GREEN MURPHY

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John Murphy was born in County Kerry. The limited employment opportunities that were available to him in Ireland in the late 1930s prompted him to move to Britain, where he entered the construction industry. Having worked for a number of employers, he and his brother Joe established their own sub-contracting business. Their big break was the Second World War. Their Irish citizenship meant that they were not going to be drafted into the armed services. Therefore, they were free to avail themselves of the flood of construction and repair work that was being offered by the government. The Murphys spent much of the conflict building new runways and repairing those that had been damaged by aerial bombing.

After a decade of having worked in partnership with one another, the sibs split their business and established separate companies. Murphy based his, J. Murphy & Sons, in Kentish Town. Much of its workforce was drawn from his fellow Irishmen. The firm acquired a reputation for hiring men from County Cork and his native Kerry. The business specialised in above ground work. Its dark green liveried vans and lorries became a feature of urban life in Britain's principal cities. Joe's company tended to undertake subterranean projects. Its vehicles were grey. Within the industry the pair became known as Green Murphy and Grey Murphy .

Although Murphy had had little in the way of formal education, he was a very shrewd person. Under his leadership, his business proved to be able to adapt itself to new opportunities as they arose. He extended the company into cabling and electrification and then on into road construction and water engineering. The enterprise developed the capacity to furnish a diverse range of specialties that were required for the execution of major infrastructure projects.

In his deep old age Murphy continued to be active within the business. Upon occasion he would even sweep the Kentish Town yard while wearing a suit. He would make early morning site visits and have breakfast with his workers. By the time of his death the construction magnate was one of the richest people in Britain. At his funeral the congregation was told a story of how one day a particular engineer had felt himself to be being pressurised by the boss to complete a job. Eventually, the former had exclaimed in exasperation Rome was n t built in a day! Murphy was n t around then! had come the reply.

Location: Hiview House, Highgate Road, NW5 1TN

Website: www.murphygroup.com

David Backhouse 2024