Sir Lindsay Parkinson & Company Ltd, commonly known as Sir Lindsay Parkinson & Co. Ltd or Lindsay Parkinson, was a civil engineering company in the UK. It was responsible for the construction of a significant part of the UK motorway network, including elements of the M4 and the M6. It was acquired by

Leonard Fairclough & Son Leonard Fairclough & Son Ltd was a construction firm based in Adlington, Lancashire, England. History The firm was founded by Leonard Fairclough, a stonemason in Adlington who established his business in 1883. Leonard's son, Leonard Miller Fai ...

in 1974.

History

A Lindsay Parkinson by Ernest Townsend 1918

The original name of the firm, registered about 1877, was Jacob Parkinson and Company, and Jacob operated a joiner's shop in

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...

. His four sons worked in the business, one of whom was the eponymous Lindsay Parkinson. Joinery developed into general building work and in the early 1900s Parkinson's contracts included the Talbot Hotel and the

Alhambra Theatre The Alhambra Theatre was a popular theatre and music hall located on the east side of Leicester Square, in the West End of London. It was built as the Royal Panopticon of Science and Arts, opening on 18 March 1854. It was closed after two yea ...

in Blackpool. A contract to work on the Theatre Royal in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

led to the opening of an office in that city; a number of theatres were built in other towns in the north and the midlands. By the time of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the company had a London office.Anon: ''This Way Forward A Resume and Record'' (n/d c.1954) The war expanded the range of contracts to include aerodromes and railway sidings. When peace came, the firm became involved in large-scale housing schemes (including the Parkinson-Kahn reinforced concrete house) and a wider range of civil engineering work – including new trunk roads. Lindsay Parkinson was knighted for public services and the company took on his new name.

Public company

On 13 July 1937, the assets were transferred to a newly-formed company, ''Sir Lindsay Parkinson Holdings Limited''. The company was initially based at the now demolished Lindsay House, 171,

Shaftesbury Avenue Shaftesbury Avenue is a major road in the West End of London, named after The 7th Earl of Shaftesbury. It runs north-easterly from Piccadilly Circus to New Oxford Street, crossing Charing Cross Road at Cambridge Circus. From Piccadill ...

, London and then relocated to new offices at 6, Lambeth Road, St. George's Circus in 1955. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the company was one of the contractors engaged in building the

Mulberry harbour The Mulberry harbours were two temporary portable harbours developed by the Admiralty (United Kingdom), British Admiralty and War Office during the Second World War to facilitate the rapid offloading of cargo onto beaches during the Allies of ...

units. On 20 December 1943, the Chairman of the company, Lieutenant Colonel George Westhead Parkinson MC, was killed, after his car hit a lorry at

Bedfont Bedfont is a suburb in the London Borough of Hounslow, approximately west of Centre of London, Charing Cross. Originally a distinct village, Bedfont has a large central conservation area around Bedfont Green. The majority of the housing was bui ...

on the Great South-West Road. He was aged 69. The managing director since 1937, Albert Edward Parkinson, became chairman.

Takeover

In August 1974 it was taken over by

, based at Sandiway House in Northwich.

Major projects

Structures

* No.3 Fish Dock, Grimsby * Basildon Hospital, completed in 1973

Roads

* M6 Lancaster bypass, completed in 1960 * M6 junctions 8 (

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) to 10 (

Darlaston Darlaston is an industrial town in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall in the West Midlands of England. It is located near Bilston, Walsall, Wednesbury, Willenhall and Tipton. It was historically part of Staffordshire. Topography Darlaston i ...

), completed in 1971 * M62, A56 to A672 ( Windy Hill), completed in 1971 * Ellesmere Port motorway M53, completed in 1972 * M4 Crick to Newport (23 to 24), completed in 1966 * M1 (Northern Ireland) junctions 8 to 9, completed in 1965 * M1 (Northern Ireland) junctions 10 to 12, completed in 1968

Reservoirs

* Llys-y-Fran Dam, completed in 1972