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proofing products to the UK construction industry, and 2018 sees them celebrate an incredible 170th


year of trading. The company is still family owned and


family run, and it is this family ethos and independence, coupled with their expertise and willingness to innovate that has allowed them to continually compete and grow.


Humble Beginnings In 1848 the original John Newton recognised an opportunity to supply plasterers hair and ancillary products to the construction industry, collecting his raw materials from the tanneries in Bermondsey, South London. Such was his success that he supplied high


profile projects including the rebuilding of the Houses of Parliament in the 1850s, and John Newton and Company Ltd went from strength to strength.


Inventing Damp Proofing With the introduction of plasterboard in the 20th


Celebrating 170 Years of UK Waterproofing E


stablished in June 1848, Newton Waterproofing Systems are the oldest suppliers of waterproofing and damp


century rapidly eroding demand


for plasterers hair, Newton was forced to diversify.


Consequently, in 1937 the company designed and introduced the UK’s first physical damp proof membrane, ‘Newtonite’. An immensely popular product, Newton sold over five million square metres of the innovative membrane between 1945 and 1983.


The New Generation It was during this time that Christopher Newton, great-grandson of the original John Newton, began his tenure at the family firm. From stoking the boiler in 1963, Christopher rapidly rose to Chairman in the 1970s, where he remains to this day. With Christopher at the helm, the company recognised the need to exploit new technologies and move with the times, resulting in two major developments: 1) Inventing ‘Newlath’, the first meshed damp proofing membrane that could be directly plastered onto, launched in 1984.


2) Utilising protective membranes below ground, resulting in the first Newton System 500 basement waterproofing solution in 1986, consequently installed in thousands of UK properties.


Both of these introductions were so


Image 1: Over five million square metres of the revolutionary Newtonite membrane was installed in the UK.


significant that, although the component products are constantly upgraded, the concepts have remained at the heart of damp proofing and waterproofing best practice for the past 40 years.


Innovation and Expansion The turn of the millennium saw more innovation, and in 2003 Newton introduced the industry’s first approved contractor network of ‘Newton Specialist Basement Contractors’. The network’s strict entry criteria maintains the high standards and guarantees required for Newton products, and now includes 40 of the best specialist waterproofing contractors across the UK and Ireland. The rapid growth that this generated


also meant that Newton finally outgrew its original premises, and after 164 years in South Bermondsey the company relocated to Tonbridge, Kent in 2012.


Complete Solutions The 21st


century Newton Waterproofing Systems continues to grow, with 33


Image 2: Introduced in 1986, Newton System 500 was the basis for modern-day internal basement waterproofing.


employees providing solutions for architects, developers, contractors and homeowners on projects from the smallest domestic basement, to high-end properties, commercial developments and extensive civil infrastructure projects. However, the company has not lost sight


of the values of its family beginnings or its independence, and as Christopher Newton observes, it is this autonomy that allows the company to continually stand out from its competitors: “I have always been proud to say


that Newton is a family-run company, with a strong ethos that provides the foundation for the 21st


century company.


Alongside our independence this grants us complete impartiality and a valuable freedom, allowing us to grow and improve whilst consistently offering the highest levels of service and sourcing new and innovative solutions.”


01732 806 963 tech@newtonwaterproofing.co.uk www.newtonwaterproofing.co.uk


6 www.buildingconstructiondesign.co.uk


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