Statue of “grandfather of digital age” George Boole unveiled in Lincoln

A sculpture paying tribute to one of the most influential people in modern history, Lincoln’s own mathematician expert George Boole, has been unveiled in Lincoln to honour his legacy and involvement in the advancement of digital technology.

The statue was unveiled outside Lincoln train station on Thursday, September 29, with members of the community, local dignitaries and school children present for the momentous occasion.

The City of Lincoln Mayor, Cllr Rosanne Kirk, attended the ceremony to officially reveal the sculpture to the city. It has been funded by the Heslam Trust, along with City of Lincoln Council, East Midlands Railway and Network Rail.

Audiences waited to see the statue unveiled on Thursday. | Photo: Ellis Karran for The Lincolnite

| Photo: Ellis Karran for The Lincolnite

The piece was created by sculptor Antony Dufort, and it is a cast bronze statue depicting Boole, holding a book titled ‘Logic’, teaching a male and female school pupil.

There is information about Boole’s life, along with sketches of some of  mathematical equations, on a plaque also found on the round plinth.

| Photo: Ellis Karran for The Lincolnite

| Photo: Ellis Karran for The Lincolnite

George Boole is one of Lincoln’s most influential figures. Born on Silver Street in 1815, he never went to university but taught himself mathematics to the highest level, earning the gold medal of the Royal Society in 1844.

Three years later he published ‘Mathematical Analysis of Logic‘, followed by his most famous and influential work – a description of the practical concepts for an algebra of logic, titled ‘The Laws of Thought‘ in 1854.

George Boole is one of the truly brilliant minds to have emerged from Lincoln. | Photo: Ellis Karran for The Lincolnite

| Photo: Ellis Karran for The Lincolnite

His work has paved the way for incredible feats of technological innovation over the years, with Boole’s theories being used in the development of space travel, telecommunications and digital technology.

Almost 100 years after his breakthrough work, Boole’s theories were put into practice by engineer Claude Shannon, who in 1937 built electronic logic gates with relays which could process Boole’s logic using valves and transistors.

Boolean logic became the go-to method for processors, memory and programming that is now used in every mobile phone, computer and digital device – powering what we see on our screens today whether we do an internet search or open a website.

Cllr Rosanne Kirk, Mayor of Lincoln, stood by the statue. | Photo: Ellis Karran for The Lincolnite

The Right Worshipful Mayor of Lincoln, Rosanne Kirk, told The Lincolnite she was “thrilled and honoured” to unveil the statue, describing the mathematician and philosopher as an “incredible person with a brilliant mind.”

“George Boole’s mind helped computer science, space exploration with NASA, it’s an absolutely amazing thing for someone who comes from Lincoln – and what an incredible person he is for our city.

“He means a lot to me personally. In the 1980s my brother got one of the first computers, in the 1990s my husband formulated a company on the internet, this has a personal feeling to me so to be the Mayor who has unveiled this piece is a thrilling moment, I have to say.”

Local dignitaries officially showcased the statue on Thursday. | Photo: Ellis Karran for The Lincolnite

Peter Manton of the Heslam Trust, who helped with funding and submitted the first plan for the statue some five years ago, said: “I’m very proud because we’ve worked for years on this project. I’ve been chairman of the Heslam Trust for 25 years now and this is our greatest achievement so far.

“We think it’s right that there should be a visual thing for George Boole in Lincoln, because so many people in the city have never heard of him, I count myself in that a few years ago!

“If you’ve got a phone, you wouldn’t have it if George Boole hadn’t supplied the mathematics which aided the development of the computer. I’ve got a pacemaker and I think his technology was involved in that as well, it’s incredible.”