Stable Fabrication History
1973
People often ask how Stable Fabrication Ltd came by it’s name. The answer to the question leads us to a story that starts back in 1973 with Lord Hesketh and the country estate at Easton Neston just outside Towcester that he had recently inherited.
1974
Being a stones throw from Silverstone and with a passion for motor racing, Lord Hesketh aka ‘Le Patron’ and Anthony ‘Bubbles’ Horsley formed Hesketh Racing which was based in the old stable block at the Easton Neston Estate. Later that same year they employed the now infamous James ‘Superstar’ Hunt as their driver. By 1974 Harvey ‘The Doc’ Postlethwaite had joined Hesketh Racing, designing and building their first Formula One car.
1975
The team soon built up a reputation as the Champagne sipping, fun loving chancers of the paddock who were not to be taken seriously. However, underneath the facade there was a commitment and determination to win and in 1975 at Zandvoort, James Hunt held off Niki Lauda to drive the car to its first and only victory. Needless to say the celebrations were legendary.
1990
Fast forward fifteen years and Hesketh Racing had long gone, but the old stable block at Easton Neston was still a hive of engineering activity and the passion for motorsport remained.
In December 1990, Stephen Osborne, Neil ‘Pop’ Donnelly and Pete Levett purchased fabrication and machining equipment from Hesketh and JQF Engineering and formed Stable Fabrication Ltd becoming the new tenants in the stable block.
1993
Mark Halleybone bought into the company in 1993 replacing Pete Levett and Pop went on to retire in 2002.
2005
Stephen and Mark continued to successfully run the business together and eventually moved to a larger premises at the Old Foundry in Towcester in 2005.
2019
In 2019, ex-employee Tom Sweet and his wife Rebecca bought into the company and completed the management buyout in October 2023.
