Millcroft’s construction division has provided exceptional building services for more than five decades. What started as a small bricklaying and building business run by Roy Jones, our founder, back in the 1970s has grown into a trusted and longstanding partner for many industrial clients across the UK.
The early days
After completing a bricklaying apprenticeship, Roy started House Transformations Limited, focusing on council housing renovations and refurbishments. As the company’s reputation grew, so did the size and scope of its projects. Roy began to take on larger general building contracts for companies like Costain and housing developments for the London Borough of Greenwich.
A dangerous structures contract for Costain prompted House Transformations Limited to launch a separate scaffolding division around 35 years ago. At the time, the company had scaffolding but didn’t employ any scaffolders, so as the demand for scaffolding systems grew, bringing this expertise in-house seemed the natural thing to do. The scaffolding side of the business has continued to expand ever since.
As work for both sides of the business increased and the company’s client base became more industrial-focused, House Transformations Limited was renamed Millcroft Services in 1984.
Carving an industrial niche
Over time, Millcroft’s construction division has carved out a niche working on large industrial facilities that need to maintain continuous operations during construction, refurbishments and maintenance projects. Working in most cases directly with clients as the main contractor, Millcroft has become an expert at the delicate balancing act of completing work without disrupting the critical day-to-day processes of the facility.
This speciality has led to decades-long partnerships with leading companies like Tate & Lyle (35+ years), Procter & Gamble (20+ years) and others with major industrial sites. Millcroft’s construction division has dedicated crews, managers and supervisors permanently based at some of its longest-standing clients’ facilities to provide ongoing reactive and planned maintenance, repairs and construction services.
Comprehensive capabilities
Our construction division offers a comprehensive range of professional services for every project phase. This includes civil work, such as excavation, drainage and concrete foundations; structural work like reinforced concrete and steel framing; general construction of buildings and facilities; and interior finishing works such as drywall, painting, flooring and more.
The division’s expertise spans new construction and renovations, from small refurbishment jobs like fitting out office spaces to massive industrial projects constructing concrete turbine tables with extensive reinforcing penetrations. Our teams carry out much of the work, but we also have several trusted subcontractors we can rely on as needed.
“We’re often called upon to carry out specialist work,” explains Dominic Philip, Millcroft Construction’s Operations Manager. “One such project involves the annual repair and strengthening of the crane rails and supporting structure on Tate & Lyle’s river jetty. The jetty project requires extensive scaffolding to withstand being submerged during tidal changes in the river. Our crews perform heavy-duty repairs to the rail system for Tate & Lyle’s 100-tonne crane that sits on the jetty.”
As part of the ongoing work, the division also structurally reinforces the ageing jetty rails to provide sufficient stability and strength to sustain movement from the crane’s operation. This annual work enables Tate & Lyle to keep its critical maritime facility fully operational.
Restoring historic landmarks
In addition to our industrial work, Millcroft has taken on challenging renovation projects for historic buildings. One notable project was the comprehensive repair and restoration of The Landmark Hotel, a Grade II-listed historic building in Marylebone, Central London.
This multi-faceted project included extensive brickwork and stone repairs across the building’s ornate façade, repairs and repainting of the windows and a complete scaffolding system around the structure, expertly provided by our scaffolding division. As the main contractor, we provided turnkey construction services, carefully refurbishing the landmark building while preserving its historic character.
At the cutting-edge
As a company, we are committed to staying at the forefront of the latest construction technologies to offer our clients the best possible service. We have an extremely strong and experienced in-house design team that uses the latest techniques, such as 3D and 4D visualisation, to allow clients to virtually tour and experience new office spaces before they are built.
Millcroft is also an approved installer of Axter’s Starcoat® PMMA liquid waterproofing membrane system. This cold-applied system is particularly popular with our industrial and factory clients because it has a 20-year warranty and doesn’t require hot works.
Commitment to quality and safety
The unwavering commitment to quality, safety, and continuous improvement of the team, allows our construction division to work successfully and smoothly on such complex projects.
Professional development is central to our team, with senior managers working towards their Chartered Membership of the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB). We also develop promising talent like Jack Orchard, who joined us eight months ago and works as a multi-trade trainee. Jack studied carpentry and joinery at college and works on concrete road slabs with one of our civils teams. Over time, we will help him grow his skills and take on more responsibility.
Health and safety are essential to our business's success, so we incentivise our teams to prioritise safety through regular recognition schemes and awards.
Your trusted partner for construction projects
With decades of expertise in industrial facilities for blue-chip clients, office refurbishments, civil works, complete turnkey projects, and historic building restoration, Millcroft’s construction division has become a trusted name in the business. Our blend of cutting-edge capabilities and experience working on live sites ensures operational continuity, quality, and safety across all our projects.
