It explains how the current investment scene emerged and fills an important gap in the literature on the property market.List of tables. List of figures. Acknowledgements. Glossary of abbreviations and technical terms. Introduction. Section One: The evolution of the British commercial property market since 1800.The emergence of a commercial property investment market 1800-1918. The growth of a national commercial property market, 1919-1939. Property investment, development and the capital market between the wars. War and recovery 1939-1954. The property boom 1955-1964. From Brown Ban to Barber Boom 1965-1973. The property crash, aftermath, and recovery 1974-1980. The best of times and the worst of times - the commercial property market since 1980. Section Two: A statistical analysis of the commercial property market.A statistical overview of the property investment market. An econometric analysis of property returns and the volume of institutional property investment. Conclusions. Bibliography. Index. Tables.