Birmingham has welcomed back two familiar faces, with the statues of James Watt and Joseph Priestley returning to public view after years out of sight.
The towering figures, linked to the Industrial Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment, now stand at opposite ends of Ratcliff Passage, a newly completed public realm space near the city’s Grade I-listed Town Hall. Their reappearance follows a decade-long absence from the city centre.
The statues have moved with Birmingham’s changing streetscape over the years. They were first placed beside Birmingham’s Victorian Central Library, then relocated to Chamberlain Square for almost 50 years. When redevelopment began, the statues went into safe storage while specialists prepared a conservation plan.
That restoration work is now complete. Market Drayton-based Midland Masonry, described as experts in stonework conservation and restoration, carried out the stone conservation alongside Ian Clark Restoration, which handled specialist metalwork. The statues underwent extensive conservation over the past year before returning to their new location.
For mason contractors, the project is a practical reminder that heritage work lives or dies on coordination. A single scope can include stone conservation and metalwork, plus careful handling and storage while surrounding sites change. Getting the right specialists lined up early keeps the schedule moving and protects historic fabric while it is off-site.
Birmingham Museums Trust, custodian of the statues on behalf of the city, said bringing Watt and Priestley back to an accessible location in the heart of Birmingham allows more people to enjoy them and reflects pride in the achievements that influenced the world.
Read the full, original article from BirminghamWorld here.