Scottish engineer James Watt's experiments with steam power in the 1760s led to the invention of the Watt steam engine, which played a fundamental role in the Industrial Revolution. Aldous Huxley later wrote that 'In inventing the locomotive, Watt and Stephenson were part inventors of time'.

In 1903, a statue of Watt was unveiled in City Square in recognition of his role in bringing the Industrial Revolution to the city, with coal, textiles, chemicals and pottery all making their way into Leeds via the newly-built Middleton Railway.

Learn more about steam power at Leeds Industrial Museum

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