Tom Murphy’s trade is ‘few and far between’ today
Master stone carver Tom Murphy worked in Liverpool Cathedral for decades(Image: Photo courtesy of Saul Murphy)
Steeped in history and architecture, Liverpool Cathedral welcomes thousands of locals and tourists alike every year. But few know the man behind the building’s most intricate carvings and stonework, which will still be here “in a thousand years.”
Born in 1904 – the year Liverpool Cathedral’s foundation stone was laid – Tom Murphy grew up Chorlton-cum-Hardy in Manchester but spent the majority of his life in Liverpool as a master stone carver. Living in Woolton with his wife Rita and their six children – Maureen, Diarmid, Brian, Dierdre, Sean and Kevin – Tom dedicated 50 years of his career to Liverpool Cathedral, carving the vast majority of the intricate stonework by hand.
After WWII Tom Murphy was the only carver to return to the site and spent years carving everything from inscriptions to shields and the magnificent Royal Coat of Arms. Tom, who died in 1993, continued to work into his 80s, seeing the completion of Liverpool Cathedral in 1978.
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As part of the Liverpool ECHO How It Used To Be series, we spoke to Tom’s grandson, director and producer Saul Murphy, 47, about his granddad’s legacy and how it is being celebrated in a new documentary. Saul, who grew up in Wallasey, told the ECHO: “My grandad, his father was a stonemason and he knew he had the skill, so he sent him to study at Manchester Art School.
“He became a stone carver and those skills are very few and far between now. When my granddad was 30, Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the architect behind Liverpool Cathedral, sent him a telegram and said will you come over to Liverpool. The family were living in Cheltenham at the time.
Tom Murphy, circa 1978(Image: Mirrorpix)
“Work started on the cathedral in 1924 and they needed more skilled workmen. They had lots of them already and these were the not the stonemasons, but stone carvers. He went up to Liverpool for a trial period, but Sir Giles Gilbert Scott was so impressed that my granddad took charge of the workmen.
“He led the team up until the war and then able-bodied men left. My granddad stayed behind for a few years working on the cathedral.
“He was one of the men that occasionally were up the top of the tower, looking out for the bombs, the fires. Then they would get the message to the fire crews.
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“In 1941, he joined the air force, The RAF and he went to America and Canada. When he came back after the war, you could imagine that this country was lacking funds, so they reduced the plans.
“No one else came back apart from my granddad because they didn’t have the money.” Post-war, Saul said Tom was responsible for “99% of the carvings” found in the cathedral, which is the 5th largest in Europe.
Tom was occasionally assisted by fellow stone carver Tom Pringle, who went on to become a teacher. Today, you can still see the many intricate carvings, inscriptions, and shields he created by hand.
Stone carver, Tom Murphy, when he was designing a model of the Royal Coat of Arms for Liverpool Cathedral. June 1977(Image: Mirrorpix)
Saul said: “He carved a lot of things in situ. Some, like the Coats of Arms, were done in the workshop and placed in.
“Whereas in other cases, the stonemasons would put the brick in and my grandad would get some chalk, chalk an intricate carving and then work away at it. You can’t make a mistake because it’s there – you can’t ask the stonemasons to take it out and replace it.
“It’s an amazing skill. You think of the pressure – there’s no room for error, you have to get it right. Whereas if you’re doing it in the workshop, you can just do another one.”
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In his life, Tom also encouraged his children and grandchildren to get creative, teaching them to sketch or use their hands and tools. Saul has many childhood memories of seeing his granddad’s visions come to life.
He said: “I remember going into the cathedral as a young child and he was working there. I remember being six, seven-years old going there.
Tom Murphy pictured with the Coat of Arms before it took its in position at Liverpool Cathedral. November 1978(Image: Mirrorpix)
“My granddad was there with his beret, and my dad, Brian, was taking him into the workshops because there were still wooden huts around the back of the cathedral. I also remember his basement where he lived on the Wirral.
“His basement had all his tools and things that he was carving. One of my cousins when he was a kid, he gave him a piece of wood I think it was, and said there’s a squirrel in there – now it’s your job to find him.
“He would do that to the grandkids, try and inspire them.” In his career, which spanned 50 years working on Liverpool Cathedral, Tom also worked on various other cathedrals and schools across the UK.
Stone carver Tom Murphy with his British Empire Medal. October 19, 1979(Image: Mirrorpix)
He appeared in the ECHO at numerous points and our archive, Mirrorpix, has recently unearthed a number of brilliant photos of the late master stone carver. In his 70s, Tom was awarded a British Empire Medal for his contributions to Liverpool Cathedral and he was also invited to work on Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York, training stone carvers from the States.
As a result, he appeared in The New York Times and Time Magazine. Saul said: “Back then, you know, he got stick for being a Catholic of Irish descendant, working on a English cathedral.
“But that, I think, shows his dedication. He was an ecclesiastical carver – he didn’t think of money.
“He thought of the love of God and the love of doing it for the church and for him, the fact it was an Anglican cathedral, he didn’t care. It was a job, and it was a place of worship and he wanted to do the best job he could.
Tom Murphy carving a plaque for Queen Elizabeth II in Liverpool Cathedral(Image: Photo courtesy of Saul Murphy)
“He was not going to leave until it was finished. He knew that what he was doing was special.” Tom died in 1993, but his work and legacy lives on not only in Liverpool Cathedral and buildings across the UK, but in a new documentary created by his grandson Saul.
The Last Stone Carver shares Tom’s fascinating story, featuring archival footage of him carving, along with interviews where he discusses his work and the extensive time required to complete such a monumental project. The film also includes interviews from his surviving children – Diarmid, Sean, Kevin and Deidre – as well as daughter-in-law Josephine Murphy, Reverend Canon Philip Anderson and archivist Canon Val Jackson MBE.
Saul Murphy, grandson of master stone carver Tom Murphy(Image: Photo by Iain Watts)
The film was produced as part of a year-long celebration to commemorate 100 years since the awe-inspiring building was consecrated on July 19, 1924 and the project will allow guides to pass on the legacy of Tom and his work to visitors for years to come. A premiere screening for family, friends, staff and the production team took place at Liverpool Cathedral last week and Saul also hopes to share the documentary with the wider public.
Saul said: “We’ve got footage of him in the film, he’s 79-years-old. and he’s carving at the cathedral. He left the cathedral in his eighties and today, people from all around the world see his work.
“We’re immensely proud and we’ve always wanted to tell his story.” At the premiere, the ECHO also spoke to Tom’s sons about their dad’s legacy.
The family and friends of master stone carver Tom Murphy in front of his intricate work on the west door(Image: Photo by Iain Watts)
Diarmid Murphy, 94, told the ECHO: “There’s only one way to describe my father – he was an artist. He had a talent that was recognised when he was in his mid-20s.
“One of the fascinating things I’ve found about his life was he carved the Royal Coat of Arms in Stormont, Northern Ireland, in the 1920s and he carved the Royal Coat of Arms in the 80s here in Liverpool. That’s the last major item that he was commissioned to do.”
Kevin, age 80, said one of his favourite stories about his dad’s work was Tom’s idea to carve a ‘lovers knot’ in the cathedral to commemorate the engagement of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. On a visit to Liverpool Cathedral, the Princess had lent her hand on the wall and Tom marked it with chalk, where he later carved his creation.
A love knot for the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip carved by Tom Murphy(Image: Photo courtesy of Saul Murphy)
Kevin told the ECHO: “He was very dedicated to his work. He was a professional, but he was also a family man.
“We’ve seen this cathedral evolve into the building it is now and to our family, this building, it’s in our blood. We love to bring people to show them dad’s amazing work.
“We’re delighted with the film Saul has made. It’s been a dream of ours that dad would be remembered for his passion and commitment to this cathedral.” Sean Murphy, 85, said he’s also proud to know his dad’s work will live on for “a thousand years.”
He told the ECHO: “We’re very very proud of his skills. He carved the west door in detail, he carved the inside and the outside.
“It will be here long after we’re all gone. He knew his work, as he put it, would last a thousand years. And if this cathedral lasts a thousand years that’s exactly what will happen. It’s an achievement nobody else in this country has – it’s unbelievable.”
Saul added how he hopes his granddad’s story will inspire a new generation and a resurgence in stone carvers. He said: “I was assisted by an amazing crew in bringing my granddad’s story to life and I want to thank Val Jackson too for all of her support.
“I’ve made a few documentaries, I’ve made a few other local ones still in production now – but I think this is the best thing to date because I knew the story inside and out. I knew the story I wanted to tell. I’m just so proud that I’ve been given this opportunity.”