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Boulton, Watt and Murdoch is a gilded bronze statue depicting Matthew Boulton, James Watt, and William Murdoch by William Bloye, assisted by Raymond Forbes Kings. It stands on a plinth of Portland stone in Centenary Square, Birmingham and marks the contribution these individuals made to the development of the steam engine and hence the start of the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century.[1][2]
It 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 (and an oblique nod to the often-aggressive marketing that emerged with the rise of industrialization).
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.
In 2017 it was temporarily put into storage to allow construction of the West Midlands Metro.[3][4] It was reinstalled on the plinth in Centenary Square outside Symphony Hall on 29 April 2022.[5]
- ^ "Boulton, Watt and Murdoch," University for the Creative Arts, https://www.vads.ac.uk/digital/collection/PMSA/id/413/
- ^ Boulton, Watt and Murdoch: ‘The Golden Boys of Birmingham’ https://ageofrevolution.org/200-object/boulton-watt-and-murdoch-the-golden-boys-of-birmingham/
- ^ "Landmark Iron Man statue to be uprooted from prime city centre spot". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
- ^ "Birmingham golden statue removed for tram line extension". BBC News. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
- ^ "The Golden Boys statue returns to Centenary Square after almost five years". Birmingham Mail. 29 April 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2022.