Walsall Council is restoring the popular Three Men in a Boat clock as part of the town centre’s regeneration.

The automaton was originally installed in 1990 to commemorate Jerome K Jerome, author of Three Men in a Boat. 

Born in Caldmore, Jerome K Jerome’s book recounts a two-week boating holiday with two friends. It was published in 1889 and went on to sell over a million copies. 

The Three Men in a Boat automaton was a much-loved attraction in the Saddlers centre.

The three characters would row on the hour, every hour. But it ended up being put in storage after repeated mechanical issues. 

Residents have called for its return, and a petition was launched in 2017 which gained 100 signatures. 

Now, Walsall Council has signed the order to proceed with its restoration by the original designer and manufacturer, Smith of Derby. 

The council has not yet provided a date for when it will be installed, but said it could be before the end of this year.

Councillor Adrian Andrew, deputy leader of Walsall Council, said: “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. 

“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.” 

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.”   

Dean Allen, production manager at Smith of Derby, said: “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.”