Mowlem

For people named Mowlem, see Mowlem (surname).

Mowlem was one of the largest construction and civil engineering companies in the United Kingdom. Carillion bought the firm in 2006.

Mowlem

Industry	Construction Business services
Founded	1822
Defunct	2006
Fate	Acquired
Successor	Carillion
Headquarters	London, England
Key people	Joe Darby, (Chairman) Sir John Gains, (CEO)
Number of employees	25,600

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.^[2] During the Second World War the company was one of the contractors engaged in building the Mulberry harbour units.^[3]

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) and the formation of a northern region based in Leeds in 1970.^[4] The network was further augmented by the acquisition of Ernest Ireland of Bath (bought in 1977),^[5] and the acquisition of McTay Engineering of Bromborough, together with its shipbuilding subsidiary McTay Marine (also bought in the late 1970s).^[6]

In 1971 the company expanded overseas purchasing a 40% shareholding in an Australian contractor, Barclay Brothers, and later taking 100% ownership. The Australian business, re-branded Barclay Mowlem, expanded into all other Australian mainland states, except South Australia, and into Asia.^[7]

Mowlem acquired SGB Group, a supplier of scaffolding, in 1986.^[8] 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.^[9]

Mowlem was bought by Carillion in February 2006.^[10]

Major projects

 

Tower 42 built by Mowlem

Major projects undertaken by or involving Mowlem included:

• Billingsgate Fish Market completed in 1874^[11]
• Smithfield Fruit Market completed in 1882^[11]
• Imperial Institute completed in 1887^[11]
• Woolwich Ferry terminals opened in 1889^[12]
• Liverpool Street station and the Great Eastern Hotel completed in 1891^[11]
• Institution of Civil Engineers building completed in 1911^[13]
• Admiralty Arch completed in 1912^[11]
• Port of London Authority Building completed in 1919^[14]
• Bush House completed in 1923^[15]
• London Post Office Railway completed in 1927^[16]
• Piccadilly Circus tube station completed in 1928^[13]
• Battersea Power Station completed in 1933^[15]
• Mulberry harbour units completed in 1943^[3]
• Reconstruction works at Buckingham Palace in 1943 following bomb damage^[14]
• Reconstruction of the House of Commons in 1947 also following bomb damage^[14]
• William Girling Reservoir completed in 1951^[17]
• Hunterston A nuclear power station completed in 1957^[18]
• Strand underpass completed in 1962^[15]
• Millbank Tower completed in 1963^[13]
• Reconstruction of 10 Downing Street in 1963^[14]
• Marine terminal for a joint venture of Esso and Pappas Petroleum in Thessaloniki completed in 1965^[19]
• New altar for Westminster Abbey in 1966^[13]
• London Bridge completed in 1972^[20]
• Natwest Tower completed in 1979^[21]
• Mount Pleasant Airfield completed in 1986^[22]
• Docklands Light Railway completed in 1987^[23]
• Manchester Metrolink completed in 1991^[24]
• Refurbishment of Thames House completed in 1994^[25]
• Refurbishment of the Albert Memorial completed in 1998^[26]
• Expansion of James Cook University Hospital completed in 2003^[27]
• Spinnaker Tower completed in 2005^[28]
• Twickenham Stadium South Stand completed in 2006^[29]
• Dublin Port Tunnel completed in 2006^[30]

Mowlem was also the owner and developer of London City Airport completed in 1986.^[31]

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

1. "Burt, Sir John Mowlem, Kt". National Maritime Museum Cornwall. NMMC. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
2. Mowlem 1822–1972 – Mowlem Public Relations brochure, 1972, p.3
3. Hartcup, p. 94
4. "Mowlem carves up construction division". Manchester Evening News. 30 June 2005. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
5. "Construction group John Mowlem". The Times. 1977.
6. "Mersey Notes" (PDF). Liverpool Nautical Research Society. 1 January 1980. p. 94. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
7. New Firm Papua New Guinea Post-Courier 20 October 1970 page 19
8. Notes on Financial Times Actuaries Index 1986 2005-01-07 at the Wayback Machine
9. Wellings, Fred: Dictionary of British Housebuilders (2006) Troubador. ISBN 978-0-9552965-0-5,
10. Construction firms agree takeover BBC News, 2006
11. Mowlem 1822–1972 – Mowlem Public Relations brochure, 1972, p.4
12. History of the Woolwich Ferry, Royal Borough of Greenwich. Retrieved: 8 December 2015.
13. Mowlem 1822–1972 – Mowlem Public Relations brochure, 1972, p.7
14. Mowlem 1822–1972 – Mowlem Public Relations brochure, 1972, p.8
15. Mowlem 1822–1972 – Mowlem Public Relations brochure, 1972, p.6
16. "Sign in to Photo Forums". time-capsules.co.uk. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
17. Smith, Denis (2001). Civil Engineering Heritage: London and the Thames Valley, p.70. ISBN 9780727728760. Retrieved 25 November 2008.
18. "nuclear-sc-wl". industcards.com. Archived from the original on 19 July 2009. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
19. Civil Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineers, 1966, p. 59
20. Mowlem 1822–1972 – Mowlem Public Relations brochure, 1972, p.9
21. Mowlem dives into the redEvening Standard, 4 February 2005
22. "About the Falklands". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
23. . Exploring 20th Century London. Archived from the original on 15 March 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2009.
24. (PDF). Metrolink. 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 March 2009. Retrieved 28 December 2008.
25. "Thames House and Vauxhall Cross". National Audit Office. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
26. "Mowlem for Albert". Construction News. 3 November 1994. Retrieved 5 June 2012.
27. "Moving three hospitals is a truly major operation". The Journal. 9 December 2003. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
28. "Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth - Building #406". skyscrapernews.com. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
29. "Steel conversion for Twickenham". New Steel Construction. 1 September 2006. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
30. "Dublin Port Tunnel settlement - TunnelTalk". tunneltalk.com. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
31. 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 – Mowlem Public Relations brochure, 1972