Kirby Laing Biography: Update
August 25, 2025
KLC’s namesake, Sir Kirby Laing, was well known in England as a builder from a line of builders, responsible for several prominent public works, including the restoration of the Coventry Cathedral and the construction of Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium. As a man of evangelical faith, he was known also for good treatment of his labour force, and his history intersects with several significant figures of the British church. His legacy continues in the charitable foundation that he established to support evangelical and educational work. KLC has secured a grant to produce a biography that excavates the history and contribution of Kirby Laing as a public Christian.
Primary Discipline(s): Church History
Base Community: Public Theology Hub
Leader: Ian Randall
Primary Author(s): Ian Randall
Collaborators: tba
Acknowledgements: The archive at Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge
Partner Organisations: tba
Funding: Grant funding secured.
Problem: To excavate the history of Sir Kirby Laing, not only as a prominent builder and business man, but also a contributor to the British evangelical movement and an proponent of faith lived out in all of life.
Process: Primary and secondary historical research, including interviews and visits to archives.
Aims and Outcomes: To record the history of a prominent figure in public Christianity; to explore what can be learned from his example for Christians in public life and business.
Research into Sir Kirby Laing’s life has uncovered rich archival material, highlighting his early education, university years, career in construction, and lifelong Christian commitments, including philanthropy and support for evangelical scholarship and student ministry.
If you have something to contribute to the following questions, email your thoughts to tota@kirbylaingcentre.co.uk.
When the team has a need for help or an area in which collaboration could be beneficial, their requests will be listed here.
Your contributions are greatly appreciated and are integral to our vision of collaborative, interdisciplinary research. We endeavor to acknowledge all the efforts of our collaborators and to give due credit, but note that we can’t guarantee that any contribution will be used in the final product.
If anyone has access to background information, documents, or key works that provide information about Kirby Laing, or to archives that may contain such information, please email ian.m.randall@gmail.com.
When the team produces research components and additional resources that may be of public interest, these will be made available here.
