Tom Murphy

Later he graduated as a teacher at Liverpool John Moores University and taught art at the Liverpool Community College. He also worked at a Centre for People with Learning Difficulties. His differing careers and interest in the characteristics of people have both acted as a rich source of inspiration in both his paintings and sculptures. His early experimenting in painting was finally appreciated when he won first prize in the BBC 'North West Art 88' competition. His big success in sculpture came in 1996 when his 7 ft sculpture of John Lennon was seen by a representative of major Liverpool Company, Littlewoods. He was commissioned to sculpt two monumental size bronzes of the Moores brothers for Liverpool's premier shopping area Church Street. His work is all over the city of Liverpool as well as in Chorley, Lancashire, Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, Merseyside, Germany and New York City. He has also sold many smaller works around the world. • Illustration — "Chance Meeting" sculpture of Ken Dodd and Bessie Braddock at Liverpool Lime Street station In 2003, he was voted by Radio Merseyside listeners and Liverpool Echo readers as the 76th Greatest Merseysider. Now his work is known all over the world since creating the iconic statue of John Lennon at Liverpool John Lennon Airport which was unveiled jointly on 15 March 2002, by Cherie Blair and Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono. His sculptures of Ken Dodd and Bessie Braddock, commissioned by Merseytravel are sited at Liverpool Lime Street railway station. Though best known for his large sculptures, he has always maintained his interest in a wide range of art disciplines and sectors. An accomplished painter, he has been commissioned to paint many key Merseyside figures including the official retirement portrait of Mr John Moores. In 2015 his bronze sculpture of Trooper Potts VC and Trooper Andrews, of the Berkshire Yeomanry was unveiled by Chris Tarrant and the Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire. The Grandchildren of both Fred Potts and Arthur Andrews and many other descendants attended the unveiling ceremony along with Mayors and Chairs of Councils from across "Old Berkshire". Sited just outside Forbury Gardens, Reading Tom developed the design to appeal to children, young people and the military historian. Cast by the Morris Singer Foundry it has a high degree of finish and much historical detail, including items lying on the Gallipoli Battlefield. In 2016 Tom sculpted a statue of John Ateyo for Bristol City Football Club, this was unveiled in November 2016 of that year outside Ashton Gate and commissioned by the Bristol City Supporters' Trust. Recent works by Tom Murphy include a Bill Kenwright memorial bust on display at the Liverpool Empire Theatre. This was unveiled in March 2025. Tom was approached to create the bust in autumn 2023 following Kenwright's death.

• Name — Tom Murphy • Born — 1949 • Birthplace — Whiston, Lancashire, England • Known for — Bronze sculpture • Website — liverpoolsculptures.com

Tom was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from Liverpool John Moores University in July 2014. Professor John Webster described Tom's career as to have 'documented and immortalised in bronze the characters that have shaped the city's and the nation's political, business and sporting legacy'. In 2016 Tom received an honorary doctorate from the University of Liverpool. In August 2017 Tom was made a Citizen of Honour of the City of Liverpool in a ceremony at Liverpool City Hall.

• Title or subject — Medium — Date — Location — Image • and Cecil Moores — Bronze — 1996 — Church Street, Liverpool, outside the former Littlewoods store — • Illustration — x100px • Diana, Princess of Wales — Plaster — 1997 — Liverpool Women's Hospital — • Illustration — x100px • Bill — Bronze — 1997 — Anfield stadium, Liverpool — • Illustration — x100px • Henry Egerton — Bronze — 1998 — John Moores University, Trueman Street, Liverpool — • Illustration — x100px • Bronze — 1998 — Avril Robarts Library, Tithebarn Street, Liverpool — • Illustration — x100px • Johnnie DSO — Bronze — 1998 — Pier Head, Liverpool — • Illustration — x100px • Bronze — 2000 — Garden of the Church of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas, Pier Head, Liverpool — • Illustration — x100px • Dixie — Bronze — 2001 — Goodison Park, Liverpool — • Illustration — x100px • John — Bronze — 2002 — Liverpool John Lennon Airport — • Illustration — x100px • Billy — Bronze — 2003 — Albert Dock, Liverpool — • Illustration — x100px • Harold — Bronze — 2006 — Huyton, Merseyside — • Illustration — x100px • Noel VC & bar — Bronze — 2008 — Abercromby Square, Liverpool, and Trinity College, Oxford — • Illustration — x100px • Bessie — Bronze — 2009 — Liverpool Lime Street station, in a grouping with the statue of Ken Dodd — • Illustration — x100px • Ken — Bronze — 2009 — Liverpool Lime Street station, in a grouping with the statue of Bessie Braddock — • Illustration — x100px • Bronze — 2013 — Old Haymarket, Liverpool — • Illustration — x100px • Bronze relief — 2014 — Liverpool Lime Street station — • Illustration — x100px • Fred VC and Arthur Andrews — Bronze — 2015 — The Forbury, Reading, Berkshire — • Illustration — x100px • Everton's Trinity of Colin Harvey, Howard Kendall, Alan Ball — Bronze — 2019 — Goodison Road, Liverpool —