ON THIS DAY in 2025, D Morgan PLC celebrated the opening of its Heritage and Innovation Visitor Centre in Ellesmere Port, showcasing a collection of vintage vehicles from the well-known civil engineering business.
The new facility was inaugurated by Ellesmere Port mayor and mayoress, Paul and Caroline Donavon, at the company’s base located on Chester Road in Great Sutton.
The Heritage and Innovation Visitor Centre served as a permanent tribute to the past 75 years of success for D Morgan, a company that had created a significant number of jobs, employing more than 350 people and establishing a national reputation with clients across Scotland, Wales, and England.
A spokesperson for D Morgan said: “The Heritage and Innovation Visitor Centre displays five rare machines remarkably all in working order manufactured between the 1930s to the 1960s representing the transition from older technologies to emerging ones over the years and how working conditions used to be.”
The collection included vintage construction equipment that had been painstakingly sourced over a period of 14 months, with efforts extending across the UK, Europe, and even America.
This equipment was similar to that which had been purchased second or third hand by Denis Morgan during the 1950s when his business began to grow.
The spokesperson added: “Vintage construction equipment is rare and almost impossible to find in working condition, but perseverance paid off with the collection now displayed by the company.”
The purpose of the exhibition was to celebrate D Morgan’s 75-year history, beginning in 1950, and to educate all generations, particularly younger individuals, about how construction equipment was used 50 to 100 years ago.
The collection illustrated the evolution of technology from the 1930s to the present day, highlighting the ongoing need for innovation and improvement in construction equipment, particularly following the implementation of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
The centre was designed to be accessible to school pupils of all ages, especially older students interested in pursuing a career in civil engineering.
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D Morgan had around 30 years of experience in teaching, with current staff members undertaking qualifications from degree level and below, and over 150 apprentices trained and supported over the past 12 years.
The spokesperson concluded: “We will use our new Heritage and Innovation Visitor Centre when new employees join us as part of the induction process as well as for our existing employees, their families, and visitors to experience.
"It’s all a long way from the beginning in 1950 with a remarkable story to tell.”
This article was originally published in the Chester Standard on April 16, 2025.
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