Murphy Radio Site In W.G.C. Today

It is many years since Murphy Radio ceased to have a presence in Welwyn Garden City, but what of their old sites?  On this page are a few views of the buildings that now occupy the areas that once formed the Murphy works.  The left sketch shows the area of the town where Murphy once was, the London Kings Cross to Scotland railway line runs through the middle of Welwyn Garden City. It was at Welwyn Garden City station that many receivers were loaded for onward shipment around the country (and world).  Broadwater Road, also known as the A1000, was a key area where early industry developed in the first years of the new town’s existence.  

The original works was at the point marked A on the map.  The factory had a frontage onto Broadwater Road, and premises extended rearwards parallel with Hyde Way. Photo 1 (below far left) shows a view of one of the buildings on the site now, though the original Broadwater Road frontage has been demolished. Photo 2 (below centre left) shows another of the buildings on site A, again this is likely to be from the 1930’s and is similar to (if not the actual) building where TV was first researched.

 The factory later extended across the road to site B, with the goods branch line curving behind the factory.  None of the original Murphy buildings appear to exist on the site now, only the dismal warehouse sheds now seen in photo 3 (above centre right). The goods branch no longer exists, the arrow in photo 4 (above far right) shows buffers that now form the end of the goods line, and the track leading up to the buffers is overgrown with shrubs and trees.

As discussed elsewhere on the site Murphy Radio became part of the Rank Group in 1962, and even after Radio production finished at Welwyn Garden City Rank, Rank retained the premises at site B.  Photo 5 is the view towards adjacent site C on the map.  It should be possible to see the sign Xerox, a company related to Rank.  Further pictures of the buildings now occupying the original Broadwater Road frontage and other views will be uploaded in due course.

Return to Murphy 1930 page, the first of the sequence.

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