The Leeds works of Fenton, Murray & Wood, 1828. The large round erecting shop on the left led the entire establishment to be christened the 'Round Foundry'.
Image: Science Museum/SSPL
Ruthless rivalry
Competition between Murray and Boulton and Watt was ruthless.
Around 1797, Murray was building copies of Watt's steam engines without permission. John Rennie mentioned this to Matthew Boulton, advising that he 'look sharply after him'.
Boulton and Watt had their revenge two years later. Murray invited their engineer William Murdoch to visit his works, the Round Foundry in Leeds. Only afterwards, when Murray's request for a return visit to Soho was abruptly declined, did he realise he had been tricked.
