Our History

The first Barratt company was established in 1958 in Newcastle upon Tyne and then grew steadily, establishing the roots that were to support its future growth.

The company was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1968 and in 1972 a programme of rapid expansion was launched through a series of acquisitions and the creation of new companies. The first moves were into Yorkshire, the North West and Scotland, followed by expansion into the Midlands and South.

During the 1990s the Group grew organically, establishing an unrivalled track record of consistent growth and becoming Britain's best-known housebuilder.

In April 2007 Barratt acquired Wilson Bowden PLC and today the Group has a network of 35 housebuilding divisions in strategic locations throughout Britain, selling new homes under the Barratt, David Wilson and Ward Homes brands.

We sell around 21,000 new homes a year. We are building on developments nationwide, from Aberdeen to Plymouth, helping to meet housing demand in towns, cities and rural areas. We provide high quality, value for money homes for all market sectors, plus homes for rent and shared ownership, and are leaders in brownfield development and urban regeneration.

Our commercial property development business, Wilson Bowden Developments, is focused on retail, leisure, office, industrial and mixed-use schemes. Wilson Bowden specialises in transforming town centres through strategic vision and innovative design, creating places where people will aspire to live, work and shop. Every year Wilson Bowden develops more than one million sq ft of space throughout Great Britain.