A.F. Budge was a British civil engineering and construction company based in Nottinghamshire. It built many sections of motorway in Yorkshire and the north Midlands.
History The parents of Tony Budge were Frederick Thomas Frank Budge, and Charlotte Constance Annie Parker, of 34 Norfolk Place, married on Thursday 29 September 1938 at Boston parish church.Lincolnshire Standard Saturday 1 October 1938Boston Guardian Wednesday 5 October 1938, page 5
His grandparents married on 18 January 1900 at Boston parish church.Lincolnshire Advertiser Saturday 27 January 1900, page 1 His grandmother Annie Everitt died aged 86 in Ewerby on 12 March 1967.Lincolnshire Standard Friday 17 March 1967, page 9 His grandfather, Frederick William, was a furnace builder, who died suddenly on 17 October 1923 aged 45,Boston Guardian Saturday 27 October 1923, page 6 who had lived at 55 Liquorpond Street.Lincolnshire Standard Saturday 21 March 1914 In January 1985 his father died in hospital. His father had formed a company in 1936.Lincolnshire Standard Thursday 24 January 1985, page 30
Tony Budge went to Boston Grammar School, where he gained O-levels in English, English Literature, French, German, History, Geography, Maths, and Physics with Chemistry in 1955.Boston Guardian, Saturday 10 September 1955, page 11 He lived at 122 Tower Road in Boston.Louth Standard Friday 30 October 1959, page 3
He joined Holland Council in 1956, returning to his father's company in 1959, developing civil engineering contracts. He married on Thursday 14 July 1960 at Holy Trinity, his wife attended Boston High School; they lived at 19 Rowley Road.Lincolnshire Standard Friday 22 July 1960, page 18 His brother Derek married Carol Garner on Thursday 17 September 1964.Lincolnshire Standard Friday 25 Sept 1964, page 19 Derek worked for his father's company
The company was established by Tony Budge (9 August 1939 - 3 February 2010) in December 1962.Companies House He was the older brother of Richard Budge, who established his coal mining business RJB Mining, also based in Bassetlaw. Richard Budge joined the company in 1966. Another director of the company was Janet Budge, Tony's wife. Tony had trained as a civil engineer with Holland County Council.Newark Advertiser Friday 10 June 1988, page 40 He had three daughters and a son, and married Janet Cropley, from Frith Bank, near Boston. He was a fellow of the ICE and IHT.Nottingham Evening Post Friday 3 April 1987, page 59 In the 1970s he lived at Meed House on North Road in Retford. In July 1984 his daughter Elizabeth married Christian Brash at Retford church.Retford Times Friday 17 February 1984, page 8Retford Times Friday 10 August 1984, page 7
The company turned over £1.5m in 1968, when the company moved Retford to a former LNER engine depot. In January 1969, the Charterhouse Group bought 23% of the company. The company hoped to go public in the early 1970s. Tony Budge was given an OBE in the 1985 New Year Honours. In 1990, Tony Budge was Chairman of the Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors.Construction News 1990
By 1990 Tony Budge was worth £60m.Lincolnshire Standard Thursday 12 April 1990, page 9 On Friday 1 June 1990 at 7.30pm, he was featured on the BBC2 regional series 'Keeping Tracks'.Retford Times Thursday 31 May 1990, page 1 In November 1990 he handed out prizes at the Giles School in Old Leake.Lincolnshire Standard Thursday 22 November 1990, page 10
RJB Mining was formed from a management buyout in February 1992 for £107m.
Mining The company had an opencast mine in the 1970s at Esh Winning and West Chevington (Northumberland). In the early 1990s, it opened the Whitehouse Colliery, near the former Fontburn Halt railway station.
In 1991, it operated nine opencast mines. In August 1991, British Coal Opencast gave the company a £16m contract for its Colliersdean site in Northumberland.
Horseracing Anthony Frederick BudgeCompanies House liked racehorses, and his company invested in Doncaster Racecourse. Danish Flight won the Arkle Challenge Trophy at Cheltenham in 1988; Rock City, ridden by Willie Carson, won the Coventry Stakes at Ascot in 1989; Sharp N' Early won the Gimcrack Stakes at York in 1988 and the Leisure Stakes at Windsor in 1990; Rock City with Willie Carson won the Gimcrack Stakes in 1989 and River Falls won the race in 1991; Uncle Ernie won the Lightning Novices' Chase at Doncaster in 1991; Showbrook won the Woodcote Stakes at Epsom in 1991. In the early 1990s, he had 20 horses with trainer Jimmy FitzGerald.
The company owned Retford Gamston Airport. Tony Budge lived at Osberton Hall at Scofton (in Worksop), the former home of Francis Ferrand Foljambe, near the River Ryton, off the B6079 between Worksop and Retford.
Receivership A.F. Budge (Road Materials) Ltd went into well-publicised receivership on 9 December 1992, undertaken by Cork Gully, with £96.6m debts, under the Insolvency Act 1986.Independent October 1994 As a road construction company, it was profitable, but the company made some disastrous investments in other areas in the late 1980s. During 1992 the company had reduced its debt by £30m, but blamed Barclays Bank for forcing it into receivership.
The company was bought by Alfred McAlpine Construction of Chester on Monday 4 January 1993, with 26 outstanding road contracts, according to its managing director Peter Hulmes. 250 of the 370 road-building employees were kept.Nottingham Evening Post Tuesday 5 January 1993, page 8Newark Advertiser Friday 8 January 1993, page 69
The company, and RJB Mining, were investigated in the King Coal edition of Panorama on 1 May 1995. The civil engineering business was bought by Alfred McAlpine in January 1993.
Structure The company, also known as A. F. Budge (Contractors), was based in Retford (Ordsall) in Bassetlaw, north Nottinghamshire, directly west of Retford railway station.
Projects
It built the Central Business and Technology Park in central Newcastle next to the A167(M) and the A193 junction; this became King's nor Central Business and Technology Park, on the site of a former railway station. Universal Building Society moved its HQ there in June 1992. It built the Eureka! (museum) in West Yorkshire in the early 1990s.
Universities In January 1991, it had a £14m contract for Newcastle Science Park (5.5 acres), which is next to Manors Metro station and Manors railway station, with a 284-vehicle car park; it received £2.5m from the Tyne and Wear Development Corporation, with the Chief Executive being Alastair Balls; Michael Portillo dug the first section on Thursday 21 February 1991.
Roads It built many bypasses including the Lincoln Relief Road. A642 Horbury bypass, started September 1966, £455,000, built as a three-lane roadLincolnshire Standard Friday 30 September 1966, page 4 A18 dualling, Mortal Ash Hill, £103,800, started March 1968Lincolnshire Standard Friday 15 March 1968, page 18 A19 south of Clack Lane End to north end of Borrowby diversion, five miles, £956,000 to finish in 1971Retford Times Friday 31 January 1969, page 1Retford Times Friday 13 March 1970, page 1Lincolnshire Standard Friday 14 February 1969, page 1 A638 2-mile Ossett bypass,Retford Times Friday 4 February 1972, page 6 £950,000 A1174 Beverley eastern bypass, opened 1 March 1973, £240,000Retford Times Friday 9 March 1973, page 1 A610 Kimberly-Eastwood bypass (1974, started March 1973) £2,324,519Retford Times Friday 23 March 1973, page 4 A1(M) Lemsford - Welwyn (to the south end of the Stevenage bypass), 3.75 miles £2m, opened at 12pm on Friday 10 August 1973, nine months early, with dinner in the Heath Lodge HotelRetford Times Friday 17 August 1973, page 9 Rotherham inner bypass Stage 3 £1.15mRetford Times Friday 1 March 1974, page 1 A664 Middleton inner ring road £698,000Retford Times Friday 10 May 1974, page 1Middleton Guardian Thursday 27 March 1975, page 44 Queen's Medical Centre access roads with Clifton Boulevard (A52), £760,000 Trent Regional Health AuthorityRetford Times Friday 18 October 1974, page 18 A59 Upper Poppleton, £284,000 improvement, opened six months early in October 1974, 1 km realignmentRetford Times Friday 25 October 1974 M621 Leeds South West Urban Motorway and Ingram Road Distributor £5.5m, connecting the M621 motorway spur to the north end of the M1, 4 km, five interchanges, to take 27 months, for West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council; work began on Monday 9 December 1974Retford Times Friday 6 December 1974, page 5Retford Times Friday 14 February 1975, page 13 Doncaster Southern Relief Road, started 1975, £1,046,691South Yorkshire Times Saturday 4 January 1975, page 20Retford Times Friday 14 March 1975, page 21 A15 Humber Bridge north approach road, and toll plaza (completed 1978, started 29 September 1975)Lincolnshire Standard Friday 5 September 1975, page 1 £2,880,084, to take 117 weeksGrimsby Evening Telegraph Wednesday 3 September 1975, page 5Retford Times Friday 12 September 1975, page 9 A61 Barnsley Eastern Relief Road, £2.5m originally £1.8m, opened Monday 15 September 1975Retford Times Friday 31 October 1975, page 19Lincolnshire Standard Friday 1 March 1974, page 1 M180 Trent to Scunthorpe 1.3 miles, 2.5 miles of M181 Brumby Common Link (1978, started 1976) £4,442,567Grimsby Evening Telegraph Friday 25 June 1976, page 1Retford Times Friday 2 July 1976, page 16 A1 and A638 £2.4m Redhouse grade separation,Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Monday 26 September 1977, page 6 opened July 1979Lincolnshire Standard Friday 30 September 1977, page 8 A1 Darrington grade separation, improvement to Darrington crossroads, started November 1978, contract £1,470,820,South Yorkshire Times Friday 27 October 1978, page 12 to take two years A180 Brigg-Ulceby (1983, started Tuesday 5 May 1981) 7.75 miles,Retford Times Friday 8 May 1981, page 1Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Tuesday 11 August 1981, page 6 opened in late March 1983 A638 Retford Eastern Relief Road, £2m, took 11 months, opened four months early on Friday 26 June 1981Retford Times Friday 19 June 1981, page 1 A61 Stores Road diversion £3m, opened 14 October 1981, six months earlyDerby Evening Telegraph Friday 25 September 1981, page 3 A6009 Mansfield Inner Relief Road Stage 2, opened August 1982, £1.4m northern sectionMansfield Recorder Thursday 12 August 1982, page 3 A56 Accrington Easterly By-Pass, southern section £8.5mRetford Times Friday 3 February 1984, page 7 A43 Bulwick bypass 1.7 miles £2m, work started 24 June 1985, to take 18 monthsStamford Mercury Friday 14 June 1985, page 3Stamford Mercury Friday 26 July 1985, page 2 A15 Lincoln Canwick Road tidal flow £490,000, work started Monday 8 July 1985Lincolnshire Echo Saturday 6 July 1985, page 7 A57 Worksop bypass, was opened on Thursday 1 May 1986, by Michael Spicer, and the Chairman of Bassetlaw council; was due to open in October 1986Retford Times Thursday 1 May 1986, page 18 A45 Higham Ferrers bypass, 1.5 miles, opened 1986, started June 1985, £5m, single carriageway but land was bought to make dual carriageway, opened 15 weeks early by local MP Peter FryNorthamptonshire Evening Telegraph Tuesday 2 September 1986, page 8 A52 Bingham bypass £2.2m, opened ten months early, by Kenneth Clarke on Monday 8 December 1986Grantham Journal Friday 12 December 1986, page 17 Castle Bridge Road in central Nottingham (now the Castle Marina Retail Park)Nottingham Evening Post Thursday 6 August 1987, page 10