WITH 23 award shortlistings under its belt and 21 wins this year alone William Anelay is hoping to continue its streak of success in the Press Business Awards.

Specialising in the conservation and restoration of historic buildings and monuments, the firm is hoping to impress judges in the Large Business of the Year and Family Business of the Year categories as it approaches its 270th anniversary.

Founded in 1747, William Anelay started life in Doncaster, specialising mainly in brickwork.

By the 1850’s, the firm had begun its long association with built heritage, and in the early 1900’s opened up an office and masonry yard in York.

In 2005 the firm underwent a reformation with a management buyout, with eighth generation Charles Anelay remaining closely involved as chairman and special projects director.

Richard Anelay, marketing assistant, said: "Over the last years, like many others, we have had to battle our way through difficult times.

"We have had to make hard decisions about redundancies, share in the pain of longer hours and pay cuts, and work hard to keep going.

"We have also reshaped our business to suit the circumstances, while wanting to hold to our specialist reputation.

"We recognised that we would need to go where the work was, and be prepared to compete for the larger projects that were available.

"We pulled through, and our projections are that growth and profitability will continue to improve as we contend with the new challenges of cost rises, resource availability, and environmental sustainability."

Through this strategy the company has grown revenues from £13.5 million in 2006/7 to its current projected turnover of £35 million for 2014/15.

Alongside turnover growth the company has enjoyed a range of comprehensive recognition. Some has been specifically business orientated, included featuring in The London Stock Exchange Group’s 1000 Companies to Inspire Britain, becoming one of Yorkshire Post’s Fastest 50 growing companies for the second year in a row, and reaching the finals of Construction News’ Specialist Contractor of the Year Awards.

Meanwhile major recent project award successes have included the RIBA Stirling Prize for Astley Castle, RICS Building Conservation Award for The Florence Institute, Civic Trust AABC Award and also Europa Nostra Award for Middleport Pottery, and a Civic Trust Award for Wentworth Castle Conservatory.

Mr Anelay added: "We are at a point where we have an impressive array of projects, a strategy that has worked in getting us to where we are, and plans for the next stage of controlled growth."

Last year William Anelay provided a total of 290 training days for its team of 140 staff as part of its learning and development strategy.

The firm regularly takes on craft apprentices and office juniors, and as the company has grown, it has been able to take on younger site managers to train up in the heritage sector.