Workers constructing the central reservation of the M1 motorway
A huge archive of previously unseen images charting the work of John Laing over the last century have been released.
View of the second Severn Crossing under construction (Historic England Archive/John Laing Photographic Collection)
The publication of the images is part of a project between Historic England and the John Laing Charitable Trust, called Breaking New Ground. It explores the history of constructing modern Britain through the John Laing Photographic Collection.
The entire project involves digitising 10,000 images from the John Laing Photographic Collection, which will be available to the public through the Historic England website. Meanwhile ex-Laing workers will share their experiences with local schoolchildren using the Collection’s photographs as talking points, and a short film called Making Modern Britain will explore the collection and the stories behind the images.
A man and boy looking through the viewing window for the construction of Coventry Cathedral (Historic England Archive/John Laing Photographic Collection)
Laing was originally founded in 1848 as a building firm in Carlisle by James Laing. By 1953 John Laing and Son was listed on the London Stock Exchange and worked on projects including the M1 motorway, Sizewell B nuclear power station and Coventry Cathedral before it ceased construction work in 2002.
London Central Mosque (Historic England Archive/John Laing Photographic Collection)
Sir Martin Laing, chairman of trustees of the John Laing Charitable Trust, said: “I am delighted that this unique record of the construction industry is being made available to a wide audience and demonstrates the evolving nature and contribution of an industry that impacts us all. As a company Laing has been a leader in this change and demonstrates how important the people who work in it are and how we have been able to affect their lives and working conditions.”
View more images from the collection here.
Workmen straightening the steel reinforcement rods within the thermal shield during the construction of Berkeley Nuclear Power Station (Historic England Archive/John Laing Photographic Collection)
Two Laing workers at the Carlisle Civic Centre construction site, showing I Blackett (left), a new member of the team, with Harry Varah, foreman bricklayer (Historic England Archive/John Laing Photographic Collection)
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Brilliant. There are other companies out there that ought to consider a similar idea. We don’t want to loose information like this. Maybe CIOB could set up something on their web site. I could see this becoming something really big.
Thank you Sir Martin. A great idea. Nostalgic ,I did not work on those projects but it brought to mind, Easiform housing St Budeaux ,Plymouth , Portishead power station ( I still have a framed picture of the turbine hall) and later copper mines,Northern Rhodesia also Various civils South Africa ,Johannesburg office.All fondly remembered work and colleagues.
Many individuals will also have worthwhile contributions from the pre digital era.
These photos are fantastic,especially the one with the young boy and the man.
The boy and the man viewing Coventry Cathedral we think we are so clever installing viewing panels in the hording credit to John Laing site management to have this vision.
Lovely well done to you all.
I started my apprenticeship with Laing in 1959 and had a brilliant training programme. Mr John Cobb was the man who monitored all apprentices and was very supportive to every apprentice. Joe Morrow was the health and Safety man.I entered the sprint events at the sports days in Mill Hill and won many awards at Swindon College,CIOB and IOSH.
My father was a Senior Site Agent with Laing in Grimsby (Grange Estate) multey storey flats (Bradford) Large housing developments in Swindon.
Some names i remember George Hartburn, Jimmy Cashin, Jim Creavan, Colin Bembridge, Jock Tough.Thank you Laing you were brilliant and trained me for
a very sound life in the Construction Industry.
John McNulty FCIOB ret CFIOSH ret DiP HI 19th January 2020 Plymouth
My Dad Kevin cummins worked for Laings he worked at Trawsfynydd & Berkeley power stations, M1,CiS Building & Lancashire hill flats stockport to name just a few..He told me what a great firm they were to work for & on serving his apprenticeship at Mill Hill & meeting Sir John him self.Dad taught me all he knew from his days there as a joiner. Thank you Laings.. martin
I served my time as a joiner with John Laing 1972 working at the Western Infirmary Glasgow.
It would be good to see more photos of the work that J Laing done here in Scotland
After an unhappy university experience “apprenticed” to Higgs and Hill in Birmingham in 1969, they made me redundant!!
Luckily Laings rescued me from the scrap heap and I started for them as a site engineer in Birmingham, under a smashing Regional Engineer, Morley Hunt. he took a fatherly interest in my progress as he could see I was in a bad place at the time. He is sadly missed and I will never forget him.
My first big job was 600 council houses at Matchborough, Redditch with its revolutionary power-floated floors. I most enjoyed the roads and external works.
Thence to Kettering General Hospital living away in digs for the first time, but glad to get married and live in Rugby.
1978 and a move to Lincolnshire for Peterborough Queensgate Shopping Centre, then down to Basildon for Eastgate Shopping centre in 1983. Then Haroldwood Hospital (now demolished for housing!), followed by last 5 years at Walthamstow Selborne Walk Shopping Centre.
Then left for 13 years at Anglia Polytechnic University as Senior lecturer, followed by 12 years as a local handyman before retirement a few years ago.
I owe my success in construction to that first appointment with John Laing who took a commendable risk in employing a very unhappy 23-year old student.
I was proud to work for “the best construction company in the World”, and very sad when they were sold to O’Rourke for £1! But they seem to be going on OK thanks goodness.
Some names remembered: Dennis (the king) Reid, Ralph Gordon (HR), Morley Hunt, Bob Holt (eng), Richard Corkery (sadly lost to us quite young), David Hughes (QS who intoduced me to giving blood), George Heslop (Section mgr, Eastgate) who taught me a lot about people.
Happy days with an excellent company.