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Celebrating 75 Years of Engineering Excellence.

75 Years of

Engineering
Heritage.

January. 1948. Manchester. Shepley Engineers is born.

Later that year we were engaged on the HVAC works on the Windscale Piles, and since then we have been a nuclear stalwart.

We are Sellafield’s longest-serving continuous contractor, and are a trusted name in the nuclear industry. Today, we are still engaged on the Sellafield site, as well as other nuclear facilities including Springfields, Aldermaston, and Britain’s first nuclear power station in a generation – Hinkley Point C.

Besides nuclear, we also have a strong restoration team, who have been engaged on several high-profile projects including the restoration of St Pancras International, Manchester Town Hall and the Houses of Parliament. We are also the largest and leading glasshouse restorer in the country.

Since

1948

Our story.

 

2023 marks the 75th anniversary of Shepley Engineers. Our story started on 8th January 1948, when Frank Shepley created what we now know today as Shepley Engineers in Manchester.

That same year, we were working on stainless ducting for the Windscale Piles, and we have had a presence on the site ever since, making us Sellafield’s longest-serving continuous contractor.

75 years is a milestone to be incredibly proud of, and the sheer scale and volume of projects we have been involved in is a reflection of the hard work that has contributed to our longevity and success, including;

  • Helping to build the first commercial nuclear power station to export electricity to a public grid.
  • Project managing and installing the first ever wind farm in Cumbria.
  • Manufacture & install of all structural steelwork at Fantasyland, Disneyland Paris.
  • Building the largest nuclear decommissioning project in the UK in Evaporator D.
  • Restoring over 30,000 iron components on the Houses of Parliament.

The early years of our history were spent at Sellafield, helping to build a fully operational nuclear facility.

In 1988, a plan had been made to try to diversify our service offering, and become less dependent on Sellafield. Through the connection with Sir Robert McAlpine, who were also on site at Sellafield, Shepley Engineers were asked to complete major iron restoration work on the Grade I listed 5-Star Dorchester Hotel on Park Lane, London. This established us as a specialist restoration and conservation contractor, and not long after this diversification strategy Shepley Dawson Architectural Engineers was born. This saw the company travel far and wide creating decorative ironwork pieces, in Singapore, France, United Arab Emirates, as well as closer to home in Scotland, Swindon, Bradord and London.

In 1992 Shepley Engineers brought the first wind farm to Cumbria, being responsible for project management, coordination and install of the wind farms in Haverigg and Oldside, appointed by Windcluster.

Our first glass house restoration project was completed in 1995, seeing us restore the Curvilinear Range at the Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin. This was shortly followed by glass house restoration projects in Liverpool, Sheffield and Glasgow.

Later in 1995 we were restructuring and looking for new backers in the absence of the support from banks, and VHE Holdings Plc subsequently purchased Shepley Engineers for £1.6m, and West Cumberland Engineering were acquired in January 1999 for £541,000. In late 2001, Montpellier Group acquired VHE for £8,825,000 and would now directly control Shepley.

The 2000’s saw a growth period for the Group and several major projects come to light. In 2003, Shepley Engineers were responsible for the ironwork repairs and roof dismantling of St Pancras International, the Grade 1 listed train station and terminus for Eurostar services. At its peak, 110 Shepley operatives worked on the project. In total more than 12,000 wrought iron rivets were replaced by Shepley, with the project value totalling over £17m.

In January 2006 Montpellier Group rebranded to Renew Holdings, as they are known today, and later that year Shepley Engineers purchased PPS Electrical Ltd for £662,000, forming what we know now as the Shepley Group. The addition of these companies helped boost our service offering, strenghten our position in the market and broaden our ME&I credentials.

By 2007, work had began on Evaporator D, the largest nuclear decommissioning project in the UK at the time of construction. Shepley Engineers were responsible for all aspects of ME&I work for the entire project, our largest ever project resource. The good news of the 2000’s was capped off in 2009, when Shepley Engineers were appointed on the roof refurbishment project to the Speakers Court at the Palace of Westminster.

The 2010s saw Shepley Engineers appointed as Main Contractor for the Cast Iron Roof Works on the Houses of Parliament. The works consisted of restoring approximately 30,000 iron components across 5 years, averaging 1m² each. In 2016, in order to increase our delivery in nuclear decommissioning, Shepley Engineers acquired Nuclear Decontamination Services Ltd, a small specialist nuclear services business, for £235,000.

The acquisition of TIS, our fourth acquisition in as many decades, will assist in futureproofing the Group, which will enable us to remain at the forefront of engineering another 75 years from now, both locally and nationally.

our history.

1948

Frank Shepley forms Shepley Engineers in Manchester on 8th January 1948

1948

Work commences on stainless ducting systems on Windscale Reactors

1953

Commissioning begins on the world’s first commercial nuclear power station, Calder Hall

1979

Construction starts on THORP (Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant) in Sellafield

1988

Shepley complete major iron restoration project on the Grade 1 listed Dorchester Hotel, London

1992

Shepley start work at Springfields, decommissioning Beryllium Laboratories.

1992

Shepley manufacture and install all infrastructural ironwork in Fantasyland at Disneyland Paris.

1992

Shepley Engineers bring the first wind farm to Cumbria, responsible for project management, coordination and install of Haverigg 1 and Oldside wind farms.

1995

Shepley restore our first glasshouse, Curvilinear Range at the Botanic Gardens in Dublin.

2002

Renew Holdings purchase VHE Holdings Plc, consisting of Shepley Engineers

2002

Acquisition of West Cumberland Engineering

2006

Acquisition of PPS Electrical

2007

Work begins on Evaporator D

2008

Shepley begin work on Houses of Parliament cast iron roof restoration

2016

Acquisition of Nuclear Decontamination Services

2021

Shepley commence work on Diesel Generators at Hinkley Point C

2023

Shepley Engineers subsidiary West Cumberland Engineering acquire T.I.S. Cumbria Ltd

Where it All Began

Our story started in Abacus Court, Minshull Street, Manchester

Windscale Piles

Shepley Engineers' first project was installing the stainless ducting on the Windscale Piles

Calder Hall

Shepley helped build the first nuclear power station to export electricity on a commercial scale to a public grid

Strong Beginnings

Our first restoration project, iron restoration at the Grade I listed, 5 star Dorchester hotel

Beryllium Laboratories

The site of Shepley Engineers first project at Springfields

Keep On Keeping On

We are still engaged on the Springfields site, currently decommissioning 'Magnox Island'

Haverigg 1

Cumbria's first wind farm, coordinated, project managed and installed by Shepley Engineers

Curvilinear Range

Shepley's first glasshouse restoration completed in 1995

Palm House, Sefton Park

Crowds gather as the Palm House is unveiled post-restoration

You've Got to Start Somewhere

Now operations director, Alan Bowes received a £250 cheque as a safety reward whilst an apprentice on Sellafield in 1996

Whitehaven Lighthouse

Locals celebrate the opening, following restoration

London St Pancras International

Shepley Engineers helped restore the 240m roof of St Pancras International during its expansion as the Eurostar terminus

Safety First

In 2019 we reached 10 years (14.5m working hours) without a RIDDOR reportable incident on the Sellafield Site.

NDS Acquisition

Shepley acquire Nuclear Decontamination Services Ltd for just under £250,000

Specialist Work

We are still engaged in one of the most hazardous buildings in western Europe

EuroDisney

The decorative and structural ironwork in Fantasyland installed by Shepley Dawson still stands today

Shepley Dawson

The company behind some of the ironwork in Princes Square and Disneyland

Apprentice Intake

Over 16% of our staff are in earn and learn positions, with over 60 apprentices!

WCEL Acquisition

Shepley acquired West Cumberland Engineering Ltd in 2002

Big Ben

Not many people can say they have touched the hands of time!

Elizabeth Tower

The clock face and hands were restored in our Sheffield workshop

Celebration in the House

Commons and Lords Speakers celebrate the final piece of cast-iron is replaced on the Houses of Parliament project

RoSPA Awards

Shepley Group celebrate reaching 61 combined Gold Awards

Playing our Part

Copeland MP Trudy Harrison visited our Cross Lanes facility to discuss how we could best meet the needs of the local community

Evaporator D

Shepley Engineers largest project resource to date

Collaboration

We are a part of many successful joint ventures

Social Impact

We have always supported our local communities

Mud, Sweat and Cheers

Our social impact strategy is more than just financial contributions and sponsorships

Manchester Town Hall

Helping to preserve history for the next generation

View From Above

We are the largest and leading glasshouse restorer in the UK

Tried and Tested

We've completed over 20 glasshouse restoration projects

Supporting the Next Generation

We have been longstanding supporters of STEM events through various collaborations and partnerships

New Directorship

Gavin Jakubowski took over as Managing Director in 2021

Grassroots

We have supported over 20 local amateur sports teams

Change through Safety

Our agreement with Sellafield has seen us contribute £500 to local charities every accident and incident-free three months for several years

Shepley Group Grant

Former managing director Paul Scott (left) set up the Shepley Group Grant in 2009 alongside Andy Beeforth of the Cumbria Community Foundation

Reaping the Benefits

As of 2023, our Grant Fund has donated over £100,000 to local charities and initiatives

Leading from the Front

We are one of the largest gasholder restorers in the country

Kings Cross Gasholders

Shepley Engineers restored the Grade II Kings Cross Triplets as part of the redevelopment of the area, which now features state of the art apartments

Joint Venture Success

Our Cumbria Nuclear Solutions Ltd joint venture has racked up plenty of awards

Subsidiary Success

Our subsidiary companies have had their fair share of success, recently winning the inaugural Sellafield Supply Chain Excellence award

Hinkley Point C

We're currently helping build Britain's first nuclear power station in a generation

TIS Acquisition

Our fourth acquisition in as many decades will help futureproof the Group and increase delivery for new and existing clients