Statues - Hither & Thither

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Birmingham
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West Midlands

Broad Street - Centenary Square

Matthew Boulton, James Watt and William Murdoch

William Bloye
John Galizia & Sons (London)
1956

Description

Gilded bronze statue of the three men studying examining a plan of a steam engine. The names are inscribed under each person, from left to right: murdoch - boulton - watt:

Matthew Boulton (Birmingham 1728 - Birmingham 1809), 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 engines, which were a great advance on the state of the art, making possible the mechanisation of factories and mills (Wikipedia).

James Watt (Greenock, Renfrewshire 1736 - Handsworth, Birmingham 1819), Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer whose improvements to the Newcomen steam engine were fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world (Wikipedia).

William Murdoch (1754 - 1839), Scottish engineer and long-term inventor. Murdoch was employed by the firm of Boulton and Watt and worked for them in Cornwall, as a steam engine erector for ten years (Wikipedia).

Inscription(s)

1728 - MATTHEW BOULTON - 1809
1726 - JAMES WATT - 1819
1754 - WILLIAM MURDOCH - 1839

this memorial unveiled by sir percy h. mills bt kbe september 14 1956
commemorates the immense contribution made by boulton watt
and murdoch to the industry of birmingham and of the world
the conception of richard wheatley a leather goods manufactur-
er of this city coupled with his generosity and a contribution
by the city council enabled these statues to be executed by w. bloye

sculptor

Signature

William Bloye
john galizia & son | art founders london

Annotation

The sculpture group was commissioned in 1939, but was not installed until 1956.

Sculptor

William Bloye (Cornwall 1890 - Arezzo 1975), English sculptor (Wikipedia).

Sources & Information

Wikipedia, Boulton, Watt and Murdoch.

Locatie (N 52°28'42" - W 1°54'30") (Satellite view: Google Maps)

Item Code: gbwm045; Photograph: 23 June 2014
Of each statue we made photos from various angles and also detail photos of the various texts.
If you want to use photos, please contact us via the contact form (in Dutch, English or German).
© Website and photos: René & Peter van der Krogt

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