Two of Birmingham’s most iconic statues — ‘Boulton, Watt and Murdoch’ and ‘Iron: Man’ — are about to be temporarily removed from their familiar sites to allow regeneration work in the city centre to progress (they will return to public view in late 2018).

‘Boulton, Watt and Murdoch’ (pictured) is the work of William Bloye (formerly head of sculpture at Birmingham School of Art) and sculptor Raymond Forbes-Kings.

Standing on Broad Street, it depicts the three pioneering figures of the industrial revolution discussing engine plans. Made of bronze with a gold finish, the larger-than-life figures stand on a pedestal of Portland stone.

‘Iron: Man’ was created by renowned sculptor Antony Gormley and stands in Victoria Square, near Pinfold Street.

Cast at Firth Rixon Castings in Willenhall, this statue also has links to the city’s industrial heritage, as it represents the traditional skills of the people of Birmingham and the Black Country.

The temporary move has been approved by the sculptor, Antony Gormley, who said: “Birmingham, the birthplace of the industrial revolution, is made by the extraordinary number of its citizens who were — and continue to be — skilled engineers, foundrymen and ironworkers. ‘Iron: Man’ was an attempt to ask a material question: what will the womb/crucible of the industrial revolution produce — what kind of collective or individual body?”