Norman Barrs’ place has been confirmed by the Considerate Constructors Scheme, which ran a nationwide search to find the UK’s longest-serving builder, and Norman came out as the grandfather of them all.

Norman is still going strong after 80 years in the trade, getting up each day at 6.30am to commute to his offices at Henry Hardy builders in Canonbury, eight decades after his first day in the job.

“I have cement in my blood and will never retire,” he tells you. “It motivates me to keep going. I haven’t lived if I don’t learn something new every day.”

Norman still inspects construction sites and even climbs scaffolding to oversee projects himself — an inspiration at a time when the building industry faces a recruitment crisis. 

Norman actively encourages today’s school-leavers into the trade. Only one-in-ten construction workers are under 25 while a fifth are over 50.

The industry has already lost nearly a million workers since 2019 alone, from three million to just two million by the end of 2024. It is essential that young people are encouraged to replace them, Norman insists.

“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,” he told the Islington Gazette.

He has campaigned over the years for more ‘quality’ apprenticeships to avoid the trade “simply disappearing because there are no craftsmen left”.