Diversity helps Bramall to reach milestone

Now the Rotherham-based company, which now specialises in social housing, is marking a significant milestone with the celebration of its 80th anniversary.

The company was launched as a general contractor in 1931 by George Bramall and Dick Ogden, then called Bramall and Ogden, and has since grown to employ over 950 people across England and Wales.

Bramall has a turnover of £225m and forms part of the Keepmoat Group of companies, specialising in refurbishment, new buildings, specialist housing and bringing schools up to modern standards.

The company was the first social housing contractor to be assessed under the Government’s Code for Sustainable Homes for a scheme of 82 homes in Illingworth, Halifax.

Bramall has adapted six Rotherham Council-owned homes, bringing them up to energy efficiency standards with £150,000 from the Technology Strategy Board. The project involved fitting the homes with new equipment in order to reduce heat loss and improve thermal efficiency.

A further four homes in Kettlethorpe, Wakefield, were adapted with a further £150,000 funding from the same body.

Bramall has improved over 90,000 homes through the Government’s Decent Homes programme and other regeneration projects.

One of the largest schemes was carried out in Wakefield where over 8,000 homes have been adapted.

Although the company was supported during the economic downturn by Government housing schemes, many of these projects have come to an end.

Now the company is diversifying into new areas, such as Extra Care housing for older residents, to make up for the cutbacks in the public sector.

Neil Baxter, managing director of Bramall Construction in Yorkshire, Humberside and the East Midlands, said: “We have done well (in the downturn). We opened an office in Luton, which was part of our growth strategy and a number of schemes we have worked on have been long-term arrangements.

“In terms of activity, we have had a strong order book and our forward order book is stronger than ever.”

He added: “There has been a realignment of the business to suit the existing market. We have not been in financial difficulties but we have had to reduce the number of people who we have directly employed. Most of these have been as a result of the public sector contracts coming to an end.

“A significant amount of our work has been in the public sector and we are open to the effects of the government cutbacks. However, what we have been working on is funding private finance solutions to substitute the lack of public funding.”

Bramall Construction’s varied history includes repairing bomb damage to housing in York and Southampton during the Second World War.

In 1970, Bramall became a limited company following the death of Mr Ogden, when the Bramall family bought his share of the company from his widow, Nancy.

This was a time of expansion for the company and, in 1973, the company relocated its headquarters from Gore Hill in Wath upon Dearne, Rotherham, to Station Road, Mexborough, in Doncaster. The Gore Hill site was retained as a joiners’ shop.

In the decade that followed, the company continued in house building but also specialised in church furniture. In the early 1970s it produced a conservatory for Kew Gardens which was built in South Yorkshire and transported to London and made the pews for the church at Windsor Castle.

In 1983 Bramall became part of the Keepmoat group and four years later it changed its name to Bramall Construction.

During the 1990s, Bramall opened offices in Manchester and Liverpool as it continued to expand.

In 2000, the company started work on the Government’s Decent Homes Programme and has improved 145,695 properties since 2000 through Decent Homes and other regeneration projects.

Bramall secured its largest contract in its history – £73m for Rochdale Boroughwide Housing.

Between 2003 and 2006, the company doubled its turnover from £100m to £200m.

The company’s Yorkshire headquarters are now located at Callflex Business Park in Wath upon Dearne. Mr Baxter said: “We are extremely proud to be celebrating 80 years in business. We have seen many changes in the construction sector over the last 80 years but our ethos and values have stayed the same: we are a forward thinking, caring and innovative business. Our strong history and dedication to delivering sustainable regeneration solutions will help us to thrive and grow for many more years to come.”

The Keepmoat Group is a community regeneration organisation with a turnover of more than £560m a year. Other group companies include Frank Haslam Milan, Keepmoat Homes, Keepmoat Site Services and Milnerbuild.

A matter of convenience

Bramall Construction was founded in 1931 by George Bramall and Dick Ogden as general building contractors based at Gore Hill, Wath upon Dearne.

Their first job was to replace privy middens with mains drainage for toilets in the back yards of terraced houses for Wath Urban District Council. The company then focused mainly on house building and other general contracting works.

After the Second World War, the company began to work with the public sector building new council houses. In 1973, it relocated to Mexborough, in Doncaster. In 1983 Bramall became part of the Keepmoat group.