T Manners and Sons, in Bishop Auckland, is oldest construction company in North of England

THE year was 1860 and as Queen Victoria continued her matriarchal rule of Great Britain, Abraham Lincoln was beginning his tenure at the helm of American politics.

While they were creating their own chapters in history, a significant moment in the North-East's construction industry was also being carved out.

Thomas Manners was busy founding his own building firm in Peel Street, Bishop Auckland, County Durham.

A lot has changed during the 153 years since the family-owned firm laid its first brick, but one thing has stayed constant.

Today, five generations and thousands of builds later, T Manners and Sons continues to stand strong, weathering economic and industry storms to become the oldest privately-owned construction and joinery company in the North of England.

During the First World War, and with Thomas preparing to retire, the company built wings for Sopwith Camel and SE5 fighter aircraft.

The business was handed down to Thomas' son, Robert, who was gassed in the First World War trenches, and he eventually brought in his son, Brian, who had spent much of the Second World War training fighter pilots.

It now employs about 60 people and entered 2013 on the back of contracts worth £2.5m, with Brian's son, Robert, the great-grandson of founder Thomas, the company's managing director.

This family chain was further strengthened when his son, Simon, was appointed a company director.

Walking through the firm's offices in South Church Enterprise Park, Bishop Auckland, allows you to see how this dynasty has been extended across the whole company.

Workers are treated almost like family - some have been there for 35 years – and while the company doesn't act like a father figure, there is a real sense of togetherness.

You don't have to look far to appreciate how this attitude has lent itself to the firm's work in the North-East.

Take a trip through Albert Hill, Woodlands Road, Kensington and The Dell, in Bishop Auckland, and you will see a nod towards the history of the company through the houses built by Manners' men.

Go further and you see how customers using Tylers' shop, in Newgate Street, did so thanks to the endeavours of Manners workers and how thousands of children grew up together under the roof of Alderman Wraith School, in Spennymoor, which the company rebuilt after the Second World War.

More recently, the business, which has an £8m turnover, has added a specialist joinery arm allowing it to take on more projects.

It has made reception desks and display cabinets for Durham University, a stage area at The Sage, in Gateshead, and even charge desks for police forces.

It's construction division, which can handle contracts worth up to £3m, works on housing regeneration projects and schools, and the third leg of the business, its small works team, also plays an integral role in helping stricken homeowners whose properties have been damaged by flooding or high winds.

Peter Spoors, head of the firm's marketing and business development, says the company's success can be traced right back to its roots.

He said: “We are a family company in every respect, there are the five generations of Manners, but we also have workers who have been with us for a number of years.

“Quite a lot of them have done 25 or even 35 years service, we are like an institution.

“People come in, serve their time, and often work their whole working like here which gives us good stability and allows us to invest in them with more training and support.

“It is not paternalistic or about giving someone a pat on the head, it's a practical investment in the business.

“We have Investors in People status and sometimes that is seen as a badge to stick on a wall and that is it.

“But here, it reflects how the company has been run and will continue to be.

“The industry has a reputation for hiring a firing but we have never gone down that route and the benefits of that are two-fold.

“The client gets the right people to do the right job first time and when a team from Manners goes on site, the customer knows the standard and quality they are getting.

“It is all about getting it right first time for the great benefit of the people we are working for.”

As we sit in Manners' headquarters, with the gentle hum of the joinery workshop below, Peter is honest enough to admit the company faced difficult periods during the recession.

However, he said its commitment to good old-fashioned hard work and addition of its joinery team worked to ease the situation.

He said: “The recession was difficult and small and medium-sized businesses were left with facing increased competition for public sector work.

“The specialist joinery arm was all part of the company modernising and moving on and a major reason for our ongoing success has been having the three parts of the business.

“It is like having three legs on a stool, you need them all to succeed because the market continuously fluctuates in different areas.

“If you had all your eggs in one basket, you could fall foul to potential problems.

“Joinery has always formed a strand through the company but when we formed the specialist part of the business, that really allowed it to blossom.

“The small works team also adds a lot of stability and we receive a lot of compliments from people for our work in that sector.

“Homeowners have already had one crisis through flooding or high wind damage, the last thing they want is for another when repairs are being carried out, and we pride ourselves on the high levels of service we provide.

“We can see potential to grow and think there are areas in all sectors to do that.”

Mr Spoors says the industry is changing, and points to movement within the Government's localism agenda which could increase the number of jobs for local firms.

And while he expects it to remain challenging, he is fully convinced 2013 can only be the start of the businesses future success.

He said: “The family have been, and remain, fully committed to the business and it is a real tribute to them.

“If this was a different company with a different family at the helm, it might not have survived.

“We have done 150 years and have every intention of repeating that.”