Construction of the new 300,000 square foot Murphy Radio Factory began in October 1953. The first contract was for the production shop, boiler house, annexes, roads, drainage and external site work. The production shop featured roofs of cantilever shell concrete spanning the width of the building. Timber attached to travelling shutters of steel were used to support the roof during concreting. The shuttering was designed to reduce the work of dismantling and reassembling the supports. This photograph was published in the December 1954 edition of 'Team Spirit', the Laing employee newsletter. It also shows the travelling shutters in use for the construction of the second bay on the right.
This image was catalogued as part of the Breaking New Ground Project in partnership with the John Laing Charitable Trust in 2019-20.
This is part of the Volume: JLP01/01/043 Construction of factory for Murphy Radio, Welwyn Garden City; within the Series: JLP01/01 John Laing Photographic Collection Project Albums; within the Collection: JLP01 John Laing Photographic Collection
© Historic England Archive. John Laing Photographic Collection
Roof, Mid 20th Century Factory, Construction
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