Halcrow specialises in providing professional planning, design and management services for infrastructure development worldwide its stated purpose is to sustain and improve the quality of people's lives.

Founded in 1868, Halcrow has developed into one of the UK's leading consultancy firms.

In UK industry league tables, Halcrow is ranked within the top 10 consultancies in each of its core sectors, and achieved a turnover of £160 million in 2001.

The firm's 3,500 staff operate from a network of 28 UK and 32 international offices, and are currently contributing to commissions in more than 70 countries.

More than 500 work at the group's headquarters in Chiseldon.

Halcrow is owned and managed by its employees and staff shareholders, making it one of the largest independent consultancies in the UK.

The company regularly provides consultancy engineering services to government departments, public sector authorities and utilities, industrial and commercial companies, international funding agencies, financial institutions and private individuals.

n Halcrow has a pedigree stretching back to 1868.

The company's founder, Thomas Meik, worked extensively on port, maritime and railway projects in northern England and Scotland. During the first half of the last century, William Halcrow later Sir William established the firm as a pioneering force in other areas, notably tunnelling.

Halcrow's first commissions outside the UK were undertaken in the 1890s.

By 2000, projects undertaken outside the UK accounted for nearly 40 per cent of turnover.

Initially named after Thomas Meik, the firm became Sir William Halcrow & Partners in 1941. In 1985, a private limited company bearing the same name was formed.

The most recent change was in 1998, when the various businesses and departments became Halcrow Group Ltd.