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The Remains of the Boulton and Watt Soho Foundry and Mint is a scheduled ancient monument comprising the industrial structures associated with Matthew Boulton and James Watt's pioneering engineering works at Soho, near Smethwick. Established in the late eighteenth century, the foundry and mint represented a significant centre of industrial innovation during the Industrial Revolution, producing steam engines and metal goods alongside operating as a mint facility. The surviving remains include substantial brick-built structures characteristic of late Georgian industrial architecture, situated adjacent to the Birmingham Canal which provided essential transport and water power for the works. The site is designated as a monument of national importance reflecting both the technological achievements and manufacturing legacy of one of Britain's most influential industrial enterprises.
Remains of the Boulton and Watt Soho foundry and mint, Birmingham Canal, Smethwick is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1021388. View the official record →
The Remains of the Boulton and Watt Soho Foundry and Mint is a scheduled ancient monument comprising the industrial structures associated with Matthew Boulton and James Watt's pioneering engineering works at Soho, near Smethwick.
Remains of the Boulton and Watt Soho foundry and mint, Birmingham Canal, Smethwick is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1021388.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Smethwick Engine House (0.8 km), Engine Arm Aqueduct, Warley (1 km), Smeaton's Summit Bridge (1.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Remains of the Boulton and Watt Soho foundry and mint, Birmingham Canal, Smethwick's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Remains of the Boulton and Watt Soho foundry and mint, Birmingham Canal, Smethwick stands on Triassic Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Triassic. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.