Riley and Neate

Overview

Riley and Neate was an electrical and civil engineering firm headquarted in Winchester, responsible for power line contracts throughout the UK. Remarkably little trace remains of the company now; even Graces Guide (as of 2026) has no details. Their work included the design and construction of both wood pole and steel tower lines as well as substations, at voltages from 11 kV up to 400 kV.

Riley and Neate undertook the first 275 kV to 400 kV Supergrid line upgrade, in Bristol.

Rival firm Watsham’s acquired Riley and Neate in 1962.

Former Riley and Neate employee Tony Wills has kindly supplied a summary of Riley and Neate from 1957 to the 1960s:

Riley and Neate Ltd – Electrical & Civil Engineers

The UK branch of Preformed Line Products in Andover, Hampshire (formed 1957) shares history with Riley and Neate.

Works

Towers

Riley and Neate are only known to have designed one type of tower, the H99 66 kV mast/tower family. The towers were designed and the lines constructed during World War II.

Contracts

Riley and Neate’s contracts included:

• Most likely all of the wartime 66 kV lines built using Riley and Neate masts/towers
• A Blaw Knox K9857 (STL1) line between Beauly substation and Deanie power station, Scotland, constructed for NoSHEB; the date of construction is not known, but Deanie power station is said by SSE to have been completed in 1963
• A line in the Wareham area constructed for the Southern Electricity Board as contract T(3) CEGB L293, completed around 1965; the first portion (around 20 towers) utilised a random selection of tower types from Blaw Knox, Pirelli-General and Watsham’s