• Potton is a family business started in 1964 by our President, Peter Hutchinson

The early business was the manufacture of just about anything that could be made from timber. Most of the production was based at the old foundry in Potton, but Peter and the team also worked from home. The company was called Potton Timber Engineering Co Ltd, and it sums up the early business rather well. With such a dedicated team the business grew rapidly and by the end of the sixties it was tackling quite sophisticated packaging jobs for companies such as Ford, Rank Xerox and Kodak.

• 1968 – First Timber Frame Kits Produced

Timber frame housing component manufacture began with Government contracts totalling £5m – The Potton expertise and experience in timber frame housing began.

• The 70’s

The early 70’s saw the introduction of modern timber frame housing in the UK. Potton was there at the start and its transition into a major timber frame manufacturer was an easy and natural one. By the end of the decade Potton had supplied tens of thousands of houses providing high quality, energy efficient, low-cost housing to progressive councils such as Peterborough, Telford, Milton Keynes, and Basildon.

The seventies proved an adventurous time for Potton and our Founder and President, growing economic prosperity provided a platform upon which Peter could utilise some of his huge amounts of entrepreneurial flair! A number of astute land acquisitions, a move into motels and hotels and the development of the Nomad Timber Frame system for export to Saudi Arabia, Libya and the Yemen are just some of the diverse but rewarding areas of focus for the company.

Much of this flair is evident and encouraged today throughout the Potton Group forming the basis of our
innovative, can-do approach.

• The 80’s

The early 80’s was a tough time for Potton as it was for a number of building and construction companies heavily involved in the public sector. Mrs Thatcher’s first Government declared a moratorium virtually overnight on council house building and drastically reduced public sector spending.

So new products and new market sectors were sought in order to ensure survival and continue the growth of the business. One of these areas was the birth of pre-finished modular construction – known as Volumetric. The concept was to pre-manufacture and finish rooms in a pod form and bolt them together on site.

• Potton awarded the THF Travel Lodge contract

Potton manufactured and erected almost 200 THF Travel Lodges by the end of the 80’s. A landmark contract for the company. The overall build program was an enormous success both for Potton and THF and was a major factor in securing and re-shaping the future of the business. Of course there were many more successes of the Volumetric principle at that time.

• The 80’s saw the birth of Heritage, our unique award winning range of self build houses

Another very significant landmark was the launch of Heritage, a product designed for the growing self build market. Working on the premise that most people’s dream home is a country cottage with roses round the door, Heritage was conceived; with masses of authentic period features like inglenook fireplaces and exposed posts and beams and built to the highest possible labour and energy saving specifications. With an ever evolving product range, an unrivalled service provision and continual investment in support systems, Potton has become the market leader in self build package homes.

A position we still cherish today. Whilst our product range has broadened and evolved the appeal of the Heritage product is as popular today as it ever has been, the challenge to our designers and architects (in-house resources at Potton) is to incorporate modern living requirements with the traditional feel and ambiance of the Heritage design. This is best demonstrated today with the launch of our barn range (examples of the infinite number of designs from our 4 ranges are featured extensively throughout our website).

• Built show houses at the Ideal Home Exhibition

One of the most stunning and audacious PR coups ever was to build a Heritage show house at the Ideal Home Exhibition. This was repeated for several years and eventually copied by others. Visitors to the show house over the years included Her Majesty the Queen and several members of the Royal Family.

• Purchase of Wyboston Lakes

In 1983 land and a golf course at Wyboston Lakes was purchased and later became the Wyboston Lakes Business and Leisure Village. A unique concept combining training and conference facilities with supreme leisure facilities.

• The 90’s

Opening of the UK’s only self build show centre at St. Neots – In order to help promote our self build package, we constructed a purpose-built show centre in 1992. It was and still remains the only show centre where prospective clients can see, feel and experience how their eventual investment will be. A visit to the show centre is strongly recommended to all Potton clients. Details of how to book an appointment at the show centre can be found here

• The development of Wyboston Lakes into the country’s leading conference facility

Our clients include The Home Office, Barclays, Norwich Union, Glaxo Smith Klein, Tesco and many, many more!

• Major Projects

The Rank Oasis holiday village in Penrith was a major timber frame project of 750 units. At the height of the contract, 40 articulated loads per week were leaving our Gransden factory! Continuing the holiday theme, we also produced and erected 500 units for Butlin’s at their Skegness resort.

• The 21st Century

In 2001 we moved our head office from the Old Foundry in Potton to a modern, functional and superb new working environment at Wyboston Lakes.

• Information Technology

A major competitive advantage is our competency and continued investment in IT. All aspects of the business are covered, from the latest CAD-CAM through to management information, the emphasis is on ensuring reduced waste, reduced duplication of effort and process control all with one aim: the provision of unrivalled customer service and support.

• £15m Investment

Over the last 5 years, Potton has invested a figure of £15m in our core business activities. The philosophy is to continually reinvest in the business to ensure continued growth and development.

The very latest investment is in a new £1m Sawmill at our Great Gransden factory. The milling capacity has been greatly increased in order for Potton to remain at the forefront of the UK timber frame industry which is enjoying favourable trading conditions as a result of Government policy and skill shortages in the construction sector.