Symm is one of the UK’s premier building companies, renowned for high quality over a broad range of skills covering specialist and general building, restoration, joinery, cabinetry, decoration and stone masonry.

With a continuous presence in Oxford since the reign of King George III Symm employs the real characters behind some of the city’s glorious buildings – indeed the recent past Chairman, Malcolm Axtell, is the great grandson of the talented mason, Thomas Axtell. Thomas was a partner of the Victorian master builder, Joshua Symm; their building and decorating history stretches back 200 years.

OUR CRAFTSPEOPLE

Today, Symm has gained the reputation as No Ordinary Builder. From traditional country cottages to stylish London penthouses, historic national monuments to commercial public buildings, Symm has the expertise, experience and dedication to ensure quality, craftsmanship and the highest standards. At the core of its success is a commitment to maintaining long-standing relationships with its clients and upholding the tradition of passing on skills from generation to generation through apprenticeship schemes.

Symm employs a large dedicated workforce of apprentice-trained craftsmen and women. The group maintains a strong intake of craft apprentices and has a tradition of craft training stretching back 200 years to its origins.

Traditional skills are expertly delivered by these teams. Symm believes that to consistently deliver high quality craftsmanship it is essential that those working on its projects are formally trained and that as many as possible are directly employed. This gives the company a tight control over quality and time, which is particularly important with the finishing trades of carpentry, painting, decorating and polishing.