Lunar Triangle
A new project featuring a stories of Commonwealth communities affected by the Transatlantic Trade Triangle and its link to the industrial and economic development of Birmingham.
The project initially focused on ‘The Golden Boys’ Statue - Boulton, Murdoch & Watt by William Bloye, as a result of uprisings due to the 2020 Black Lives Matter campaign, which questions the impact of colonial heroes on people of colour and their validity in 21st Century Britain.
William Bloye’s striking gilded statue of Matthew Boulton, William Murdoch and James Watt was unveiled in 1956 to commemorate the contribution of the three men to ‘the industry of Birmingham and the World.’ Matthew Boulton (1728 -1809) was a dynamic Birmingham metalware manufacturer and entrepreneur. In 1774 he went into partnership with the brilliant Scottish engineer, James Watt (1836 – 1819) to construct an improved steam engine which was to power the global industrial revolution. William Murdoch (1754 - 1839), another talented Scot, was employed by the two partners in 1777 and went on to play a vital role in the success of the business.
Boulton and Watt were part of the Lunar Society of Birmingham, an informal ‘philosophical’ group whose members included such outstanding minds as Erasmus Darwin, Josiah Wedgwood, Joseph Priestley and William Withering. The group’s intellectual and scientific achievements contributed to what we now call the ‘Age of Enlightenment’ – but in reality 18th century society was far from enlightened. Birmingham’s economic development during the period was built in part on the wealth generated by the transatlantic slave trade.
The town manufactured a wide range of colonial goods, and local gun makers in particular exported huge numbers of muskets which were used as currency to purchase West African slaves as part of the infamous ‘triangular trade’. Boulton and Watt’s morally ambiguous views towards slavery were in many ways typical of Birmingham’s merchant classes. Although opposed to the slave trade, they were hard- nosed businessmen who were quite willing to explore selling steam engines to West Indian slave plantations. In the event no orders were fulfilled during their partnership, although their sons exported a substantial number of steam engines to the Caribbean after 1800.
Soho Manufactory
The Soho Manufactory in Handsworth. Constructed by Matthew Boulton, the Soho Manufactory was one of the first factories in the world and revolutionised the process of 'mass production', which contributed to the growth of the Birmingham and the Industrial Revolution, Matthew Boulton’s home, Soho House in Handsworth, Birmingham is now a museum managed by Birmingham's Museum Trust and is open to the public.
Reimagining Birmingham's History
Birmingham's Heritage Strategy Group has been collaborating with Black Heritage Walks Network CIC to re-evaluate the narrative around Boulton, Watt and other members of the Lunar Society, and to acknowledge the impact of the Triangular Trade on African & Caribbean communities. As a result, the project has developed 3 walks focusing on key narratives researched by Black Heritage Walks Network :-
- Equiano and the Enlightenment (Soho)
- Jewel in the Crown (Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter)
- Lock, Stock & Barrel (Birmingham's Gun Quarter)
In addition there is a partnership walk, Lunar Legacy, developed by Legacy West Midlands
This project is developed in partnership with the Lunar Society, as part of the B2022 Commonwealth heritage project. The project is based upon the 'Boulton Watt Murdoch' report commissioned by BMT and written by Dr. Stephen Mullen & 'Birmingham, the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the Caribbean' by Clive Harris, which can be downloaded below.
