A much-loved piece of Walsall’s shopping heritage is being brought back to life. The Three Men in a Boat automaton and clock, once a popular feature in the Saddlers Shopping Centre, is now being restored by Walsall Council as part of the borough’s ongoing Town Centre regeneration programme.
Originally unveiled around 1990, the clock paid tribute to local author Jerome K. Jerome, whose famous comic novel Three Men in a Boat inspired the animated trio of boatmen that delighted shoppers by rowing in unison every hour.
Although it was eventually placed in storage due to recurring mechanical issues, the automaton remained firmly in residents’ hearts. In 2017, a petition to bring it back gained over 100 signatures, showing just how fondly the feature is remembered.
Now, with support from the Saddlers Shopping Centre Management Team, the automaton is officially on its way to being restored and reinstated as a part of Walsall’s refreshed town centre experience.
“It’s great that we’ve been able to secure funding through our town centre regeneration to restore the Three Men in a Boat clock,” said Councillor Adrian Andrew, Associate Leader at Walsall Council.
“It was a prominent and popular feature in the Saddlers Centre and local people have lots of fond memories of seeing it in action.
While regenerating our town centre is necessary to create opportunities and boost the local economy, it’s important that we keep an eye on our proud heritage and restoring features like this is a really nice way to honour our history whilst moving forward.”
The restoration work is being carried out by Smith of Derby, the original designers and manufacturers of the automaton. The council appointed the company in late 2023 to carry out an initial condition assessment and has now given the green light for full restoration to begin.
Dean Allen, Production Manager at Smith of Derby, commented:
“It’s a pleasure for myself and our staff to work on the Three Men in a Boat project. It’s a very interesting and technical project to work on, with a lot of fine detail to go into. We are really looking forward to working closely with the council to get it built back up, put back in and show off its glory to what it was originally.”
The reinstallation is expected to become a nostalgic draw for older residents and a delightful discovery for new generations of shoppers and visitors.
Melvin Glasby, Centre Manager at the Saddlers Shopping Centre, added:
“Many of our visitors remember the feature and always stopped by to see the characters row away on the hour. It was a family tradition, so I am sure the people of Walsall will be excited to see its return and we look forward to welcoming new generations back to see it.”
Stay tuned for updates as the clock’s return takes shape!
