History

Downton was formed in 1955 when Conrad Downton, the owner of a small Gloucestershire farm, invested £16 in a gravel-carrying tipper lorry. Supported by his wife Anne and keen to supplement the modest living provided by the farm, the entrepreneurial Conrad began shifting small loads around the county - at first delivering hay and straw, then moving gravel and construction materials.

Conrad Downton did great things with that first tipper lorry, and it was not long before he had moved on to more than just gravel and straw. Even in the early days, Downton was involved in major projects such as the building of the M5 and the construction of the approach roads to the Severn Bridge and, by the end of the 1960s, the company had built up a fleet of tipper vehicles and become heavily involved in the local construction industry.

In the early 1970s, the company purchased its first articulated lorry. Winning major contracts with Bass Brewers and the Flowers Brewery in Cheltenham, Downton grew rapidly and before long had a fleet of 16 articulated vehicles. The philosophy was the same as it was when it had been Conrad and a single truck - whatever the request, the company would do everything in its power to get it done. With this simple premise, Conrad Downton had found a winning business formula.

In 1985, Conrad died suddenly and tragically at the age of 52. His three sons - Andrew, Richard and John - took over where their visionary father had left off, and set about turning the flourishing but small haulage company into a major player in the logistics industry.