Celebrating over 100 years
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.
Our history
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1921
Founded
John Martin Fitzpatrick founded, 'Fitzpatrick and Son', in East London in 1921.
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1930s
Registered
The company grew securing contracts for public works, and registered with Companies House.
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1940s
Aviation experience grows
Supported the war effort during World War II, which built the company’s airfield experience.
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1950s
Highways, airports and technology
Clear expertise emerges in London highways and airports, developing paving machinery and technology.
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1960s
High profile projects
By the 1960s we were taking on larger, high profile civil engineering projects, such as runway paving at Heathrow Airport.
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1970s
Hoddesdon head office
The expanding business purchases a site in Hoddesdon in Hertfordshire to use as a plant yard. It is where the head office is based today.
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1980s
Building expertise
The acquisition of RJ Adams Limited signals the company diversification into building sectors.
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1990s
Rail expertise
Established the start of our rail specialism with Chafford Hundred Station.
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2000
Rebranding VolkerFitzpatrick
The company joins Royal VolkerWessels and rebrands as VolkerFitzpatrick.
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2010s
Olympic Park 2012 London Games
VolkerFitzpatrick participates in constructing the iconic Olympic Park for the 2012 London Games.
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2021
100 years
The team celebrate reaching 100 years in business!
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2024
HS2's longest tunnel breakthrough
HS2’s first giant tunnelling machine broke through at the end of its 10-mile journey under the Chiltern Hills.
This was shot around the 1940s when the VolkerFitzpatrick team was working on the road next to Big Ben and Parliament in London.
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 1950s. 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 1970s, where our head office is still based today.
This photo was taken in 1967 when the VolkerFitzpatrick team was moving the Queen Victoria statue as part of the works on Blackfriars Bridge.
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 1990s, 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 £600 million per year and employing almost 1,000 people.
This photo was taken in May 2021. It was a historic moment when the enormous HS2 tunnel boring machine (TBM) Florence was launched from the South Portal in Hertfordshire. The first two TBMs were operated by HS2’s main works contractor, Align – a joint venture of three international and privately-owned infrastructure companies, including VolkerFitzpatrick. Align is constructing the C1 route of the HS2 project which includes Colne Valley Viaduct and Chiltern Tunnels.
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.
