Plaque to explain slavery links when stature returns
BIRMINGHAM’S famous ‘Golden Boys’ statue will be accompanied by a plaque explaining its links to slavery when it is reinstalled, it has been revealed.
The Boulton, Watt and Murdoch sculpture was removed from its Broad Street home in 2017 to allow for the Metro extension works, and was due to be re-sited in the revamped Centenary Square when it reopened in 2019.
However, the allocated area for the statue was too close to Symphony Hall’s development area, meaning its replacement was delayed until 2020.
In the meantime the council identified the statue as a ‘possible risk’ in a statue review amid the Black Lives Matter protests last year, with a dossier of ‘at risk’ statues by the council stating: “Watt’s family and Watt himself were not only complicit in the slave trade, they participated directly and benefited extensively from the profits that slavery generated.
“His father paid for Watt’s education; an element of his father’s income was from colonial trade.”
A document reads: “Officers have made an initial assessment of civic statues and monuments including those that have been identified by action groups and others as to having links with the transatlantic slave trade and/or colonialism.
“This information is available and will help inform the initial work to review our statues and monuments. We will also ensure that other plaques accompanying our monuments properly and fully explain their historical context, where appropriate.
“A primary piece of academic research has been commissioned by BMT (Birmingham Museums Trust) regarding James Watt, particularly his links with the transatlantic slave trade, to help inform a new plaque prior to the re-installation of the Boulton, Watt, Murdoch (The Golden Boys) Statue in Centenary Square.
“This will also be used to write further information that can be accessed via a web page.”
The cost of work to date is £4,700 and was commissioned by Birmingham Museums Trust.