Company History

CJ Pryor was founded by Cecil Pryor in 1947 as a tree felling and timber haulage business. One of the company’s first prestigious contracts was the site clearance of 250 acres for the then new Esso Oil refinery at Fawley, Southampton.

The Early Years

Investment in agricultural and crawler tractors followed, which enabled diversification into site clearance for agricultural work. The trend towards agricultural work continued through the early 1950s, with timber haulage still playing an important role. During the mid 1950s expansion into civil engineering saw the business involved in sea defence work and road construction, namely the M1 motorway.

Growth in the 60s and 70s

CJ Pryor became a limited company in 1962 and soon after was involved in major contracts. By the early 1960s the work had expanded to include overburden removal for local aggregate companies and C J Pryor constructed its first reservoir at this time.

By the 1970s the business focus had changed from agricultural to earthmoving, working mainly in East Anglia and the Home Counties, although projects were undertaken in Jersey and the Shetlands.

Specialist Earthmovers

Many major contracts involving specialist earthmoving have since been undertaken, including works at airports, roads, large retail parks, reservoirs and quarries for some of the world’s largest aggregate and cement producing companies. Projects range from 1000m3 to 10,000,000m3 and encompass all manner of civil engineering, construction or quarrying activities.

Now known as The Pryor Group, CJ Pryor has long been regarded as one of the largest and most respected specialist earthmoving companies in the UK.