Trollope & Colls
Trollope & Colls was a major British construction and civil-engineering company formed in 1903 through the merger of two long-established London building firms.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Trollope & Colls was a British construction and civil-engineering company whose corporate identity emerged from the 1903 merger of George Trollope & Sons and Colls & Sons. Although the combined company was created in the early twentieth century, both predecessor businesses traced their origins to the late eighteenth century and developed from London interior-decoration trades into substantial building contractors. The Trollope family business began with wallpaper hanging, while the Colls business originated in painting and decorating. Over time, both firms expanded into general construction and developed relationships with prominent institutional, commercial and public-sector clients. The merged company chose to concentrate on civil engineering and construction. During the First World War it undertook important reinforced-concrete work, including docks, viaducts and railway bridges. The period also brought severe labour shortages, and the company employed women in roles such as carpentry that had traditionally been occupied by men. This wartime experience contributed to the firm’s technical reputation and broadened the range of infrastructure work it could undertake. Trollope & Colls combined domestic construction with an interest in overseas opportunities. During the interwar years it pursued contracts in locations including the Far East, while continuing to build in Britain. After the Second World War, it became heavily involved in reconstruction and in the expansion or modernization of public infrastructure. Its work covered new buildings, industrial facilities, hospitals, transport infrastructure and the refurbishment of existing landmarks. Projects associated with the company and its predecessors included the Ministry of Defence Main Building, Trawsfynydd power station, Hull Royal Infirmary, Northwick Park Hospital and the Stock Exchange Tower. It also worked on restoration and upgrading projects such as the Oxo Tower and New Zealand House, as well as improvement and expansion work for London Underground. The company was acquired by the British conglomerate Trafalgar House in 1969. It continued to operate as a construction business within that group, retaining the Trollope & Colls identity for much of its later development. During the early 1990s, its two principal operating arms were reorganized and merged after increasingly competing for work in the same Greater London territory. Management was consolidated in new City of London offices, and the business was subsequently presented as Trafalgar House Construction. By 1994, it was described as the largest contractor in the United Kingdom by turnover. A further change followed on 18 April 1996, when Norwegian shipbuilding and engineering group Kvaerner acquired Trafalgar House and its subsidiaries in a transaction valued at £904 million for Trafalgar House plc. The construction business then traded as Kvaerner Trollope & Colls. The historic company was later effectively absorbed into Skanska, ending its existence as an independent operating brand. Trollope & Colls is therefore best understood as a historic British contractor whose legacy rests on a long sequence of major buildings, infrastructure projects, civil-engineering works and restoration contracts rather than on a continuing standalone consumer brand.
History
The history of Trollope & Colls combines two London building traditions that developed from eighteenth-century decorating businesses into major construction contractors. The Trollope lineage is associated with a business founded in 1778 by Joseph Trollope, a wallpaper hanger. The Colls lineage similarly began with Benjamin Colls, a painter and decorator. Both enterprises operated in London for much of their histories and gradually moved beyond interior work into broader building construction. Their later leaders included George Howard Trollope and John Howard Colls, both of whom served as presidents of the Central Association of Master Builders. In 1903, George Trollope & Sons and Colls & Sons merged to create Trollope & Colls. The new company emphasized civil engineering and developed capabilities in reinforced concrete and large public works. During the First World War, it constructed docks, viaducts and railway bridges using methods that reflected the expanding importance of reinforced concrete. Labour shortages during the conflict also led the firm to employ women in occupations such as carpentry, challenging the normal gender division of construction work at the time. Between the wars, Trollope & Colls continued to pursue British contracts while seeking business abroad, including in the Far East. Its work covered commercial buildings, public facilities and infrastructure. Following the Second World War, the company played a substantial role in reconstruction and in the modernization of Britain’s public and industrial estate. The business worked on new construction as well as the repair, restoration and adaptation of existing structures. Its project record included prominent London buildings and national infrastructure, among them the Ministry of Defence Main Building, completed in 1959; Trawsfynydd power station, completed in 1962; Hull Royal Infirmary, completed in 1965; Northwick Park Hospital, completed in 1970; and the Stock Exchange Tower, completed in 1972. The company’s earlier work and predecessor projects included Her Majesty’s Theatre, St Philip’s Church in Battersea, the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Claridge’s, the Baltic Exchange, Debenhams’ Wigmore Street headquarters and Lloyds Bank’s Lombard Street headquarters. In addition to constructing new buildings, Trollope & Colls undertook significant refurbishment and infrastructure-upgrade work. Projects associated with this aspect of its business included the Oxo Tower, New Zealand House and improvements for London Underground. In 1969, Trafalgar House acquired Trollope & Colls. The company remained within the conglomerate’s construction interests, but its organization changed as the London market became more competitive. During the early 1990s, the two principal arms of the business were merged because they were increasingly bidding for work in overlapping parts of Greater London. Operations and management were centered in new City of London offices, and the combined business was rebranded as Trafalgar House Construction. By 1994, it was identified as the United Kingdom’s largest contractor by turnover. Kvaerner’s acquisition of Trafalgar House on 18 April 1996 brought the construction business under Norwegian ownership. The transaction was based on a £904 million offer for Trafalgar House plc, and the former Trollope & Colls business subsequently traded as Kvaerner Trollope & Colls. It did not remain an autonomous historic brand indefinitely; the business was later effectively incorporated into Skanska. Its corporate life therefore ended through successive ownership and organizational changes, while the name survives primarily through historical records and the numerous buildings and infrastructure projects delivered by the company and its predecessors.
- 1996
Kvaerner acquisition
[1]Kvaerner acquired Trafalgar House and its subsidiaries on 18 April, after which the construction business traded as Kvaerner Trollope & Colls.
- 1994
United Kingdom turnover leadership
[1]The reorganized company was described as the United Kingdom’s largest contractor by turnover.
- 1990
Operating arms merged
[1]The company’s two principal arms were combined, management was moved to new City of London offices, and the business was rebranded as Trafalgar House Construction.
- 1969
Acquisition by Trafalgar House
[1]Trafalgar House acquired Trollope & Colls, which continued as a construction subsidiary within the conglomerate.
- 1962
Trawsfynydd power station completed
[1]Trollope & Colls completed work on Trawsfynydd power station, demonstrating its role in major industrial and energy infrastructure.
- 1959
Ministry of Defence Main Building completed
[1]The company completed the Ministry of Defence Main Building, one of its most prominent government projects.
- 1914
First World War engineering work
[1]The company undertook reinforced-concrete construction for docks, viaducts and railway bridges and employed women in roles including carpentry during wartime labour shortages.
- 1903
Formation of Trollope & Colls
[1]George Trollope & Sons and Colls & Sons merged to form Trollope & Colls, which specialized in construction and civil engineering.
- 1778
Origins of the Trollope business
[1]Joseph Trollope established the wallpaper-hanging business that became the foundation of the Trollope family’s later construction enterprise.
Products and positioning
A large-scale British construction and civil-engineering contractor serving government, institutional, commercial, industrial and transport clients.
Infrastructure construction · 1903
Civil engineering
Civil engineering was a core capability of the post-1903 company. Its work included reinforced-concrete docks, viaducts and railway bridges, as well as large infrastructure associated with public transport, energy and industrial development.
Building construction · 1903
Public and institutional buildings
Trollope & Colls constructed major government, commercial, cultural and institutional buildings. Its project record included the Ministry of Defence Main Building, hospitals, financial offices, theatres and headquarters for prominent organizations.
Industrial construction
Industrial and power infrastructure
The company undertook technically demanding industrial projects, including Trawsfynydd power station. These works placed Trollope & Colls within the post-war expansion of Britain’s energy and industrial infrastructure.
Construction services
Refurbishment and restoration
Alongside new-build construction, the company refurbished and adapted existing landmarks and infrastructure. Associated work included projects at the Oxo Tower, New Zealand House and London Underground facilities.
Public-sector construction
Healthcare construction
Hospitals formed part of the company’s public-building portfolio. Notable examples included Hull Royal Infirmary and Northwick Park Hospital, reflecting its ability to deliver large institutional facilities.
Brand decisions
1996
Transfer to Kvaerner ownershipM&ABackground
Kvaerner sought to acquire Trafalgar House and its subsidiaries, including the construction business formerly associated with Trollope & Colls.
Action taken
Kvaerner completed the acquisition on 18 April 1996, and the business traded as Kvaerner Trollope & Colls.
Aftermath
The historic business was later effectively incorporated into Skanska and ceased to operate as an independent Trollope & Colls company.
Offer value for Trafalgar House plc. £904 million offer (1996)
1990
Merge the two principal operating armsStrategyBackground
The company’s two major arms were increasingly competing for contracts in the same Greater London territory, creating organizational overlap.
Action taken
The arms were merged, management was centralized in new City of London offices, and the business was rebranded as Trafalgar House Construction.
Aftermath
The combined operation was described as the United Kingdom’s largest contractor by turnover by 1994.
1969
Join Trafalgar HouseM&ABackground
Trollope & Colls was acquired by the British conglomerate Trafalgar House as part of the latter’s expansion of its construction interests.
Action taken
The company became a Trafalgar House subsidiary and continued operating in the construction sector.
Aftermath
The acquisition preserved the business within a larger corporate group but eventually led to later reorganization under the Trafalgar House Construction name.
Sources1 sources
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