A.F. Budge

A.F. Budge

Company type	Private
Industry	Civil engineering, Construction, Mining
Founded	December 1962 (1962-12)
Founder	Tony Budge
Defunct	December 9, 1992 (1992-12-09)
Fate	Entered receivership; acquired by Alfred McAlpine Construction
Headquarters	Retford , England, United Kingdom
Area served	Yorkshire, North Midlands, Northern Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom
Key people	Tony Budge (Founder and Chairman), Richard Budge (Director), Janet Budge (Director)
Products	Motorway and road construction, open-cast mining, civil engineering projects
Number of employees	370 (before receivership) (1992)

A.F. Budge was a civil engineering and construction firm headquartered in Nottinghamshire, recognized for constructing multiple motorway stretches across Yorkshire and the north Midlands.

History

Established in December 1962 by Tony Budge, A.F. Budge's founder was the son of Frederick Thomas Frank Budge and Charlotte Constance Annie Parker. Educated at Boston Grammar School, Tony trained as a civil engineer with Holland County Council. His brother, Richard Budge, who later founded RJB Mining—a coal mining enterprise based in Bassetlaw—joined A.F. Budge in 1966. Additionally, Tony’s spouse, Janet Budge, held a position as a company director.

By 1968, the firm reported a turnover of £1.5 million and moved its main office to a former LNER engine shed located in Retford. In January 1969, Charterhouse Group purchased a 23% shareholding with intentions to take the company public in the early 1970s. Tony Budge was honored with an OBE in the 1985 New Year Honours and served as chairman of the Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors in 1990.

Tony Budge’s personal fortune was estimated at £60 million by 1990. That same year, he appeared on BBC2’s regional programme 'Keeping Tracks' and continued participating in community events such as award ceremonies at the Giles School in Old Leake. Meanwhile, RJB Mining underwent a management buyout in February 1992, valued at £107 million.

Mining

During the 1970s, the company operated open-cast mining sites at Esh Winning and West Chevington (Northumberland). In the early 1990s, it launched operations at the Whitehouse Colliery, near the former Fontburn Halt railway station. By 1991, A.F. Budge managed nine open-cast mines and secured a £16 million contract from British Coal Opencast for work at its Colliersdean location in Northumberland.

Horseracing

Anthony Frederick Budge, the founder, invested in Doncaster Racecourse and owned several successful racehorses. Among his notable victories were Danish Flight winning the 1988 Arkle Challenge Trophy, Rock City ridden by jockey Willie Carson triumphing at both the 1989 Coventry Stakes and Gimcrack Stakes, and Sharp N' Early securing wins at the 1988 Gimcrack Stakes and 1990 Leisure Stakes. In the early 1990s, Budge maintained a stable of around 20 horses trained by Jimmy FitzGerald. The company also held ownership of Retford Gamston Airport. Budge’s residence was Osberton Hall near Worksop.

Receivership

On 9 December 1992, A.F. Budge (Road Materials) Ltd entered receivership owing £96.6 million in liabilities, with management taken over by Cork Gully under provisions of the Insolvency Act 1986. Although its road construction division remained profitable, financial difficulties arose due to poor investments made in other areas during the late 1980s. Despite lowering debts by £30 million throughout 1992, the company attributed its receivership to pressure from Barclays Bank.

Alfred McAlpine Construction acquired A.F. Budge on 4 January 1993, retaining 250 out of 370 employees from the road-building sector and taking over 26 ongoing contracts. Both A.F. Budge and RJB Mining were featured in the King Coal episode of Panorama broadcast on 1 May 1995. Alfred McAlpine had purchased the civil engineering division earlier that year.

Structure

The firm, also recognized as A. F. Budge (Contractors), was based in Retford, specifically in the Ordsall area within the Bassetlaw District of northern Nottinghamshire, situated to the west of Retford railway station.

Projects

One of its developments included the Central Business and Technology Park located in central Newcastle, near the intersection of the A167(M) and A193, built on the site of a former railway station. In June 1992, Universal Building Society relocated its headquarters to this park. Additionally, the company was responsible for constructing the Eureka! (museum) in West Yorkshire during the early 1990s.

Universities

In January 1991, the company was awarded a £14 million contract to develop the 5.5-acre Newcastle Science Park, positioned adjacent to both Manors Metro station and Manors railway station. This project included a car park with 284 spaces and received £2.5 million funding from the Tyne and Wear Development Corporation, whose Chief Executive was Alastair Balls. The official commencement of construction took place on 21 February 1991, inaugurated by Michael Portillo.

Roads

The company executed a wide range of major road projects and bypasses across various locations, such as:

• Horbury bypass on the A642 (1966), costing £455,000
• Dualling of Mortal Ash Hill on the A18 (1968), at £103,800
• Five-mile diversion from Clack Lane End to Borrowby on the A19 (1971), with a budget of £956,000
• Ossett bypass on the A638, valued at £950,000
• Beverley eastern bypass on the A1174 (1973), costing £240,000
• Kimberly-Eastwood bypass on the A610 (1974), with an expenditure of £2.3 million
• Lemsford-Welwyn stretch of the A1(M) (1973), spanning 3.75 miles and costing £2 million; notably opened nine months ahead of schedule
• Stage 3 of Rotherham inner bypass, budgeted at £1.15 million
• Middleton inner ring road on the A664, costing £698,000
• Access roads to Queen's Medical Centre including Clifton Boulevard (A52) for £760,000
• Upper Poppleton realignment on the A59 (1974), at £284,000; opened six months earlier than planned
• Leeds South West Urban Motorway (M621) and Ingram Road Distributor (1974-77), with an investment of £5.5 million; connecting M621 to M1 over four kilometers featuring five interchanges
• Doncaster Southern Relief Road (1975), costing £1.05 million
• Humber Bridge north approach and toll plaza on the A15 (1978), at £2.88 million
• Barnsley Eastern Relief Road on the A61, valued at £2.5 million; opened in 1975
• Trent to Scunthorpe section of the M180 and M181 Brumby Common Link (1976-78), with a total cost of £4.44 million
• Redhouse grade separation for A1/A638 junction (1979), costing £2.4 million
• Grade separation improvements at Darrington on A1 (contract awarded in 1978) for £1.47 million
• Brigg-Ulceby section of the A180 (1981-83), covering 7.75 miles
• Retford Eastern Relief Road on A638 (1981), budgeted at £2 million; opened four months early
• Stores Road diversion on A61 (1981), costing £3 million; opened six months ahead of schedule
• Northern section of Mansfield Inner Relief Road Stage 2 on A6009 (1982), at £1.4 million
• Southern section of Accrington Easterly By-Pass on A56, with an investment of £8.5 million
• Bulwick bypass on A43 (1985-87), spanning 1.7 miles and costing £2 million
• Tidal flow installation on Canwick Road in Lincoln along A15 (1985), for £490,000
• Worksop bypass on A57, opened in May 1986
• Higham Ferrers bypass on A45 (1986), extending 1.5 miles with a cost of £5 million; land was acquired for future dual carriageway expansion; opened early by MP Peter Fry
• Bingham bypass on A52 (£2.2 million), inaugurated ten months ahead of schedule in December 1986 by Kenneth Clarke
• Castle Bridge Road in Nottingham, now known as Castle Marina Retail Park
• Brackley bypass on A43 (£7 million), opened in August 1987 ahead of schedule
• Improvement works near Friskney on A52 (£1.1 million)
• Section of Daventry bypass along A45 (£500,000)
• Ashby-Measham bypass on A42 (£31 million), opened August 1989; marked by a ceremonial drive led by Tom Wheatcroft in a vintage Bentley
• Sutton-in-Ashfield bypass along A38, opened in 1989
• Newark Relief Road on A46 (£31.6 million), commenced April 1988
• Kettering-Thrapston section along A14 (£25.7 million), started May 1989 and opened November 1990
• Castle Donington North section along A42 (£24.7 million), began August 1989 and officially opened May 1991 by Christopher Chope
• Trowse-Postwick section of Norwich bypass along A47
• Drighlington bypass along A650 (£4.9 million), initiated March 1990 and opened November 1991 by Christopher Chope
• Roundabout improvements at junctions between A38/A564 (£6.5 million), contract awarded August 1990
• Sherwin Arms Junction improvement along A52 (£463,000), started January 1992 and completed around August that year
• Etwall bypass along A516 (£2.66 million), started January 1991 and opened two months early in February 1992 by Patrick McLoughlin with Edwina Currie present
• Kings Langley bypass along A41 completed after company bankruptcy in 1993
• Southern section of Hucknall Bypass Stage 2 along A611 finished by Alfred McAlpine post-bankruptcy; officially opened February 1993
• Stage 3 of Mansfield inner relief road along A6009 commenced June 1993 by McAlpine; opened July 1994

These infrastructure undertakings highlight the company's profound capability in managing large-scale transport projects efficiently across various regions within the United Kingdom, consistently meeting deadlines and budgetary requirements.

References

• Times, 9 February 1995, p. 5

External links

• Newark Advertiser