A walk down memory lane
This section of our website has been put together so we can share with you all the old photos, anecdotes and bits and bobs we’ve collected during well over 100 years of proud company history. A lot has changed in that time, but Harry Fairclough remains a name that is synonymous with the construction industry in the North West of England. So, come along and join us on a walk down Memory Lane…
The Write Stuff
The fine copperplate handwriting in these early company ledgers belongs to Edgar, who joined the company’s Accounts Department as a school leaver in 1913 and remained on staff his entire working life. Edgar’s father was a good friend of Harry Fairclough and legend has it that he approached Harry on his wedding day and spoke up for his son asking if there were any opportunities within his company for a young man with a bit of something about him. Harry never regretted his decision to take on Edgar, as he soon proved he was made of the right
stuff, worked diligently and studied hard and eventually rose to become Finance Director in 1950.
The Moving Story of Orford Tannery
Picture this, it’s 1906, eight years after Harry formed his company and he’s involved in the tendering to build a new stable block for the Orford Tannery in Warrington. The owners of the tannery are a bit short of brass and simply cannot afford the new building, so Harry comes up with an ingenious and cost-effective solution. He relocates the existing block by creating temporary beams under the building and sliding the entire structure across a road using only horses and manpower.
Many hands make light work
With his company and his reputation in the construction industry growing, Harry was commissioned in 1906 to build the new Hale Lighthouse in the borough of Halton situated between Widnes and Liverpool. A big project by anyone’s standards, it involved the construction of a new 38metre high tower to replace the much smaller original tower that was built in 1838. The light shone out for the next 52 years until being decommissioned in 1958. The building still stands today and is both a smart private residence and a well-known local landmark on the Wirral
coast..
Horses for courses
Of course, the early working vehicles operated by the company were all horse-drawn and at one time Harry Fairclough boasted a stable of 15 horses. However, in the 1930’s the last of the horses were retired to pastures new and the horse drawn wagons replaced by those new-fangled engine powered vehicles!
Man and boy
Harry Fairclough was himself apprentice trained and from the early days of establishing his company, believed in investing in his local community and providing apprenticeship training for young people. In the late 1920’s he started a formal apprentice programme and by the 1930’s the company employed approximately 120 joiners, many who joined through the apprenticeship scheme and would remain with the company man and boy.
Family man, family business
Taken around 1924, this photograph shows Harry’s son, Mark Fairclough (3rd from the left) accompanying his father on a site visit – something he did often, either on the way to or from school. The driver in the photograph is a local man who Harry gave employment to when he could not get work following a bad leg injury.
Innovation, in spades
The following section shows some great examples of how, over the years, Harry Fairclough Construction has used innovative ideas, procedures and solutions in order to overcome some of the most challenging of construction problems, making us one of the most respected names in the North West.
Where there's a winch, there's a way
This photo shows revetment work being carried out on the Mersey before the days of dragline machinery. Harry Fairclough utilised a hand crane with an 80ft jib that was powered by an independent steam winch. This innovative solution allowed the company to successfully compete for several projects with the Manchester Ship Canal Company and helped it to establish a working relationship that has lasted for over 100 years.
Solutions by the bucketfull
Always ahead of the rest, Harry Fairclough bought the very first Ruston Bucyrus dragline machine manufactured in the UK in the early 1930’s and quickly put it into service on the Frodsham Marsh Levee. The machine bucket capacity allowed it to move 3 tons of material each minute, very impressive at the time, but Harry soon realised that the speed of the machine could be increased if a lighter bucket was used. So what did he do? He manufactured his own buckets from a lighter gauge steel of course! Although Harry’s buckets wore out at a faster rate than the
originals, the improved productivity more than paid for the cost. This innovative solution also allowed the project to be completed significantly ahead of schedule.
Always looking for an angle
In 1959 Harry Fairclough lived up to its reputation as a company always looking for innovative solutions to construction problems by being the first in the UK to install tubular piles driven at an angle.
Concrete Ideas
In 1955 Harry Fairclough was contracted to build the Wilderspool Crossings flyover bridge. In order to improve efficiency in the concrete pours the company developed an innovative onsite concrete batching and pumping facility. Unfortunately, due to the concrete production techniques available at the time, this wasn’t as successful as was hoped. But, as a result of this experience, Mark Fairclough identified a need for closer tolerance batching in concrete and several ‘Quick Mix’ plants were established around St Helens area with Mark on
the board of directors.
Relationships that go back years
Since Harry Fairclough Construction first began trading in 1898, we’ve built up many great relationships with notable North West companies and organisations, many of which we continue to work with to this day:
In for a penny
In the 1920’s, Harry Fairclough Construction won their first project with ICI at Runcorn. Mark Fairclough tells the story that his father won the £30,000 competitively tendered project by the thinnest of margins - just 1 old penny. This was the start of a relationship between Harry Fairclough Construction and ICI that by the 1970’s had developed into a partnership where a permanent site force of some 80 Fairclough staff undertook literally hundreds of work orders at the plant each year.
Noble Structures
During the 1950’s, under the guidance of Mark Fairclough, the company was involved in several notable structures, improving the distribution of mains utilities in the region. These photos show a pipe bridge constructed over the River Lune south of Kirkby Lonsdale, which is believed to be the second phase of the famous Haweswater Aqueduct. During the course of the project, exceptional weather conditions caused severe flooding that severely disrupted the construction process and washed major elements of timber formwork downstream. Although much of the
formwork was recovered it required major reprogramming of the work to ensure minimum disruption to the remainder of the project.
From personell to personal
Over the years, many longstanding personal relationships have developed between our customers and members of our staff. In 1954, a young Mark Fairclough was commissioned by an engineer employed by the Manchester Ship Canal Company on the No.7 Dock at Salford. That friendship remains to this day, and whilst the name of the company has changed to Peels Port, that same engineer, now in his 80’s, remains a consultant on all matters relating to the Manchester Ship Canal. And who does he employ? His friends at Harry Fairclough Construction,
of course.