'I'm UK's oldest builder – and still going strong after 80 years on the job'

If there’s one man who knows how to fix the housing crisis it is Norman Barrs, 96, of North London. Eight decades after his first day in the job, in 1945, Norman still wakes up each day at 6.30am and makes the commute to the offices of Henry Hardy Builders in Canonbury, Islington, where he still inspects construction sites, advises on developments and even climbs multiple stories of scaffolding to oversee projects himself.

As Sir ’s plans to build 1.5m homes, Norman battling on is increasingly important as new developments are already being stumped by a huge shortfall in available young workers. It is estimated that 24,400 newly qualified apprentices are needed each year to meet existing demand, before the UK can even begin the mammoth task of the governments’ building plans.

When asked why he still works 30 years after he could have stopped, Norman says: “I have cement in my blood. I will never retire. If I don’t learn something new every day, I haven’t lived. I love what I do, and it motivates me to keep going and continue living.”

Norman has now been crowned Britain’s oldest builder after a nationwide search. Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS) (www.considerareconstructors.com), the non-profit championing change in the construction industry, launched a nationwide search to find the UK’s oldest and longest-serving builder.

It teamed up with Rated People (www.ratedpeople.com) – the UK’s leading online network of skilled and vetted tradespeople – to ask its 50,000-strong community to suggest candidates, and the nominations poured-in. According to data from CCS, nearly 22% of workers over the age of 50, while only 10% of workers are under 25.

Norman says, “It breaks my heart that there are thousands of young people on the dole who would make excellent builders if they were only given the chance.” For years, he has campaigned for more quality apprenticeships, fearing that without them, his beloved trade will “simply disappear because there are no craftspeople left.”

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““The only way to encourage young people is to put workshops back in schools. People need to get hands-on experience and try before they commit to something.”

Norman says young people are missing out by not entering the trade. He doesn’t just view construction as a skill but as a “highly creative and deeply rewarding craft.”

He says his standout achievement was building, from scratch, the Green Shield Trading Stamp Company's Country Club in Mill Hill which was designed by the same architect behind Singapore Airport. The Country Club boasted, at the time, England’s largest unsupported roof, along with swimming pools, tennis courts, restaurants, and music halls.

In 1945, a 17-year-old Norman Barrs had just completed his plumbing and heating training and begun working for his family’s business, W & J Barr’s Builders.

had just came to an end, George Orwell’s Animal Farm was making waves in the literary , the UN Charter was being ratified. As parts of London were a bomb site, the UK was beginning the long road to post-war reconstruction.

“At 14, I was the biggest rebel in Kentish Town, according to my father. I had great difficulty reading and writing. At 16, I was at the polytechnic. I never looked back, because I had a fantastic education.”

Norman wasn’t always the model student. His early struggles with academic work and his rebellious nature made him an unlikely candidate for success in the disciplined world of construction. Yet, these experiences became the foundation for the resilience and determination that would define his career.

Norman’s first role was plumbing for his family’s business, W & J Barr’s Builders - a company owned by his father and grandfather. Reflecting on the early days of his career, Norman recalls how plumbing in the 1940s was far more rudimentary than it is today – many properties had only the most basic systems, with just a single sink and tap and a very simple sewage system.

Despite the simplicity of the work, Norman’s passion for the trade and his deep-rooted family legacy began to take hold, setting the stage for the long and successful career that would follow.

A spokesperson for Considerate Constructors’ Scheme says: “Norman’s embodies the very best of British construction: adaptability, skill, and an unwavering commitment to building a better future. He’s worked through wars and recessions, and is living proof that construction can be a career for life, with its practitioners always in demand and the backbone of the economy.

At a time when the UK construction industry faces a serious recruitment crisis, stories like Norman’s deserve to be celebrated. One of the things we hear time and time again talking to people who work in construction, is that what makes their work so fulfilling is being able to tell friends and family ‘you see that building there? I built that’.

A career like Norman’s is a perfect example of this. After a staggering 80 years of service, he’s left an indelible mark on the city he’s lived and worked in all his life.”

The Barrs’ family legacy continues through Norman's son, Graham Barrs, and his grandson, Nick Dodson. Graham, a master painter and decorator, enjoyed a distinguished career, including the prestigious honour of painting The Ritz Hotel in London before taking early retirement.

Nick, based in Enfield, North London, has followed in his grandfather's footsteps, running his own successful business, PBD Plumbing and Drainage “I started the company when I was 20, inspired by Norman and all he had achieved,” says Nick. “Five years later, we now have seven vans and nine employees.”

Norman’s wife, Daphne, has been an integral part of the family, supporting Norman throughout his career, and their strong family values have been passed down through generations.

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