Morrison Construction was founded by Alex Morrison in
Tain, Scotland in 1948. Although ownership of the company would pass through several hands during the 20th and 21st centuries, the Morrison family maintained a presence at the business for over 50 years. During 1974, an 80 percent stake, and thus control of the firm, was sold to
Consolidated African Selection Trust. In September 1995, Morrison Construction plc was
floated on the
London Stock Exchange, during which it was valued at almost £77 million while Fraser and Gordon Morrison each retained a 27.3 per cent shareholding. By this point, the firm was steadily shifting away from traditional
competitive tender work in favour of other business avenues, including building and property development, civil engineering, utility and energy, housebuilding, and
private finance initiative schemes. In September 2000, the company was purchased by
Anglian Water Group Plc in exchange for £235 million; its new parent company stated that the move would permit it to provide an all-round service of designing, constructing and managing facilities. However, over the following three years, a series of
write-downs on the firm's value were enacted. During February 2003, Anglia Water Group launched
legal action against Morrison's former chairman, Sir Fraser Morrison, along with other senior figures, alleging that they had misrepresented the firm's fiscal performance to an extent that amounted to
fraud. This action cumulated in a confidential
out of court settlement. During early 2006, the business was split into three divisions, Morrison Construction,
Morrison Facilities Services and Morrison Utility Services; the latter two businesses were retained for a time by Anglian Water Group, while the construction division was acquired by the rival construction firm
Galliford Try for £42 million. Two years later, Morrison Utility Services was divested by Anglian Water Group, the management of which were seeking a return to being a pure utility company. Finally, in 2012, rival contractor
Mears Group purchased Morrison Facilities Services from Anglian Water Group for £24 million. Throughout the early 2010s, Galliford Try backed Morrison Construction's plans to expand its central Scotland building business. Various types of civil works were undertaken by the firm during this period; such projects included
windfarms,
schools, and
flood defences. ==Major projects==