Taylor Woodrow Construction

The Taylor Woodrow business was founded in Blackpool in 1921 as a housebuilder by Frank Taylor and his uncle, Jack Woodrow, creating the Taylor Woodrow name.{{cite book |last = Jenkins |first = Alan |title = On Site 1921-71 |publisher = Heinemann |location = London, UK |year = 1971 |isbn = 0-434-90890-8 |page = 226p }} In 1930, Taylor moved to London and his business eventually established headquarters in Southall.[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22402 'Norwood, including Southall: Economic and social history', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4: Harmondsworth, Hayes, Norwood with Southall, Hillingdon with Uxbridge, Ickenham, Northolt, Perivale, Ruislip, Edgware, Harrow with Pinner (1971), pp. 45-48] Date accessed: 9 October 2010 In 1935, the housebuilding business was floated on the London Stock Exchange as Taylor Woodrow Estates.Company prospectus In 1937, Taylor Woodrow Construction was formed and, after a modest start, the company was soon engaged in defence work. Shortly following the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, private housing development stopped, and for six years Taylor Woodrow built military camps, airfields and factories, and worked on the Mulberry harbour units.

By 1945, Taylor Woodrow had become a substantial construction business, and it expanded into domestic civil construction work and internationally, working in East Africa (it was involved in the notorious Groundnut Scheme), then west and South Africa and, in the 1950s, Australia, Canada and the middle east. In the UK, Taylor Woodrow Construction became a prominent contractor in the power generation industry, building first conventional power stations and then the world's first commercial nuclear power station, Calder Hall. Hartlepool, Hinkley Point A, Wylfa and Sizewell A followed. In the private sector, notable contracts included terminal buildings at London Heathrow airport, and the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral.

Work in the middle east helped grow Taylor Woodrow’s international construction business and by the mid 1970s overseas profits accounted for two thirds of group profits. The centrepiece was the joint venture with Costain to build the dry docks at Port Rashid, Dubai, described as "the largest single overseas contract ever undertaken by the British construction industry".{{cite book |last = Jenkins |first = Alan |title = Built on Teamwork - Sequel to On Site |publisher = Heinemann |location = London, UK |year = 1980 |isbn = 0-434-37289-7 |page = 245p}}

However, by the 1980s, middle east construction was declining and the parent Taylor Woodrow group was increasingly focused on housebuilding and the commercial property market.Wellings, Fred: Dictionary of British Housebuilders (2006) Troubador. {{ISBN|978-0-9552965-0-5}} Taylor Woodrow Construction was part of the Channel Tunnel consortium (completed in 1994) but its operations were less important to the group. A series of mergers and acquisitions culminated in the £6 billion merger with George Wimpey forming Taylor Wimpey in March 2007,{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6494387.stm |title=BBC NEWS - Business - Wimpey and Woodrow agree to merge |work=bbc.co.uk |date=26 March 2007 |access-date=15 March 2015}} and just over a year later, in September 2008, Vinci plc, the British subsidiary of France's Vinci SA, acquired Taylor Woodrow Construction from Taylor Wimpey for £74m.{{cite magazine |last1=McKenna |first1=John |title=Acquisition: Vinci buys Taylor Woodrow |url=https://www.newcivilengineer.com/acquisition-vinci-buys-taylor-woodrow/1841244.article |access-date=15 March 2019 |magazine=New Civil Engineer |date=10 September 2008}}{{cite web |title=VINCI strengthens position in the UK by acquiring Taylor Woodrow Construction |url=https://www.vinci.com/vinci.nsf/en/press-releases/pages/20080909-2016.htm |website=VINCI.com |access-date=15 March 2019}}

Major projects completed by Taylor Woodrow included:

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• the Mulberry harbours completed in 1944{{cite book |first = Guy |last = Hartup |title = Code Name Mulberry: The Planning Building and Operation of the Normandy Harbours |page = 94}}
• the Tanganyika groundnut scheme completed in 1951{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-rodney-thomas-1345982.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-rodney-thomas-1345982.html |archive-date=26 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Obituary: Rodney Thomas |work=The Independent |date=6 May 1996 |access-date=19 September 2010 |location=London, UK |first=Andrew |last=Lambirth}}
• Calder Hall nuclear power station completed in 1956{{cite web |url=http://www.engineering-timelines.com/scripts/engineeringItem.asp?id=778 |title=Calder Hall Nuclear Power Station |publisher=Engineering Times |access-date=19 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307231514/http://www.engineering-timelines.com/scripts/engineeringItem.asp?id=778 |archive-date=7 March 2012 }}
• Hinkley Point A nuclear power station completed in 1965{{cite web |url=http://www.neimagazine.com/journals/Power/NEI/August_2009/attachments/uk_consortia1b.pdf |title=The UK Magnox and AGR Power Station Projects, p. 22 |publisher=Manchester University |access-date=19 September 2010 }}{{dead link|date=May 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
• Westminster City Hall completed in 1965{{cite web |url=http://research.historicengland.org.uk/redirect.aspx?id=7096%7CLONDON%27S%20TOWN%20HALLS |title=London's Town Halls |page=207 |publisher=Historic England |access-date=16 May 2020}}
• Sizewell A nuclear power station completed in 1966
• Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral completed in 1967
• Ronan Point completed in 1968{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/16/newsid_2514000/2514277.stm |title= 1968: Three die as tower block collapses |date= 16 May 1968 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=16 June 2016}}
• Wylfa Nuclear Power Station completed in 1971
• Port Rashid in Dubai completed in 1972
• Kensington Town Hall in London completed in 1976{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dzmtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT95 |title=In the Nick of Time - The Autobiography of John Altman, EastEnders' Nick Cotton |first= John |last=Altman |year=2016 |publisher=John Blake Publishing |isbn=978-1786062567}}
• Wolverhampton Civic Centre completed in 1978{{cite web |url=http://www.historywebsite.co.uk/interesting/civic/civiccentre.htm |title=Civic Trust Awards in Wolverhampton |publisher=History Website |access-date=21 April 2020}}
• Queen's Medical Centre (QMC) in Nottingham, completed around 1979Times Tuesday April 6 1971, page 20
• Hartlepool Nuclear Power Station completed in 1983
• Heathrow Terminal 4 completed in 1986Times Friday May 25 1984, page 15
• the Channel Tunnel completed in 1994{{cite web |url=http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?ID=s0000334 |title=EuroTunnel |publisher=Structurae |access-date=10 July 2009}}
• the Riverside Stadium on Teesside completed in 1995{{cite web |url=http://www.mfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/Stadium/0,,1,00.html |title=Stadium |work=History |publisher=Middlesbrough Football Club |access-date=10 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061211103527/http://www.mfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/Stadium/0%2C%2C1%2C00.html |archive-date=11 December 2006 }}
• Amersham and Wycombe Hospitals completed in 2000{{cite news |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4028/is_200108/ai_n8960399/pg_3/ |title=Project: Bucks fizz |date=August 2001 |last=Scher |first=Peter |publisher=Hospitality Design (republished by FindArticles.com) |access-date=10 July 2009}}
• the redevelopment of the Royal Albert Hall completed in 2003{{cite web |url=http://www.bdp.com/Projects/By-Name/P-Z/Royal-Albert-Hall/ |title=Royal Albert Hall |publisher=BDP |access-date=10 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090415000524/http://bdp.com/Projects/By-Name/P-Z/Royal-Albert-Hall/ |archive-date=15 April 2009 }}
• the Princess Royal University Hospital at Farnborough completed in 2003{{cite web |url=http://www.bromleyhospitals.nhs.uk/patients/about-bromley-hospitals-trust/our-hospitals/the-princess-royal-university-hospital/fact-sheet/ |title=Princess Royal University Hospital Fact Sheet |publisher=Bromley Hospitals |access-date=10 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090208193847/http://www.bromleyhospitals.nhs.uk/patients/about-bromley-hospitals-trust/our-hospitals/the-princess-royal-university-hospital/fact-sheet/ |archive-date=8 February 2009 }}
• the National Assembly for Wales at Cardiff Bay completed in 2006{{cite web |url=http://www.assemblywales.org/sen-home/sen-projecthistory/sen-project-history-subpage/sen-project-history-2009 |title=Senedd Project History: 2003 |publisher=National Assembly for Wales |access-date=10 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091106111330/http://www.assemblywales.org/sen-home/sen-projecthistory/sen-project-history-subpage/sen-project-history-2009 |archive-date=6 November 2009 }}
• the King's Cross Western Ticketing Hall completed in 2006{{cite news |url=http://www.arup.com/unitedkingdom/newsitem.cfm?pageid=8497 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060630133152/http://www.arup.com/unitedkingdom/newsitem.cfm?pageid=8497 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2006-06-30 |title=New Western Ticket Hall opens at King's Cross St Pancras |last=Richardson |first=Ben |date=30 June 2006 |publisher=Arup |access-date=10 July 2009 }}

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Today's Vinci Construction UK started as a concrete specialist, Holst & Co, founded in 1918 in London by Danish civil engineers Knud Holst and Christian Lunoe. Five years later, in Liverpool, another business, Norwest Construction was founded in Liverpool. The two businesses merged in 1969 to form Norwest Holst, which - during the 1980s - was the largest privately owned construction group in the UK.{{cite web |title=About us: Heritage |url=https://www.vinciconstruction.co.uk/about-us/heritage/ |website=Vinci Construction |access-date=20 January 2021}}

In 1991, a French company, SGE, acquired a majority shareholding in Norwest Holst, which, in 2002, was renamed Vinci plc and acquired London-based contractor Crispin & Borst. Weaver plc was acquired in 2007.

In early 2009, Vinci planned to reorganise all UK operations under one name,{{cite news |last1=Whitten |first1=Nick |title=End of an era for Taylor Woodrow |url=https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/home/end-of-an-era-for-taylor-woodrow/1973741.article |access-date=15 March 2019 |work=Construction News |date=23 January 2009}} but the Taylor Woodrow brand was eventually retained (though the company's 'teamwork' logo was retained by Taylor Wimpey).{{cite news |last1=Gardiner |first1=Joey |title=Taywood loses tug-of-war for logo |url=https://www.building.co.uk/news/taywood-loses-tug-of-war-for-logo/3122261.article |access-date=15 March 2019 |work=Building |date=12 September 2008}} In 2011, the civil engineering division of Vinci Construction UK was rebranded as Taylor Woodrow in recognition of "its world-class heritage in civil engineering projects".

In 2021, Taylor Woodrow Construction generated a profit of £8.6m on revenues of £319m. The business had increased its focus on new energy markets and won four commissions from Transport for London for pre-construction work on stations in London.{{cite news |last1=Morby |first1=Aaron |title=Vinci Construction UK profit doubles to £24m |url=https://www.constructionenquirer.com/2022/05/09/vinci-construction-uk-profit-doubles-to-24m/ |access-date=9 May 2022 |work=Construction Enquirer |date=9 May 2022}}

Major projects completed by Taylor Woodrow Construction following the reorganisation and rebranding included:

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• the Western Concourse at London King's Cross railway station completed in 2012{{cite web |url=https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/kings-cross-station-western-concourse-contract-announcement |title=King's Cross Station Western Concourse Contract |publisher=Network Rail |date=12 May 2008 |access-date=14 January 2021}}
• the Victoria Underground station North Ticketing Hall completed in 2017{{cite news |url=https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/the-gallery-victoria-station-ticket-hall-opens-17-01-2017/ |title=Victoria Station ticket hall opens |date=17 January 2017 |newspaper=New Civil Engineer |access-date=14 January 2021}}
• the enlarged ticket hall at Tottenham Court Road tube station for Crossrail completed in 2017{{Cite web |url=https://sasint.co.uk/projects/tottenham-court-road-london/ |title=Tottenham Court Road London |publisher=SAS Special Projects |access-date=14 January 2021}}
• Allerton waste recovery park completed in 2018{{cite news |url=https://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/news/view/allerton-waste-plant-stays-on-track |title=Allerton waste plant stays on track |date=13 September 2016 |newspaper=Construction Index |access-date=14 January 2022}}
• Old Oak Common traction maintenance depot expansion for Crossrail completed in 2018{{cite news |url=https://www.railwaygazette.com/infrastructure/old-oak-common-elizabeth-line-depot-opens/46431.article |title=Old Oak Common Elizabeth Line depot opens |date=10 May 2018 |newspaper=Railway Gazette |access-date=14 January 2022}}
• the new ticket hall and entrance at White Hart Lane railway station completed in 2019{{cite web |url=https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2017/july/transformation-of-white-hart-lane-station-moves-a-step-closer |title=Transformation of White Hart Lane station moves a step closer |publisher=Transport for London |date=11 July 2017 |access-date=14 January 2021}}
• the redevelopment of Crown Point Train Maintenance Depot in Norwich completed in 2021{{cite news |url=https://www.railmagazine.com/news/network/40-million-norwich-crown-point-upgrade-under-way |title=£40 million Norwich Crown Point upgrade under way |date=24 April 2018 |newspaper=Rail Magazine |access-date=14 January 2021}}
• the expansion of Whitechapel station for Crossrail completed in 2021{{cite web |url=https://www.constructionenquirer.com/2021/08/24/bbmv-hands-over-latest-completed-crossrail-station/ |title=BBMV hands over latest completed Crossrail station |date=1 August 2021 |newspaper=Construction Enquirer |access-date=14 January 2021}}
• Edmonton EcoPark South due to be completed in 2023{{cite news |url=https://www.constructionenquirer.com/2021/01/26/taylor-woodrow-starts-on-100m-recycling-centre/ |title=Taylor Woodrow starts on £100m recycling centre |newspaper=Construction Enquirer |date=1 January 2021 |access-date=14 January 2022}}{{efn|This project used "ultra-low" carbon concrete, a product Vinci Construction had been pioneering.{{cite news |url=https://www.geplus.co.uk/news/ultra-low-carbon-concrete-poured-at-london-sustainable-waste-hub-17-01-2022/ |title='Ultra-low' carbon concrete poured at London sustainable waste hub |date=17 January 2022 |newspaper=Ground Engineering |access-date=18 January 2022}}}}
• Old Oak Common Station due to be completed in 2030{{cite magazine |title=Old Oak Common: No Ordinary Station |date=15 July 2020 |issue=909 |pages=48–49 |magazine=RAIL}}

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Taylor Woodrow Construction is also involved in HS2 lots N1 and N2, working as part of joint venture, due to complete in 2031.{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jul/17/hs2-high-speed-rail-contracts-worth-66bn-awarded-uk-chris-grayling |title=HS2 contracts worth £6.6bn awarded by UK government |publisher=The Guardian |language=en-gb |date=17 July 2017 |access-date=13 October 2017}}

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• [http://www.taylorwoodrow.com/ Taylor Woodrow]

{{Construction industry of the United Kingdom}}

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Category:Construction and civil engineering companies of the United Kingdom

Category:Construction and civil engineering companies established in 1937

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Category:1937 establishments in England

Category:British companies established in 1937

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Category:British companies disestablished in 2007

Category:Manufacturing companies disestablished in 2007