History

The Skerritt story began in 1899, when local plumber Francis (Frank) Greenfield Skerritt established his plumbing firm from his home at 33 Ebury Road, Carrington - the address from which the business would continue to be run until 1985. Business grew steadily. Frank Skerritt formed the Nottingham Electric Welding Company, which, in 1904, won contracts to weld the tramlines over Trent Bridge.

In 1919 the firm became a limited company taking on ever-larger contracts. By the 1920's many plumbing firms were taking on electrical work and Skerritt was no exception, carrying out its first plumbing and electrical contract on Middleton Boulevard Nottingham in 1924.

The 1930's saw the next generation of the Skerritt family coming into the business when Frank's son Mark joined the company in 1934. The thirties also saw Skerritt move into the more profitable business of heating and ventilation.

The company consolidated its position in the war years and by 1945 was financially sound and in a position to attack the post war market. In 1953 with the relaxation of building controls, the business moved into the boom years, moving into the 1960's employing over 200 people. By this time 85 per cent of Skerritt's business was "design and build", mainly in the housing and schools sectors. By 1969 the firm was achieving 100 house completions per week and 20 schools per year. Between 1955 and 1971 Skerritt designed and completed every new school built in Lancashire.

The Skerritt family sold the business to Galliford in 1968 and entered a new phase as a subsidiary company.

Skerritt remained part of Galliford until 1983 when it decided to sell to its current owners, Melham holdings. At the time of the sale Skerritt was moving away from housing and into more technical fields. Perhaps symbolically, the mid 1980's saw the firm move from its old offices to its present location at Union Road, Nottingham.

The economic recession of the 1990's hit the construction industry hard and Skerritt did not escape unscathed when three of its best customers, representing 50% of its business, went into liquidation.

Having to find new markets, Skerritt moved into water engineering, prefabricated prison buildings, schools and hotels.

Today Skerritt maintains long-standing relationships with most government departments, in particular the Home Office and the Ministry of Defence.