Evolving over half a century

Thompsons of Prudhoe has made quite an impact on the North-East since it started out hauling agricultural materials back in 1948.

It rapidly grew into a multi-functional firm capable of supporting the construction industry in a wide variety of specialisms.

Lorries bearing the Thompson name are frequently spotted on the roads of Tynedale and beyond.

The business operates locally, nationally, and internationally, and has worked on some notable projects, from the creation of Gateshead’s Metro Centre, to the demolition of the iconic Get Carter car park.

Thompsons hit the headlines last week for its work at the Port of Blyth, which was selected as the location for the landing of a 2MW SR2000 floating tidal turbine on behalf of Orbital Marine Power Ltd (Orbital).

The Thompsons of Prudhoe and Port of Blyth decom partnership, in collaboration with heavy lift specialists Mammoet, successfully completed a 516-tonne tandem lift on to the Blyth quayside using crawler cranes, in what was the port’s largest heavy lift to date.

Much of the structure will now be broken down for recycling, with key components and elements of the prototype turbine being returned to Orbital, for engineering inspections to be carried out to support the development and manufacturing of the new 2MW O2 turbine, which will be commissioned early next year.

Thompsons of Prudhoe is renowned for its work across the UK.

Before Gateshead’s Metrocentre was constructed in the mid 1980s, essential earthworks were carried out by Thompsons in preparation for the shopping centre’s famous malls to be built.

When civic chiefs decided to demolish the iconic ‘Get Carter’ car park in 2009, they called on Thompsons to bring the huge structure safely to the ground.

Today Thompsons of Prudhoe employs many people from the North-East, and has never lost sight of its local roots.

The firm operates local quarries, from where it supplies sand and gravel, rock, agricultural lime, and recycled aggregates to the construction and agriculture industries.

Its excellent reputation for demolition means the company is entrusted with complex dismantling and decommissioning projects within the nuclear and petrochemical industries.

Last December, John Thompson, the chairman of Thompsons of Prudhoe, was awarded an MBE for his services to the economy and the community.

This year, Thompsons was named as a finalist in the competition’s ‘project under £1m category,’ for the delicate task of deconstructing the 10-storey Merrion House in Leeds to its concrete shell.