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Inventor and maker Matthew Murray died on 20th February 1826, having made important contributions to the development of steam power and to the engineering industries of Leeds. But his legacy in the city was almost over-shadowed by his more famous competitor, Birmingham-based James Watt.
We’ll gather near the site of Murray’s Round Foundry in Holbeck to hear about his life and works, the underhand tactics employed by rival engine-makers, and the campaign waged by Murray’s supporters to give him the memorial he deserved in his adopted city.
Matt Edgar graduated in history and worked as a newspaper journalist before moving to Leeds for a job in the city’s digital sector. He became fascinated by the story of Matthew Murray while working on new media products in a converted flax mill in Holbeck in the early 2000s. As a blogger and speaker, he has encouraged the city’s modern-day innovators to take notice of the rich industrial heritage that surrounds us.
