The Shufflebottom story started in 1977, when Lorna
Shufflebottom visited her doctor while expecting her first child.
"Would you know anyone who can make gates?" the doctor asked. "My
husband Martin can," she replied.
So Martin agreed to make metal gates. First he had to buy a
drill costing £27, he used the drill to construct the gates, and he
charged the doctor £28. So this first venture was not profitable,
but the Shufflebottoms had started out on the road to becoming
leading manufacturers of agricultural and industrial steel-framed
buildings. The company Shufflebottom Ltd was founded in May 1986,
with Martin as managing director.
Seven years later, in 1993, Martin was killed in a tragic
accident. Lorna took over at the head of the company, and continued
to expand and diversify, constructing strong steel-framed buildings
for all kinds of uses, in the countryside where Shufflebottom sheds
are very popular with farmers, and in cities where Shufflebottom
buildings are used for factories, superstores, business units,
warehouses and many other purposes.
The second generation of Shufflebottoms, Alex and Wesley, and
general manager Alec Davies became directors of the company in
March 2008, following Lorna's decision to relinquish day-to-day
management.