Building Britain with the John Laing Building Company

Meet some of the men and women who helped construct some of the country’s most iconic sites including the Second Severn Crossing (now Prince of Wales Bridge) and London’s Barbican while working for The John Laing plc building company.
Breaking New Ground is a 21-month project supported by the John Laing Charitable Trust to digitise 10,000 images from the Collection, offering a unique insight into the building of post-war Britain. Breaking New Ground has catalogued and digitised thousands of images and made them freely available on the Historic England website: historicenglan...

[@brynmorjenkins4376]

I was a trainee cost and bonus surveyor and site engineer on Angel Lane , Stratford Redevelopment under project manager Jim Patience. Great company had most of own men for most trades. Learnt a lot as I was doing my course in Brixton School of Building. One of John Laing' strainees.Great company

[@jamesbradshaw3389]

John Laing was always known as an excellent building company, I once worked for one of their managers, on his home also a historic church that he helped to manage, he was a gentleman of the highest order, Sadly not a single word mentions about the large number of Irish that worked for John Laing

[@wboyle9721]

The irish made this company name give the irish credit

[@lukemoxham2869]

Always take time to talk to the older generation when you can, you get some fascinating stories!

[@HistoricEngland]

Absolutely!

[@jimbob9205]

Made their money by working predominently Irish men to the bone. Virtually a 99% immigrant work force, gave them their reputation for completing some of the most prestigeous and dangerous tunnels in this country.

[@eamondonoghue293]

Worked with laing 1971 western fly over London eamon from westmeath

[@jimmymcjimmyvich9052]

I was thinking some paddys must be employed there))

[@brianmilligan1787]

You Lainger I'm from Cork

[@richardomalley1746]

Not a word of appreciation of the irish

[@jakethepeg33]

they were only in it for the money

[@Daniel-OConnell]

They now own the construction company and an American private equity the skeletal remains of the public-private division.

[@gazza4230]

I worked on second Severn crossing for jones plant hire doing the muck shift on land and out in the river best job I ever worked on I was in moxy dump trucks

[@paddyman2796]

The Irish build the company not a mension

[@aidikel852]

Jimmy Long was a great man, bless him.

[@roisinwhite390]

For he will put you behind the mixer ----- Saying "good on ya Paddy, with your boat fare in your hand'. Forget all the words, Mc Alpine's fusiliers.

[@hughiemccormack4202]

I've worked 'till the sweat has had me bet With Russian, Czech and Pole On shuddering jams up in the hydro dams Or underneath the Thames in a hole.. . Emigration built 💪 the country.

[@brianmilligan1787]

I worked for Lang but not for Long If you get it lol

[@robertmillward4229]

Build with Irish labour

[@aidikel852]

I subcontracted for JOHN LAING a great Company who never failed to support me.

[@thisisajourney8956]

I actually found a biography os Sir John Laing❤

[@jimbob9205]

Prestigeous projects and dangerous tunnels in this country.

[@johnjoelafferty2107]

I worked on john laing sites in milton keynes in the early 70s they built it's new city back then we had a lot of irish people employed a good firm to work for later on the union became very strict donegal man

[@HistoricEngland]

Thanks for sharing

[@Ireland-bc2gx]

The age of skilled trademens and descent companies,not like today !@#$ butchers and builders that don't give a !@#$ about the worker👍

[@seannamadra5675]

I won a hero's name With Macalpine & Costain Fitzpatrick ,Murphys Ash nWimpeys gang I'm often on the road on the way to draw me dole When there's nothing left to do For Johnny Laing!

[@rjmun580]

0:34 "armed with shods and trowels" What on earth is a shod? Did she mean hods.

[@liamkeane9159]

Irish