Mowlem
| Industry | Construction Business services |
|---|---|
| Fate | Acquired |
| Successor | Carillion |
| Founded | 1822 |
| Defunct | 2006 |
| Headquarters | London, UK |
Key people | Joe Darby, (Chairman) Sir John Gains, (CEO) |
Number of employees | 25,600 |
Mowlem was one of the largest construction and civil engineering companies in the United Kingdom. Carillion bought the firm in 2006.
Contents
1 History
2 Major projects
3 See also
4 References
5 Sources
History
The firm was founded by John Mowlem in 1822, and was continued as a partnership by successive generations of the Mowlem and Burt families, including George Burt, and Sir John Mowlem Burt.[1]
The company was awarded a Royal Warrant in 1902 and went public on the London Stock Exchange in 1924. A long-standing national contractor, Mowlem developed a network of regional contracting businesses including Rattee and Kett of Cambridge (bought in 1926); E. Thomas of the west country (bought in 1965); Ernest Ireland of Bath; and the formation of a northern region in 1970. During the Second World War the company was one of the contractors engaged in building the Mulberry harbour units.[2]
Mowlem acquired SGB Group, a supplier of scaffolding, in 1986.[3] Mowlem also bought Unit Construction in 1986, giving the firm a substantial presence in private housebuilding - within two years, sales were up to an annual rate of 1,200. The ensuing recession led to losses of over £180m between 1991 and 1993 and banking covenants came under pressure. The housing division was sold to Beazer in 1994.[4]
Mowlem was bought by Carillion in February 2006.[5]
Major projects
Major projects undertaken by or involving Mowlem in the 19th century included Billingsgate Fish Market, completed in 1874;[6]Smithfield Fruit Market, completed in 1882;[6] the Imperial Institute, completed in 1887;[6] the Woolwich Ferry terminals, opened in 1889;[7] and Liverpool Street station and the Great Eastern Hotel, completed in 1891.[6]
Tower 42 Built by Mowlem
Major projects undertaken by or involving Mowlem in the first half of the 20th century included the Institution of Civil Engineers completed in 1911,[8]Admiralty Arch completed in 1912,[6] the Port of London Authority Building completed in 1919,[9]Bush House completed in 1923,[10] the London Post Office Railway completed in 1927,[11]Piccadilly Circus tube station completed in 1928,[8]Battersea Power Station completed in 1933,[10] the reconstruction works at Buckingham Palace in 1943 following bomb damage[9] and the reconstruction of the House of Commons in 1947 also following bomb damage.[9]
Later works included the William Girling Reservoir completed in 1951,[12]Hunterston A nuclear power station completed in 1957,[13] the Strand Underpass completed in 1962,[10]Millbank Tower completed in 1963,[8] the reconstruction of 10 Downing Street in 1963,[9] a new nave and altar for Westminster Abbey in 1966,[8]London Bridge completed in 1972,[14] the Natwest Tower completed in 1979,[15]Mount Pleasant Airfield completed in 1986,[16] the Docklands Light Railway completed in 1987,[17] the Manchester Metrolink completed in 1991,[18] the refurbishment of Thames House completed in 1994,[19] the refurbishment of the Albert Memorial completed in 1998,[20] the expansion of James Cook University Hospital completed in 2003,[21] the Alice Springs to Darwin railway completed in 2003,[22] the Spinnaker Tower completed in 2005,[23] the Twickenham Stadium South Stand completed in 2006[24] and the Dublin Port Tunnel completed in 2006.[25]
Mowlem was also the owner and developer of London City Airport completed in 1986.[26]
See also
John Mowlem - Biography of the founder of the company
George Burt - Biography of his successor as manager of the company
Edgar Beck - Biography of chairman then president between 1961-2000- Frank Baines History of John Mowlem unpublished typescript history held at London Metropolitan Archives
References
^ "Burt, Sir John Mowlem, Kt". National Maritime Museum Cornwall. NMMC. Retrieved 8 December 2015..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ Hartcup, p. 94
^ Notes on Financial Times Actuaries Index 1986 Archived 2005-01-07 at the Wayback Machine.
^ Wellings, Fred: Dictionary of British Housebuilders (2006) Troubador.
ISBN 978-0-9552965-0-5,
^ Construction firms agree takeover BBC News, 2006
^ abcde Mowlem 1822 - 1972, p.4
^ History of the Woolwich Ferry, Royal Borough of Greenwich. Retrieved: 8 December 2015.
^ abcd Mowlem 1822 - 1972, p.7
^ abcd Mowlem 1822 - 1972, p.8
^ abc Mowlem 1822 - 1972, p.6
^ "Sign in to Photo Forums". time-capsules.co.uk. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
^ Smith, Denis. Civil Engineering Heritage: London and the Thames Valley, p.70. Retrieved 25 November 2008.
^ "nuclear-sc-wl". industcards.com. Archived from the original on 17 August 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
^ Mowlem 1822 - 1972, p.9
^ Mowlem dives into the red Evening Standard, 4 February 2005
^ "About the Falklands". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
^ "Docklands Light Railway (D.L.R.)". Exploring 20th Century London. Retrieved 3 September 2009.
^ "Past, Present and Future" (PDF). Metrolink. 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-03-25. Retrieved 2008-12-28.
^ "Thames House and Vauxhall Cross". National Audit Office. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
^ "Mowlem for Albert". Construction News. 3 November 1994. Retrieved 5 June 2012.
^ "Moving three hospitals is a truly major operation". The Journal. 9 December 2003. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
^ "AustralAsia link making rapid progress". The Railway Gazzette. 1 April 2002. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
^ "Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth - Building #406". skyscrapernews.com. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
^ "Steel conversion for Twickenham". New Steel Construction. 1 September 2006. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
^ "Dublin Port Tunnel settlement - TunnelTalk". tunneltalk.com. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
^ Mowlem sighs with relief on pounds 15.5m disposal The Guardian, 31 October 1995
Sources
Hartcup, Guy (2011). Code Name Mulberry: The Planning Building and Operation of the Normandy Harbours. Pen & Sword Military. ISBN 978-1848845589.
Mowlem 1822 - 1972 - company brochure