Our History

A snapshot of the history of Marshalls

Our story began in the heart of Yorkshire in the 1890s, when Solomon Marshall laid the foundation for what would become Marshalls and Sons. In 1904, we officially incorporated as a limited company, marking the beginning of a legacy.

By the 1950s, we’d introduced bespoke wet presses and, in 1961 we opened our in-house testing laboratory. This commitment to innovation continued in 1974 with the introduction of block paving to the UK which remains the leading choice for residential driveways.

In 1990, we reached a significant milestone by supplying stone to Islington, earning us the distinction of having contributed to every location on the Monopoly Board. To celebrate this achievement, we created a special edition Marshalls Monopoly Board.

Over the years, our portfolio has expanded through strategic acquisitions including Edenhall, CPM, and most recently, Marley and Viridian Solar. Marley is a leading roofing tile manufacturer with a century-old British heritage, and Viridian Solar are specialists in advanced roof-integrated solar PV systems.

Today, 98% of our products are made in Britain*, reinforcing our commitment to local manufacturing. This allows us to offer customers a greater selection of British-made products while helping to keep carbon emissions associated with transportation to a minimum.

Our recent £24 million investment in a new dual block plant in Cambridgeshire underscores our dedication to sustainability and efficiency and highlights our continued commitment to manufacturing in Britain. This state-of-the-art facility enhances product availability and reduces reliance on imports.

For the past 130 years, we’ve been building on solid foundations. We’re still known for supplying landscaping products, but we’re now known for building and roofing materials, too. But, whilst we’ve broadened our focus, we’ve remained faithful to Solomon Marshall’s original principles. We strive to operate with the highest ethical and sustainable standards, continually working to create better places by prioritising people, communities, and the environment. 

The majority of information on this site currently remains focussed on our Marshalls named businesses only, you can find out more about Marley and Viridian Solar on their own websites.

_{*Based on tonnage sold in 2024 across our full product range}