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Our History

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It All Started with Bill

Bill Curtin started his career as a “can lad” on site, later becoming a lecturer in building and design at Brixton College in London and then following that at the “College of Knowledge” in Liverpool.

His desire not only to create and share knowledge, but to put theory into practice, led him to establish W. G. Curtin & Partners in 1960. Initially working from his back bedroom, he, along with some of his former students, set up our office on Rodney Street, Liverpool.

Bill was always passionate about his work and the industry, often outspoken and sometimes anti-establishment in his views. His fundamental principles were to share knowledge, nurturing and supporting his staff to reach their full potential.

Several of our present directors and senior members of staff worked with Bill and they still carry these values with them. So, his legacy continues through our team and across the national offices we have today.

Bill Curtin

Looking Back on Our History

  • 1921 - Our founder, Bill Curtin is born.

  • 1948 – Bill marries Ella. Until her passing in 2024, Ella remained a guiding presence, often calling in to ask, “How are we doing?” If Bill was the father of Curtins, Ella was undoubtedly its mother. 

  • 1949 - Bill begins lecturing at Brixton College. His passion for mentoring and knowledge-sharing begins.

  • 1957 - Bill relocates to Liverpool College of Building. He starts applying theory to practice, working on real projects with his brightest students.

  • 1960 - W.G Curtin & Partners is founded in the front room of Bill and Ella's home in Aigburth, Liverpool

  • 1961 - Curtins awarded first scheme with a value of over £1m.

  • 1962 - Curtins becomes official: our first ever office opens on Rodney Street in Liverpool.

  • 1965 - Bill begins a recruitment drive at the youth centres of Toxteth, one of Liverpool’s most deprived areas. He provides opportunities and apprenticeships to young people from a diverse immigrant community.

  • 1972-77 - We begin to spread our roots, opening offices in London, Manchester and Kendal.

  • 1973 - Bill makes Stewart Hall and Terry Holden equal partners in the business. Both were his students from Liverpool College of Building

  • 1981 - Rob Melling joins Curtins as an apprentice. He will later become CEO.

  • 1982 - Liverpool’s Albert Dock regeneration begins with Curtins as structural engineers. Bill had been campaigning for its conservation since 1976

  • 1984 - Bill Curtin retires, with his legacy in safe hands

  • 1984-89 - We expand quickly, opening offices in Cardiff, Bristol, Isle of Man, Leeds and Birmingham.

  • 1991 - Bill Curtin: 1921-1991 . Read his obituary here

  • 1992 - Neil Parkinson joins our Liverpool office as an apprentice.

  • 1993 - Our first office in Scotland opens in Edinburgh, led by Rob Melling.

  • 2004 - Rob Melling becomes CEO. He started in the company as an apprentice in 1981  

  • 2004 - Launch of environmental services 

  • 2004 - Appointed consultants on the Imperial College London framework – the catalyst to our success in the higher education sector

  • 2006-9 - Accredited with Investors in People National Standard, then silver 3 years later.

  • 2010 - Launch of our transport planning service with just a two people. It's now a national service with an ever-growing team.

  • 2014 - Curtins Academy is launched to develop the talent of the future.

  • 2015-19 - Curtins achieves Gold, then Platinum, Investors in People accreditation, joining the top 1%.

  • 2016-17 - Our Glasgow, Dublin and Cambridge offices open their doors.

  • 2020 - Curtins leads the way, being one of the first in the industry to formally introduce Hybrid Working.

  • 2021 - We became 100% Employee Owned

  • 2022 - Our board is expanded to include wider representation from our disciplines.

  • 2022 - Carbon reduction targets announced: 15% by 2030, Net Zero by 2050.

  • 2024 - In August Rob Melling announces his retirement after 20 years as CEO, and 4 decades as part of the Curtins family

  • 2025 - Neil Parkinson becomes CEO. Like his predecessor, Neil joined Curtins as an Apprentice in 1992.

  • The Future - We will continue to commit to leading the way in sustainable engineering, empowering our people to do what's right and grow together, and fostering lasting relationships with our clients, because the legacy we all leave truly matters.