Our Story

A brief history of Houghton Parkhouse and the string of UK and industry firsts that have kept us at the forefront of livestock transporter design and manufacturing.

• 1950
• 1960
• 1970
• 1980
• 1990
• 2000
• 2010

• 

  1950 - Putting down roots

  John Houghton, already an experienced joiner, takes on his first premises in Milnthorpe on the edge of the Lake District.

• 

  1955 - Box clever

  John Houghton eliminates the joint breakage inherent to the all-wood horseboxes of the day by combining metal angle uprights with wooden panels - a UK first.

• 

  1961-1962 - It's all in the frame

  Houghtons increase the strength, durability and load areas of their livestock transporters by being the first in the UK to use steel box-section frames.

• 

  1970 - Easy come, easy go

  Life on the farm, on the road and at the mart gets a little easier with the UK's first ever hydraulically operated livestock run-up.

• 

  1978 - The simplest things

  Houghtons become the first in Europe to fit alloy ribbed tread plate rear doors, significantly reducing human and animal slip and stumble injuries.

• 

  1979 - Easy up, easy down

  Another UK first, a major welfare improvement for animals and drivers, and a time and money-saving milestone for operators as Houghtons brings hydraulic lifting decks to its legendary P-Line.

• 

  1980 - Three tiers for Houghtons!

  Houghtons brings Europe's first ever three-tier lifting deck transporter to market, reducing costs across a recession-hit pig industry - hip, hip hooray!

• 

  1984 - A right royal showing

  Houghton's wows the crowds at the Royal Highland Show as it unveils its newest product line with a Professional Four Deck Transporter.

• 

  1984 - 3000th P-Line

  A testament to the P-line's industry-wide reputation for quality design and manufacture, the 3000th P-line transporter leaves our Milnthorpe factory.

• 

  1991 - New beginnings

  Houghton Parkhouse moves to its current, purpose-built manufacturing base.

• 

  1992 - Houghtons through and through

  The first European manufacturer to do so, Houghtons starts to make trailers in-house for its commercial livestock transporters to its own unique specifications.

• 

  1994 - Ola Brasil!

  Houghtons enters the South American market with the shipment of a Professional Two Deck to Brazil.

• 

  1994 - We can see you...

  The first ever satellite-tracking system for a livestock transporter is installed in a Houghton transporter as part of a government research project led by Silsoe Research.

• 

  1995 - Trailer of the year

  Professional 3-Tier Indexing Lift articulated scoops first prize at The Commercial Motor Trailer of the Year Awards 1995.

• 

  2005 - 500 & half a century

  Fifty years after John Houghton completed his livestock box, the 500th Professional Line transporter leaves our Milnthorpe factory.

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  2009 - Country line for country life

  Our Professional Country Line range of tractor-drawn transporters is launched.

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  2010 - Birth of a new breed

  The Platinum - truly a 21st century transporter - arrives, with light-sensing deck locking system, modular interchangeable parts, external access mechanisms and more.

• 

  2011 – As light as a feather

  The Pro-light is the lightest and smallest transporter ever created by Houghton-Parkhouse for our 3.5 tonne range.