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Celebrating over 100 years

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VolkerFitzpatrick has a long history of success, built on extraordinary and dedicated people. From humble beginnings in 1921, as stone and materials contractor ‘Fitzpatrick & Son’, we have steadily grown our business, expanding into new sectors and developing our expertise, to become one of the leading engineering and construction companies in the UK: VolkerFitzpatrick.

In 1883, Patrick Fitzpatrick travelled from Cork to London to become a street mason. Patrick's son, John Martin, followed in his father's footsteps. In 1921, John started Fitzpatrick & Son with plans to establish a successful family business. By 1930, they were acknowledged specialists in concrete paving, with a reputation for innovation, and on 29 April 1938 the first Fitzpatrick company was registered with Companies House.

The 1940s saw us take on a growing number of highways improvement schemes, before adding the airports sector to our portfolio in the ‘50s. By the 1960s we were taking on larger, higher-profile civil engineering projects, such as runway paving at Heathrow Airport. In 1967 Fitzpatrick & Son was taken over by the Limmer Group.

Then, in 1971, Tarmac Construction Ltd acquired Fitzpatrick & Son Ltd. They held the paving contracts for the City of London and the City of Westminster for many years. We also established our site in Hoddesdon during the ‘70s, where our head office is still based today.

The 1980s saw Patrick Fitzpatrick (the son of John Martin Fitzpatrick) re-acquire the business and Fitzpatrick PLC was formed, delivering civil engineering, building and asphalt operations. Our highways maintenance expertise also really began to flourish, forming the start of a division that would later become VolkerHighways. Following several high-profile, London building projects and the rise of our rail capability during the ‘90s, the arrival of the new millennium brought more changes for our now multidisciplinary business. We officially joined Royal VolkerWessels in 2004, rebranding as ‘VolkerFitzpatrick’, shortly before our appointment to work on the iconic Olympic Park, ahead of the 2012 Games.

In 2021, VolkerFitzpatrick celebrated its 100th anniversary. Today, our business operates in the civil engineering, building and rail and infrastructure sectors, as a highly respected, multidisciplinary contractor, turning over more than £500 million per year and employing over 850 people.

We’re proud to deliver work of all sizes, from smaller schemes, to some of the most significant construction projects in the UK and, whilst we continue to reach ever greater heights, we also remain grounded by our roots. Whatever the future holds, we’re ready to work hard, adapt and grow, as we’ve been doing since 1921.

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