Mowlem was one of the largest construction and civil engineering companies in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The company was established as ''John Mowlem and Co.'' by John Mowlem and initially worked on behalf of various

local authorities Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

across London. It expanded throughout the nineteenth century, taking on increasingly prestigious undertakings. The company received the first of several Royal Warrants in 1902. One year later, John Mowlem and Co. was briefly incorporated before being reorganised as a partnership once again; the business was long operated by successive generations of the Mowlem and Burt families, including George Burt, and Sir John Mowlem Burt. During 1924, the company went

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

on the

London Stock Exchange The London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a stock exchange based in London, England. the total market value of all companies trading on the LSE stood at US$3.42 trillion. Its current premises are situated in Paternoster Square close to St Paul's Cath ...

. Throughout the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the company worked on numerous contracts issued by the British government, including the construction of the

Mulberry harbour The Mulberry harbours were two temporary portable harbours developed by the Admiralty (United Kingdom), British Admiralty and War Office during the Second World War to facilitate the rapid offloading of cargo onto beaches during the Allies of ...

units. After the end of the conflict, it continued to developed its network of regional contracting businesses, often via acquisitions. During 1971, the company expanded overseas via its stake in the Australian contractor

Barclay Brothers Sir David Rowat Barclay (27 October 1934 – 10 January 2021) and Sir Frederick Hugh Barclay (born 27 October 1934), commonly referred to as the "Barclay Brothers" or "Barclay Twins", were British billionaire brothers, of whom Frederick Barclay ...

, which it would later take whole ownership of. Mowlem entered the private house building sector during 1986 although, following a recession during the early 1990s, it sold on the housing division to the rival homebuilder Beazer in 1994. The mid-2000s was a period of great change for Mowlem. It entered a period of financial difficulties in part attributed to several high-profile projects not going to plan. After losses totalling £73.4 million were recorded in 2005, its construction services operation was restructured and 300 jobs were lost at the company. During December 2005, it was announced that rival contracting company

Carillion Carillion plc was a British multinational construction and facilities management services company headquartered in Wolverhampton in the United Kingdom, prior to its liquidation in January 2018. Carillion was created in July 1999, following a ...

was acquiring Mowlem for £291 million. Use of the Mowlem name was discontinued soon thereafter. However, in 2024, the Mowlem trademark was acquired by BHM Construction International UK Ltd from the administrators of Carillion. BHM Construction International UK Ltd subsequently started trading as Mowlem.

History

The firm was founded as ''John Mowlem and Co.'' by the

stonemason Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. Stonemasonry is the craft of shaping and arranging stones, often together with mortar and even the ancient lime mortar ...

John Mowlem in London in 1822. The company undertook a variety of jobs across London throughout the mid-nineteenth century; early activities were centred around paving and roadworks at the behest of various

. The business was able to expand considerably towards the end of the century, permitting it to perform prestigious activities, such as its involvement in preparatory works at

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

for the

Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria was officially celebrated on 22 June 1897 to mark the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession on 20 June 1837. Queen Victoria was the first British monarch ever to celebrate a Diamond ...

in 1887. During 1902, the company received a Royal Warrant from the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

in recognition of the quality of its workmanship; additional warrants would be received in 1910 and 1920. By this time, John Mowlem and Co. had become a partnership that was operated by successive generations of the Mowlem and Burt families, including George Burt, and Sir John Mowlem Burt. George Mowlem Burt, a civil engineer and grandson of George Burt, has been credited with successfully guiding the company through the construction of various large scale public works, including the

Admiralty Arch The Admiralty Arch is a historic landmark building in London, providing road and pedestrian access between The Mall, London, The Mall, which extends to the southwest, and Trafalgar Square to the northeast. Commissioned by King Edward VII in mem ...

and the Port of London Authority Building, as well as various maintenance contracts on behalf of the

Office of Works The Office of Works was an organisation responsible for structures and exterior spaces, first established as part of the English royal household in 1378 to oversee the building and maintenance of the royal castles and residences. In 1832 it be ...

, amongst others. The company was briefly incorporated during 1903, but reverted back to being a private company in 1908. During 1924, the company went

on the

.''Mowlem 1822–1972'' – Mowlem Public Relations brochure, 1972, p. 3. During the

, the company's reputation from its works during the

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

led to it being awarded numerous contracts from the British government. One particularly high-profile project that it was a contractor upon was the construction of the

units.Hartcup 2011, p. 94. Other wartime construction projects included the Royal Ordinance Factory Swynnerton as well as numerous tunnels and runways; the associated contracts were collectively valued at £29 million. Having developed itself as 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 Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

in 1970. This network was further augmented by the acquisition of Ernest Ireland of

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

during 1977, as well as the purchase of McTay Engineering of

Bromborough Bromborough ( ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England, on the Wirral Peninsula south-east of Bebington and north of Eastham. It lies within the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, and became part of Merseysi ...

together with its shipbuilding subsidiary McTay Marine during the late 1970s. During 1971, the company expanded overseas via the purchase of a 40% shareholding in the Australian contractor

, in which it later took total ownership of. The Australian business, re-branded ''Barclay Mowlem'', expanded into all other Australian mainland states, except

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

, as well into Asia. In 1982, the partent company was re-registered as ''John Mowlem and Co. plc''. During 1986, Mowlem acquired the

scaffolding Scaffolding, also called scaffold or staging, is a temporary structure used to support a work crew and materials to aid in the construction, maintenance and repair of buildings, bridges and all other human-made structures. Scaffolds are widely u ...

specialist SGB Group; its purchase of Unit Construction that same year gave the company a substantial presence in the private house building sector. Within two years, sales were up to an annual rate of 1,200 homes. However, a recession during the early 1990s led to Mowlem incurring losses in excess of £180m between 1991 and 1993, which placed pressure upon its banking covenants that compelled it to respond. During 1994, the company divested itself of its housing division via its sale to the rival homebuilder Beazer. The company also opted to sell off SGB during the late 1990s. In 1984, a joint venture between Mowlem and GEC was awarded a contract to deliver the

Docklands Light Railway The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is an automated medium-capacity rail system, light metro system primarily serving the redeveloped London Docklands, Docklands area of London and providing a direct connection between London's two major financi ...

(DLR), a fully automated transport system using light rail vehicles serving the redeveloped Docklands area of London. Over the next two decades, the DLR would prove to be quite lucrative for Mowlem. During the mid-2000s, Mowlem entered into a period of financial difficulties; in 2005 alone, it issued four separate profit warnings and recorded losses totalling £73.4 million. Several projects undertaken by the firm, such as the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth and the Bath Spa, had encountered considerable difficulties. Simon Vivian, the company's chief executive, ordered a financial review of its ongoing projects along with the restructuring of its construction services operation, splitting it into three divisions (Mowlem Building, Mowlem Infrastructure and Mowlem Engineering) and enacting roughly 300 job losses. During December 2005, it was announced that rival construction company

was set to acquire Mowlem in exchange for £291 million. The two companies were considered to be a good fit for one another, both having heavily involved themselves in various

private finance initiative The private finance initiative (PFI) was a United Kingdom government procurement policy aimed at creating "public–private partnerships" (PPPs) where private firms are contracted to complete and manage public projects. Initially launched in 1992 ...

(PFI) schemes, taking on various responsibilities and functions traditionally performed by national governments. After the acquisition was completed, Mowlem ceased to exist as an entity, having been absorbed into Carillion's operations. Carillion's management publicly expressed the view that the Mowlem acquisition had led to some difficulties for the company. The Mowlem trade mark was acquired by BHM Construction International UK Ltd in 2024 from the administrators of Carillion. BHM Construction International UK Ltd subsequently started trading as Mowlem.

Major projects

Tower 42 looking north from Bishopsgate 2011-05-04

Major projects undertaken by or involving Mowlem included: *

Billingsgate Fish Market Billingsgate Fish Market is the United Kingdom's largest inland fish market. It takes its name from Billingsgate, a ward in the south-east corner of the City of London, where the riverside market was originally established. In its original locati ...

completed in 1874''Mowlem 1822–1972'' – Mowlem Public Relations brochure, 1972, p. 4. *

Clerkenwell Road Clerkenwell Road is a street in London. It runs west–east from Gray's Inn Road in the west, to Goswell Road in the east. Its continuation at either end is Theobald's Road and Old Street respectively. Clerkenwell Road and Theobalds Road wer ...

completed in 1878 * Smithfield Fruit Market completed in 1882 * Imperial Institute completed in 1887 *

Woolwich Ferry The Woolwich Ferry is a free vehicle and pedestrian ferry across the River Thames in East London, connecting Woolwich on the south bank with North Woolwich on the north. It is licensed and financed by London River Services, the maritime arm ...

terminals opened in 1889 *

Liverpool Street station Liverpool Street station, also known as London Liverpool Street, is a major central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, in the ward of Bishopsgate Without. It i ...

and the Great Eastern Hotel completed in 1891 *

Institution of Civil Engineers The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an independent professional association for civil engineers and a Charitable organization, charitable body in the United Kingdom. Based in London, ICE has over 92,000 members, of whom three-quarters ar ...

building completed in 1911''Mowlem 1822–1972'' – Mowlem Public Relations brochure, 1972, p. 7. *

completed in 1912 * Port of London Authority Building completed in 1919 *

Bush House Bush House is a Grade II listed building at the southern end of Kingsway between Aldwych and the Strand in London, England. It was conceived as a major new trade centre by American industrialist Irving T. Bush, and commissioned, designed, ...

completed in 1923''Mowlem 1822–1972'' – Mowlem Public Relations brochure, 1972, p. 6. * London Post Office Railway completed in 1927 *

Piccadilly Circus tube station Piccadilly Circus is a London Underground station in Central London. It is located directly beneath Piccadilly Circus itself, with entrances at every corner. The station is served by the Bakerloo line, Bakerloo and Piccadilly line, Piccadilly l ...

completed in 1928 *

Battersea Power Station Battersea Power Station is a decommissioned coal-fired power station located on the south bank of the River Thames in Nine Elms, Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It was built by the London Power Company (LPC) to the design of ...

completed in 1933 *

units completed in 1943 * Reconstruction works at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

in 1943 following bomb damage''Mowlem 1822–1972'' – Mowlem Public Relations brochure, 1972, p. 8. * Reconstruction of the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

in 1947 also following bomb damage * William Girling Reservoir completed in 1951 * Hunterston A nuclear power station completed in 1957 *

Strand underpass The Strand underpass is a one-way road tunnel in central London connecting Waterloo Bridge to Kingsway, London, Kingsway near Holborn. Opened in 1964, it was built within the former Kingsway tramway subway, which closed in the 1950s. It is open ...

completed in 1962 *

Millbank Tower Millbank Tower is a skyscraper in the City of Westminster at Millbank, by the River Thames in London, England. The tower was constructed in 1963, and has been home to many high-profile political organisations, including the Labour Party (UK), L ...

completed in 1963 * Reconstruction of

10 Downing Street 10 Downing Street in London is the official residence and office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, prime minister of the United Kingdom. Colloquially known as Number 10, the building is located in Downing Street, off Whitehall in th ...

in 1963 * Marine terminal for a joint venture of

Esso Esso () is a trading name for ExxonMobil. Originally, the name was primarily used by its predecessor Standard Oil of New Jersey after the breakup of the original Standard Oil company in 1911. The company adopted the name "Esso" (from the phon ...

and Pappas Petroleum in

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...

completed in 1965 * New altar for

in 1966 *

London Bridge The name "London Bridge" refers to several historic crossings that have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark in central London since Roman Britain, Roman times. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 197 ...

completed in 1972''Mowlem 1822–1972'' – Mowlem Public Relations brochure, 1972, p. 9. * Natwest Tower completed in 1979 * Mount Pleasant Airfield completed in 1986 *

completed in 1987 *

Manchester Metrolink Manchester Metrolink is a tram/light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. The network has List of Manchester Metrolink tram stops, 99 stops along of standard-gauge route, making it the Transport in the United Kingdom#Trams and light ra ...

completed in 1991 * Refurbishment of

Thames House Thames House is an office building in Millbank, London, on the north bank of the River Thames adjacent to Lambeth Bridge. Originally used as offices by Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI), it has served as the headquarters of the United Kingdom's ...

completed in 1994 * Refurbishment of the

Albert Memorial The Albert Memorial is a Gothic Revival Ciborium (architecture), ciborium in Kensington Gardens, London, designed and dedicated to the memory of Albert, Prince Consort, Prince Albert of Great Britain. Located directly north of the Royal Albert Ha ...

completed in 1998 * Expansion of

James Cook University Hospital The James Cook University Hospital, formerly known as the South Cleveland Hospital, is a public tertiary referral hospital and regional major trauma centre in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England with 1,046 beds. It forms part of the South ...

completed in 2003 * Spinnaker Tower completed in 2005 *

Twickenham Stadium Twickenham Stadium (; usually known as Twickenham, and for sponsorship purposes known as the Allianz Stadium Twickenham) is a rugby union stadium in Twickenham, London, England. It is owned by the Rugby Football Union (RFU), the English rugby u ...

South Stand completed in 2006 * Dublin Port Tunnel completed in 2006 Mowlem was also the owner and developer of

London City Airport London City Airport is an international airport in London, England. It is located in the Royal Docks in the London Borough of Newham, Borough of Newham, about east of the City of London and east of Canary Wharf. These are the two centres ...

completed in 1986.

References

Citations

Sources

* * ''Mowlem 1822–1972'' – Mowlem Public Relations brochure, 1972 {{Authority control British companies established in 1822 Construction and civil engineering companies of the United Kingdom Companies formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange 1822 establishments in England Defunct construction and civil engineering companies British companies disestablished in 2006 Construction and civil engineering companies established in 1822 2006 disestablishments in England Construction and civil engineering companies disestablished in 2006

History

Major projects

See also

References

Citations

Sources