Heritage restored at Arbeia Roman Fort thanks to UK Docks staff

ANCIENT stones have pride of place at Arbeia, South Shields Roman Fort again, thanks to help from staff at UK Docks Marine Services.

A team of volunteers from the national company, headquartered at River Drive in South Shields, descended upon the fort in one of their regular visits to support the historic tourist attraction.

The UK Docks team with the remodelled Stone Park at Arbeia

Alex Croom, keeper of archaeology at the site, set them to work on restoring the setting of some of the most evocative stone relics found on site.

She said: “ We have dozens of distinctive stones recovered from the grounds over the years which we used to display in a gravelled setting near the picnic area..

“That area had become very overgrown over time and we also wanted to display the stones in a better way, which is where UK Docks came in.”

Putting their back into it! The UK Docks hard at it, clearing the overgrown site.

The stones are survivors from the days when the Roman Empire ruled over the land more than 1,600 years ago and the Fort stationed troops and served as a granary for the region.

They consist mainly of stones with holes in them and stones with chamfered edges but there are also troughs, drains, columns, pier bases, basins and more.

Stone Park - a walk back through ancient history

Alex, who is keeper of archaeology for South and North Tyneside for North East Museums, explained: “We suspect that most, if not all, of the stones with holes in them were probably post stones, used for doorways to fix doors.

“The stone with chamfered edges - some on three or four sides - would have been used on the top of the fort’s crenellations, the battlements, which helped to stop rain getting into the stonework.

“There were a huge number of granaries at Arbeia, and some of the stones would have been part of stone buttresses which supported the weight of the building and formed part of slopes to avoid rain.”

Keeper of archaeology, Alex Croom, delighted with UK Docks’ work

The team from UK Docks cleared the gravelled area of weeds and growth, rearranged the stones into formations and gathered the chamfered stones and the stones with holes into separate areas of the stone park.

Alex said: “It was great to have them here.

“I could have attempted the work myself but it would probably have taken several weeks, doing it bit by bit, but they turned up and did the whole thing in a day before moving on to help with the outlines of the fort itself.

“It helps that they know each other well and can work as a team to get work done efficiently and effectively.

Some of the UK Docks team relaxing after completing the weeding and heavy lifting at Arbeia.

“Now we have a newly restored attraction near the site’s picnic area which will be a talking point for visitors while they enjoy their break.”
In recent years, UK Docks has done numerous community works, including beach cleans near their offices at Sandhaven beach, but the trips to Arbeia have turned into regular visits, and each time they go to the former fort, they look to accomplish specific tasks.

Emma Bryon, UK Docks office manager, who co-ordinated the trip, said: “We really enjoy our trips to Arbeia and we always come back to the office with a sense of satisfaction at having contributed something worthwhile.

UK Docks managing director, Jonathan Wilson, said: “It’s always good to get feedback like this for the volunteer work our team carries out.

“We are a family-run company, deeply rooted in the local community, and as part of that we take our social values and contribution to the local community seriously as an important part of our company values.”

Shawn Doering and Cameron Dunbar enjoy a light moment during a break in the heavy work

• Arbeia, South Shields Roman Fort is open to the general public until Sunday, September 27th, from 10 am to 5 pm on weekdays, 11 am to 4 pm on Saturday and 1 pm to 4 pm on Sunday. Entry to the Baring Street site is completely free. For more information visit: https://www.northeastmuseums.org.uk/arbeia or call 0191 277 1409.

Award-winning UK Docks commits to Family Business Pledge

UK DOCKS Marine Services has become one of the first signatories to a national campaign committing family-owned businesses to the highest standards of treatment for their employees.

The company, which has six strategic locations across the UK and supports marine clients globally, has signed the Family Business Pledge - a landmark commitment championed by Family Business United that recognises and celebrates the values at the heart of family enterprise.

The Pledge sets out seven core principles spanning stewardship, people, community, governance, sustainability, heritage and knowledge-sharing. 

By signing the Pledge, UK Docks is publicly affirming what has always guided its approach to business - that long-term thinking, integrity and genuine care for people are not a compromise on commercial success but the very foundation of it.

Jonathan Wilson, managing director of UK Docks, said: “We are happy to be among the first to sign the new Pledge because it dovetails with commitments we’ve long held as a business to treat everyone within it with fairness and decency.

“It is great to see this campaign really take off, and if we all pledge to treat staff the way they should be treated, it will be a welcome step forward for both employers and employees, whilst also driving forward business growth.

The Wilson family at last year’s Family Business United awards ceremony

UK Docks Marine Services was founded in 1992 by Harry Wilson MBE on a single slipway on the River Tyne in South Shields.

Since then, it has grown into a company operating nationally and internationally, handling multi-million-pound contracts for clients including the Royal Navy, the Ministry of Defence, global commercial shipping fleets, and recently securing its first international contract with the Bangladeshi government.

Despite that phenomenal growth, though, the company has never lost sight of its family ethos.

Harry’s three sons, Jonathan, Chris and Gary, now manage the day-to-day running of the business as directors, with Harry overseeing as executive chairman, and UK Docks is the largest family-owned marine service and repair business in the country.

And Harry’s grandchildren are already being trained and apprenticed to take over the family business in the next generation.

But the term ‘family’ doesn’t only include the Wilsons at UK Docks, with Jonathan pointing out that that family approach extends to all staff - something which was recognised at last year’s Family Business United’s awards ceremony last year.

The national awards night in London saw UK Docks crowned North of England Family Business of the Year, while also winning the Community Support and Involvement Award and finishing as runner-up in the overall Supreme Champion competition.

Jonathan said: “The company has won many awards over the years but being recognised for our family values and the way we want to treat everyone who works for us and with us, was a particularly proud moment.

“We’re big supporters of the work that Family Business United does, and we see this move to have a Pledge of the standards that family-owned businesses should aspire to as being inspirational and important.

“Hopefully, many, many businesses will sign up the Pledge in the coming weeks and months.”

The seven principles of the Family Business Pledge are:

1. Stewardship over short-termism: Making decisions with the next generation in mind, prioritising long-term health over short-term profit.

2. People before profit: Fostering a people-first culture built on trust, respect and long-term relationships where employees are valued as individuals.

3. Rooted in our community: Actively investing in the communities where the business operates, recognising that its success is inseparable from the wellbeing of those around it.

4. Governance with integrity: Upholding transparent, ethical governance and welcoming accountability at every level.

5. Sustainability for future generations: Taking environmental responsibilities seriously, knowing that the world left behind matters as much as the business.

6. Preserving the founder’s spirit: Honouring the values, purpose and entrepreneurial drive on which the business was founded through every transition and generation.

7. Sharing knowledge, lifting others: Sharing experience and expertise with other family businesses and mentoring the next wave of family entrepreneurs.

Paul Andrews, founder and CEO of Family Business United, said: “We created the Family Business Pledge as a way to further bring family businesses together as a collective voice, to demonstrate their commitment to doing business the right way.

“ The seven core principles reflect the very essence of what family businesses are all about. “This is our latest campaign to celebrate the significant contribution family firms make to economies the world over via the jobs they provide, wealth they create and income they generate, not forgetting the impact they have on the communities in which they operate. 

“The Family Business Pledge brings together the principles by which they do business and we are proud to run this campaign and see so many family businesses get behind it.”

Jonathan said: “When the directors saw the Family Business Pledge, we knew it was something we could get behind right away because it summarises our own values and demonstrates that doing business the right way and doing business successfully are one and the same.

“We’d encourage all family-owned businesses to look at the Pledge and consider signing it.”

• Find our more about the Pledge at www.familybusinessunited.com.

Gosport’s Victoria Quay receives green light for business expansion

A MODERN new boat maintenance and repair centre to be built on Gosport’s Victoria Quay will allow UK Docks Marine Services to expand its thriving boat maintenance and repair operations and continue the regeneration of the area.

Planning permission for the new boat shed and staff facilities was granted by Gosport Borough Council this month, with directors saying the building will enable their business to continue growing.

The new look and extended Victoria Quay Boat Shed at Gosport

The new facility will provide extra covered operational capacity to the Weevil Lane boatyard at Victoria Quay - a 5.7-acre waterfront site within the former Royal Clarence Yard in Portsmouth Harbour. 

The site was purchased from the Ministry of Defence by UK Docks in 2019 and is equipped with a 75-tonne travel hoist, a 50-tonne boat transporter and a 55-tonne mobile crane. Additionally, the yard has over 150 metres of deep-water berthing and more than three acres of hard standing. 

The company has already made several improvements and investments at the site, but the new boat shed will increase the covered workspace at Victoria Quay by approximately 1,400m².

The purpose-built facility has been designed by Fareham-based HGP Architects Ltd, who have designed a number of local landmark buildings around Portsmouth Harbour.  

The boat shed, though, was essential for UK Docks in the wake of winning £84million in Royal Navy contracts to service the navy’s small boats, with much of the work earmarked for Gosport.

Ben Mason, business development director at UK Docks and Victoria Quay, said: "This planning permission is the next step in the development strategy at Victoria Quay, which supports the growth ambitions at UK Docks and the future for the local area. 

UK Docks business development director, Ben Mason, at Victoria Quay om Gosport

"We already have the workshops, lifting capacity, and deep-water access, and a new boat maintenance and repair facility gives us the additional covered space to take on more refits and complex projects here in Gosport.”

Initial work on the new boat shed will start this summer, allowing the existing structure to remain in use whilst building works are completed. 

Ben Mason added, “Due to our existing contracts, it's essential we maintain a fully operational boatyard. 

“Building the new boat shed and staff facilities is a complex project, and we are running at full capacity currently at Victoria Quay. 

“So, the development of this site is essential, allowing us to continue to grow the UK Docks business in Gosport and support the other marine businesses across the site.

“When complete, the building will be an impressive structure, flooded with natural light through the clever use of building materials around the roof structure. 

“The large roller shutter doors will allow our mobile hoist to move boats in and out of the new workshop effortlessly - even the Royal Navy’s P2000 boats can be lifted out of the water and moved directly into the workshop in a single operation.”

It is expected that work will be completed by the end of 2027.

The planning approval follows significant recent activity on the same site. 

The £22 million transformation of the Grade II-listed former Royal Navy Rum Store at Victoria Quay reached its latest milestone in May 2026 with the completion of enabling works, allowing visible construction to begin.

 Enabling works involved making the site safe and accessible, stripping paint from the Victorian walls, clearing vegetation and making the building safe.  

Gosport Borough Council secured £11 million from the Government's Local Regeneration Fund in 2023 to support the redevelopment, with UK Docks match-funding the investment. The Grade II listed building, once home to the Royal Navy's entire rum store during the British Empire, is being redeveloped to deliver nearly 7,000 square metres of mixed-use space. 

The renovation is led by UK Docks alongside local firm Pritchard Architecture, with support from Gosport Borough Council. The project is expected to create up to 200 jobs and provide a welcome boost to the local economy.

UK Docks is the country's largest independent, family-owned ship repair company and has invested heavily in Victoria Quay since acquiring the site, with regeneration improvements to buildings, infrastructure, and machinery. 

The successful Gosport Borough Council-led bid for the 'Reconnecting Historic Gosport Waterfront’ regeneration programme secured funding from the Government's Levelling Up Fund, and when combined with UK Docks' match-funding contribution to The Rum Store, plus this additional investment renewing and expanding the boat shed, represents significant investment in the Victoria Quay site. 

Jonathan Wilson, managing director of UK Docks, said: "The planning permission for the new boat shed at Victoria Quay is another sign of our continued investment in Gosport. “Alongside the Rum Store regeneration, which is now underway, this site is becoming a centre for marine services on the south coast. 

UK Docks managing director Johnathan Wilson, welcoming the boat shed and facilities extension at Victoria Quay.

Victoria Quay sits opposite His Majesty’s Naval Base, Portsmouth and is perfectly placed to serve the leisure, defence and commercial sectors.”

Full details of the planning application can be viewed on the Gosport Borough Council planning portal with reference 26/00007/FULL.

Former HMS Enterprise embarks on next stage of its working life with UK Docks' support

UK Docks Marine Services has begun regeneration work on the former Royal Navy vessel HMS Enterprise in the wake of its recent journey from Portsmouth Harbour to dry dock on Teesside.

The vessel was a multi-role hydrographic and oceanographic survey vessel that served the Royal Navy with distinction for 20 years. 

After being decommissioned in 2023, the ship was sold to the Bangladesh Navy in early 2026 to boost the Asian country’s maritime security, charting capabilities, and oceanographic research.

And a key part of the acquisition was appointing UK Docks not only to service and maintain the vessel once she enters service with the Bangladesh Navy, but also to carry out the alterations and regenerative work that would make her fit for her new role.

As a first step in that process, the ex-HMS Enterprise was moved from the Portsmouth Harbour berth, where it had spent several years, on a journey through the English Channel and North Sea before finally accessing dry dock on Teesside.

The trip and docking went smoothly, and the work has now begun, a complete technical overhaul of the vessel in what is a landmark moment for UK Docks - the first time it has secured a major contract with a navy other than the Royal Navy.

UK Docks managing director, Jonathan Wilson, said: “The fact that this is a capital project for the Bangladesh Government and signed by the equivalent of the first and second Sea Lords of the British Admiralty, shows its importance to Bangladesh and significance to us.“Without doubt, it’s one of the biggest moments in UK Docks’ history, stretching back over 30 years of increasing growth.”

UK Docks’ task will be aided by the fact that the company has previously serviced and maintained HMS Enterprise and her sister ship, HMS Echo, whilst they were in service with the Royal Navy.

Three permanent staff dedicated to programme oversight will be employed by UK Docks, working with three major original equipment manufacturers in Norway.

In addition, there will be 20 new, fixed-term contracts for specialists drawn from across the ship repair and maritime engineering sectors. 

This combined approach will ensure both capability and capacity to deliver the regeneration programme to the highest operational and strategic standards. 

Jonathan added: “We were among a number of contractors tendering for the work, and I think the fact that we had worked on the vessel over many years and had an excellent track record on it certainly went in our favour.”

Work is commencing on a wide range of upgrades and system refurbishments, including overhauling key propulsion and mechanical systems, modernising hydrographic and oceanographic equipment and restoring onboard data‑collection and sonar capabilities.

The work will support the preparation of the vessel for integration into Bangladesh’s “Forces Goal 2030” modernisation plan 

The project brings significant economic and skills benefits to Teesside and the wider North East, strengthening the region’s reputation as a centre of excellence for ship repair, refit and marine engineering. 

It also demonstrates the confidence that international partners place in UK Docks for high‑quality, specialist maritime support.

As the regeneration progresses, the vessel will be prepared for her new operational profile in the Bay of Bengal, where she will support maritime security, hydrographic research and environmental monitoring.