Mr Watt, Grumpy Man of Metal Ironbridge show extended

Mr Watt, Grumpy Man of Metal, is currently on display at the Enginuity museum in Ironbridge Gorge where some of the curious metal sculptures featured in his stories are also on show.

Museum staff said the exhibition was originally due to run from September until April, but the unusual showpieces have been so well received by visitors that it has been extended until August 31.

The exhibition has been put together by blacksmith artist Jon Mills, and features fun and whimsical sculptures showing the many adventures of Mr Watt, Grumpy Man of Metal – the central character in a series of illustrated books that appeal to both young and old readers.

Jon said: "Mr Watt lives in a curious metal world and makes many unusual metal objects, such as a crab's bicycle and a new kind of trumpet. But whether it's a flying machine or a fancy gate, one thing is certain – it will all go horribly wrong."

As well as Mr Watt himself, other sculptures on display include the runaway train from the book On the Wrong Track, the parson and his church from Under Wear and Tear, the witch from A Brush with Evil and the astro-barrow from 'Space . . . the Final Front Door'.

Gillian Crumpton, curatorial officer at the museum, said: "Jon's work is technically outstanding and visually fascinating.

"We are sure that visitors will love looking at the many sculptures and following Mr Watt's adventures."

Jon Mills was born in Birmingham in 1959 into a family of metalworkers and studied at Wolverhampton before helping to found Brighton's Red Herring Studios in 1983.

"In the mid-1980s he honed his skills at brazing, forging, laser-cutting and welding, and exhibited work at a workshop and gallery in London.

In recent years he has been involved in major architectural commissions, inventing exciting structures that engage with their surroundings whether in cities or in the countryside.

He also makes dangerous toys and automata, dysfunctional furniture and a range of sculpture with themes that are witty, whimsical, and sometimes darkly Gothic.

The series of Mr Watt stories include photographs of the metal man creating his fantastic inventions and the adventures he then has with them.

The books include a high-flying adventure when Mr Watt builds an aeroplane; a very noisy tale as Mr Watt builds himself a tuba; and a spooky story when Mr Watt meets a witch and runs off with her broomstick.

The exhibition will be open from 10am to 5pm, seven days a week. Tickets cost £8.25 for adults, £6.95 for over-60s and £6.95 for children.

Annual passport tickets, allowing entry into all 10 museums in the Ironbridge Gorge for unlimited visits, are also available priced £23.25 per adult, £18.75 for over 60s, £15.25 for students and children, and £64 for a family of two adults and all their children aged up to 18 years in full time education. Under-fives go in for free.