A.F. Budge


A.F. Budge was a British civil engineering and construction company based in Nottinghamshire.

History

It built many sections of motorway in Yorkshire and the north Midlands. It was established by Tony Budge in December 1962. He was the older brother of Richard Budge, who established his coal mining business RJB Mining, also based in Bassetlaw. Richard Budge joined the company in 1966. Another director of the company was Janet Budge, Tony's wife.
RJB Mining was formed from a management buyout in February 1992 for £107m.
Anthony Frederick Budge liked racehorses, and his company invested in Doncaster Racecourse. The company owned Retford Gamston Airport. Tony Budge lived at Osberton Hall at Scofton, the former home of Francis Ferrand Foljambe, near the River Ryton, off the B6079 between Worksop and Retford.

Receivership

A.F. Budge Ltd went into well-publicised receivership on 9 December 1992, undertaken by Cork Gully, with £96.6m debts, under the Insolvency Act 1986. As a road construction company, it was profitable, but the company made some disastrous investments in other areas in the late 1980s.
The company, and RJB Mining, were investigated in an edition of Panorama on 1 May 1995.

Structure

The company, also known as A. F. Budge, was based in Retford in Bassetlaw, north Nottinghamshire, directly west of Retford railway station.

Products

It built many bypasses including the A46 bypasses for Newark-on-Trent and Lincoln. NORWICH bypass Trowse to Postwick. Willen lake H5 Milton Keynes