The moon, unusually bright and distinct

In her "Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady" entry for February the 9th, Edith Holden makes one of her few mentions of the night sky.

There was a partial eclipse of the moon visible this morning at 5.57 a.m. At 8 oclock in the evening there was a beautiful rainbow-coloured halo round the moon, unusually bright and distinct.

The last time I visited Birmingham, there was a bright moon in the morning.

The morning moon, seen from the Hampton by Hilton.

The moon gave its name to the Lunar Society of Birmingham. Wikipedia says:

The Lunar Society of Birmingham was a dinner club and informal learned society of prominent figures in the Midlands Enlightenment, including industrialists, natural philosophers and intellectuals, who met regularly between 1765 and 1813 in Birmingham, England. At first called the Lunar Circle, "Lunar Society" became the formal name by 1775. The name arose because the society would meet during the full moon, as the extra light made the journey home easier and safer in the absence of street lighting.

Prominent members of the Lunar Society included  Matthew Boulton, who led the change to a more organised body. James Watt was also a member.  These two men, along with William Murdoch, are portrayed on the statue of Boulton, Watt and Murdoch.  The statue shows them  discussing engine plans.

Boulton, Watt and Murdoch.

The Birmingham City Council website says:

It is the work of William Bloye, formerly head of sculpture at Birmingham School of Art and was unveiled in 1956, although preliminary designs were drawn up in 1938. ...

The three men pioneered the industrial revolution in late 18th century England. James Watt's improvements to the steam engine and William Murdoch's invention of gas lighting have made them famous throughout the world. Matthew Boulton, entrepreneur and industrialist, harnessed their talents in a company that made everything from tableware and copper coinage to steam engines.

Cartwheel penny produced at Boulton's Soho (Birmingham) mint

By coincidence we have a coin, a cartwheel penny, produced at Boulton's Soho (Birmingham) mint at home. It's too tattered to be worth anything but with a good magnifying glass, it is just possible to make out the word SOHO below Britannia's shield.

In 1906, when Edith was writing her diary, the Lunar Society was long gone. However the industrial revolution was causing the rapid expansion of Birmingham and had made her father's business possible.