Memorial of Matthew Boulton

John Flaxman's marble memorial tablet to Matthew Boulton (1728 to 1809) can be found on the north wall of the sanctuary in St. Mary's Church, Handsworth. The carrara marble bust of Matthew Boulton is set in a circular opening above two chirrups, one holding an engraving of the Soho Manufactory.

A thick layer of dirt, streaks from running water/liquid (mainly on the grey marble tablet), solidified drips of mortar, brown & iron staining and other brown & black accretions could be found on the surface. Structurally, the memorial was in a sound condition.

The cleaning process comprised of four stages: 1) removal of the dust and loose dirt layer with a brush and a vacuum cleaner, 2) removal of the bulk of the surface stubborn dirt with a steam cleaner in a consistent manner; this produced an even surface finish, 3) solidified drips of mortar removed with a sharp wooden tool, 4) after the surface dried thoroughly, two layers of protective wax layer were applied.