''Boulton, Watt and Murdoch'' is a
gilded bronze statue depicting
Matthew Boulton
Matthew Boulton (; 3 September 172817 August 1809) was an English manufacturer and business partner of Scottish engineer James Watt. In the final quarter of the 18th century, the partnership installed hundreds of Boulton & Watt steam engin ...
,
James Watt, and
William Murdoch
William Murdoch (sometimes spelled Murdock) (21 August 1754 – 15 November 1839) was a Scottish engineer and inventor.
Murdoch was employed by the firm of Boulton & Watt and worked for them in Cornwall, as a steam engine erector for ten yea ...
by
William Bloye
William James Bloye (8 July 1890 – 6 June 1975) was an English sculptor, active in Birmingham either side of World War II.
Life
Bloye studied, and later, taught at the Birmingham School of Art (his training was interrupted by World War ...
, assisted by
Raymond Forbes Kings. It stands on a
plinth
A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In ...
of
Portland stone.
It has often been described as Messrs Lee and Longland discussing a roll of wallpaper with a customer and is also known as ''The Golden Boys'' after its colour, or ''The Carpet Salesmen'' after the partially rolled-up plan of a steam engine which they are examining.
In 1939 an £8,000 bequest from Richard Wheatley, and £7,500 from the City Council, enabled the work to be created and it was unveiled in 1956, from preliminary designs drawn up in 1938. In 1956 the statue was erected temporarily outside the Birmingham Register Office which is where it stood until the statue was restored and re-gilded in September 2006. It was moved into storage on 23 August 2017 to permit construction of the
West Midlands Metro
The West Midlands Metro (originally named Midland Metro) is a light-rail/tram system in the county of West Midlands, England. Opened on 30 May 1999, it currently consists of a single route, Line 1, which operates between the cities of Birmi ...
. After almost 5 years, the statue was lowered into place on the plinth in
Centenary Square
Centenary Square is a public square on the north side of Broad Street in Birmingham, England, named in 1989 to commemorate the centenary of Birmingham achieving city status. The area was an industrial area of small workshops and canal wharves ...
outside of
Symphony Hall on the 29th April 2022.
See also
*
St. Mary's Church, Handsworth (memorials inside the church)
*
Soho Manufactory
The Soho Manufactory () was an early factory which pioneered mass production on the assembly line principle, in Soho, Birmingham, England, at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. It operated from 1766–1848 and was demolished in 1853.
B ...
*
Soho Foundry
Soho Foundry is a factory created in 1775 by Matthew Boulton and James Watt and their sons Matthew Robinson Boulton and James Watt Jr. at Smethwick, West Midlands, England (), for the manufacture of steam engines. Now owned by Avery Weigh-Tr ...
*
Soho Mint
Soho Mint was created by Matthew Boulton in 1788 in his Soho Manufactory () in Handsworth, West Midlands, England. A mint was erected at the manufactory containing eight machines, to his own patent design, driven by steam engine, each capable of ...
*
Boulton & Watt steam engine
*
Matthew Boulton
Matthew Boulton (; 3 September 172817 August 1809) was an English manufacturer and business partner of Scottish engineer James Watt. In the final quarter of the 18th century, the partnership installed hundreds of Boulton & Watt steam engin ...
*
James Watt
*
William Murdoch
William Murdoch (sometimes spelled Murdock) (21 August 1754 – 15 November 1839) was a Scottish engineer and inventor.
Murdoch was employed by the firm of Boulton & Watt and worked for them in Cornwall, as a steam engine erector for ten yea ...
*
William Bloye
William James Bloye (8 July 1890 – 6 June 1975) was an English sculptor, active in Birmingham either side of World War II.
Life
Bloye studied, and later, taught at the Birmingham School of Art (his training was interrupted by World War ...
References
General
*''Public Sculpture of Birmingham including Sutton Coldfield'', George T. Noszlopy, edited Jeremy Beach, 1998,
External links
Birmingham City Council page about the statue
{{Coord, 52.4786, -1.9084, display=title, region:GB-BIR_scale:1000
Lunar Society of Birmingham
Outdoor sculptures in England
1956 sculptures
Gold sculptures
Bronze sculptures in the United Kingdom
Statues in England
1956 establishments in England
Sculptures in Birmingham, West Midlands