Trollope & Colls
Encyclopedia
Trollope & Colls was once one of the United Kingdom
's largest construction
companies.
hanger, in 1778) and Colls & Sons (founded by Benjamin Colls, a painter and decorator, in 1840).
The merged firm started to specialise in civil engineering and during World War I
undertook pioneering work on reinforced concrete
. In 1968 the Company was acquired by Trafalgar House
. By 1994 it was the largest contractor in the United Kingdom
by turnover.
On 18 April 1996 Norwegian
shipbuilding and engineering group Kvaerner acquired Trafalgar House Construction, as the business became known, as part of a £904 million offer for Trafalgar House plc.
completed in 1903, Lloyds Bank
in Lombard Street completed in 1931, Trawsfynndd power station
completed in 1962 and the Stock Exchange Tower
completed in 1972.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's largest construction
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
companies.
History
The Company was formed out of the merger of George Trollope & Sons (founded by Joseph Trollope, a wallpaperWallpaper
Wallpaper is a kind of material used to cover and decorate the interior walls of homes, offices, and other buildings; it is one aspect of interior decoration. It is usually sold in rolls and is put onto a wall using wallpaper paste...
hanger, in 1778) and Colls & Sons (founded by Benjamin Colls, a painter and decorator, in 1840).
The merged firm started to specialise in civil engineering and during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
undertook pioneering work on reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
. In 1968 the Company was acquired by Trafalgar House
Trafalgar House (company)
Trafalgar House Public Limited Company was a British conglomerate with interests in property investment, property development, engineering, construction, shipping, hotels, energy and publishing...
. By 1994 it was the largest contractor in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by turnover.
On 18 April 1996 Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
shipbuilding and engineering group Kvaerner acquired Trafalgar House Construction, as the business became known, as part of a £904 million offer for Trafalgar House plc.
Major projects
Projects undertaken by the Company included: the Institute of Chartered Accountants completed in 1892, Claridges completed in 1897, the Baltic ExchangeBaltic Exchange
The Baltic Exchange is the world's only independent source of maritime market information for the trading and settlement of physical and derivative contracts...
completed in 1903, Lloyds Bank
Lloyds Bank
Lloyds Bank Plc was a British retail bank which operated in England and Wales from 1765 until its merger into Lloyds TSB in 1995; it remains a registered company but is currently dormant. It expanded during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and took over a number of smaller banking companies...
in Lombard Street completed in 1931, Trawsfynndd power station
Trawsfynydd nuclear power station
Trawsfyndd nuclear power station is a disused Magnox power station situated at Trawsfynydd in Gwynedd, Wales.-History:Construction of the power station, which was undertaken by a consortium involving Crompton Parkinson, International Combustion, Fairey Engineering and Richardsons Westgarth, and...
completed in 1962 and the Stock Exchange Tower
Stock Exchange Tower
The Stock Exchange Tower is a high-rise building located in the City of London at 125 Old Broad Street.-History:Standing at tall, with 26 floors, the tower was completed by Trollope & Colls in 1970 and opened by the Queen in 1972. It served as the headquarters and offices for the London Stock...
completed in 1972.
Further reading
- Trollope & Colls, City builders for 200 years 1778-1978, Published in 1978, Printed by Precision Press for Trollope & Colls, Marlow, Buckinghamshire