by Anne Hayes - Hills Group

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THE Hills work hard and play hard. For thelast 100 years those two characteristicscombined with energy, enterprise, affability andconfidence have been the hallmarks of the Hillfamily in business.It’s a special blend which has enabled the familyto weather the ups and downs of business lifeand emerge united and successful into thesecond millennium.Family feeling is strong among the Hills but byno means exclusive. Non-family members havealways been valued within the business. It’s thatastuteness and generosity of spirit which haskept the company afloat when many otherbusinesses have foundered on a desire to “keepit in the family”.Based for most of the last century in Swindon,the company has grown from a one-manbusiness into a multi-million pound concernEdward Hill (centre) and his foursons, from left to right, Grahame,Rowland, Mervyn and HaroldEdward Hill in 19184A Hill family portrait takenin the late 19th century.Edward is second on the left,back rowPhoto courtesy of the Rev F Fuller
ased in Marlborough. From making bricks, ithas progressed through a multiplicity of buildingoperations to focus on aggregates, waste disposaland recycling, and house building.The Hills family business began with EdwardHill, a strong enterprising individual. Hisleadership and shrewdness propelled thecompany on its way to today’s success and afuture in tune with the new millennium.The annual Clay Pigeon Club dinner,at the Kings Arms, Swindon, 1951.Left to right, Mervyn, Rowland andGrahame Hill are the Moonrakers – amuch enjoyed feature of Hills eventsand family gatheringsReport in the Swindon Evening Advertiserof Friday, August 24, 1956Through itsindependenceand integrityand the loyaltyof its workers,the family hasprovided thefoundations ofmany buildingsand landmarks inthe region today –from motorwaysto the CotswoldWater Park.Throughout, thefamily hasproduced capable sons who have carried thecompany into the fourth generation. EdwardHill fathered four sons, three of whom wereto play a major part in the business –Grahame, Harold and Mervyn. All lived andbreathed the business, and when they weren’tdoing that they were playing cards, tennis,bowls, music, duck shooting or doing their bitfor the community.Their sons – Victor, Tony, Beverley, Richard,Robert and Edward – played and still play theirroles in the business, along with executives theHills were unafraid to promote and trust. Menlike Harry Boulton, Stan Goss, Don Howard,Alan Pardoe and others.Rowland, Edward’s third son, left the businessduring the war to pursue a farming life atBroome Manor. The family retained its interestin farming and country pursuits for many years.5
Page 1: 1900- 2000by Anne Hayes
Page 7 and 8: Purton Brickworks, run for many yea
Page 9 and 10: The Hill family in 1943 with four m
Page 11 and 12: A Drott excavator being lowered int
Page 13 and 14: Harold’s son, Tony, who joined th
Page 15 and 16: Using the dry digging method,a trac
Page 17 and 18: A brick library was built there in
Page 19 and 20: Compactor on Volvo F6 skipvehicle,
Page 21 and 22: High standards ofhousekeeping arema
Page 23 and 24: Traditional methods such asreed bed

by Anne Hayes - Hills Group

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