of Hammersmith (1934), public works contractors and estate developers.
of 27 Hammersmith Grove, London W6 (1978)
1880 Wimpeys was founded; George Wimpey moved into Hammersmith Grove where he set up a stonemason's yard in partnership with Walter Tomes, a skilled mason.
1894 Awarded the contract to build the new Hammersmith Town Hall.
1890s Built tramways in London and Lowestoft
1900 George Wimpey junior joined the firm. Built drains and pathways at the White City Exhibition complex for the 1908 Olympic Games
1913 After his death, George's two elder sons continued the business
1919 After the war, the business had diminished and it was sold to Godfrey Mitchell, a young army captain. Incorporated as a private company
The second phase of the growth of the company began.
1928 Contractors for surfacing Barnet bypass[1]
1930s Diversified into housing, asphalting and civil engineering
1931 Opened first regional office, in Edinburgh
1934 Converted into a public company[2]
1934 AGM included an overview of the history and work of the company[3]
WWII Built docks, airfields and ordnance factories. Involved in open-cast coal mining for the first time.
Post-WWII Growing involvement in local authority housing using the No-fines technique and private house building. Large construction contracts including the Abbey Works for Steel Co of Wales and offices and factories for Vauxhall Motors. New markets developed overseas.
1949 Built the Ardour Bridge, Pitlochry.
1960s Much work constructing motorways
1970s Started work on North Sea constructions in conjunction with Brown and Root. Diversification into builders merchants and waste management.
Acquired W. W. Hall and D. A Monteith, builders merchants
1978 George Wimpey Ltd was incorporated as a holding company. It acquired George Wimpey and Co Ltd
1978 Vac-All Plant Services Ltd was renamed Wimpey Waste Management Ltd
1979 Wimpey Homes Holdings continued to be the largest builder of private houses in Britain. Acquired Donald Moody building firm and Baird Lindsay group of builders merchants
1981 Re-registered as George Wimpey PLC
1982 George Wimpey bought out Brown and Root's 50 percent share of the Great Yarmouth module fabrication yard. Wimpey also acquired the nearby Marine Base Stevedores as a further offshore service. Brown and Root retained a 50:50 share of the Highlands Fabricators yard at Nigg Bay with Wimpey.[4]
1984 Sold its holding in A. and P. Appledore[5]
1986 Acquired the module fabrication facilities of SLP at Lowestoft which complemented Wimpey's design and construction resources in the energy field, to give the company a leading position in the expected upturn in Southern North Sea gas projects[6]
1991 Wimpey Waste Management Ltd was sold to Wessex Waste Management Ltd, a subsidiary of WMX Technologies Inc
See Also
Sources of Information
- 1979 Annual report