London Institution
Encyclopedia
The London Institution was an educational institution founded in London in 1806 (not to be confused with the British Institution
for Promoting the Fine Arts in the United Kingdom founded the previous year, with which it shared some founders). It preceded the University of London
in making scientific education widely available in the capital to people such as the Dissenters who adhered to non-orthodox religious beliefs and were consequently barred from attending Oxford University or Cambridge University.
The Institution moved into premises at Finsbury Circus
in 1815 and was particularly noted for the teaching of chemistry. It closed in 1912 and the buildings were used for the University of London
until their demolition in 1936.
A further meeting was held the following month at the George & Vulture Tavern
in George Yard, Lombard Street, when Sir Francis Baring took the chair and at this meeting it was agreed to send an introductory letter signed by William Haseldine Pepys
to a number of potential patrons, mostly London bankers and merchants. A more formal meeting took place at 12 noon on 23 May 1805, at the London Tavern, again chaired by Sir Francis Baring, to discuss the practical details that would be involved in setting-up a proper "London Institution". The philosophical aim of the London Institution was "to promote the diffusion of Science, Literature and the Arts", and the objects were to provide - A Library to contain Works of Intrinsic Value - Lectures for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge - Reading Rooms for the Daily Papers, Periodical Publications, interesting Pamphlets, and Foreign Journals.
The Institution was to consist of a limited number of Proprietors and Life and Annual Subscribers. It was agreed that the motto of the Institution would be Studio fallente laborem and that its purpose would be to procure "the advancement of literature and the diffusion of useful knowledge".
The Institution was established on 18 January 1806, in the house of Sir William Clayton (Lord Mayor of London in the time of Charles II), at 8 Old Jewry
in the City of London
at an annual rent of £350. It was modelled on the Royal Institution
in London's West End. By 21 January 1807, a Royal Charter for the "London Institution for the Promotion of Literature and Useful Knowledge" had been drafted listing the following officers,
President
Vice-Presidents
Managers
Richard Porson
, poet and scholar, was unanimously chosen as the first Librarian of the London Institution at a meeting on 22 April 1806. With the position went a salary of £200 per annum, a servant and rent-free accommodation. Thomas Campbell, the Scottish poet, had come to London to be considered for the position and had been 'well received' but rejected. A man of Porson’s eminence seemed a coup for the Institution and shortly afterwards the governors were able to buy the library of the Marquis of Lansdowne. However Porson turned out to be unsuited for the post because of his heavy drinking and untidy ways. As his responsibilities grew in proportion to the Institution’s increasing collection of valuable books he failed to meet the challenge. Before any action needed to be taken, he died in September 1808 shortly after a fit of ‘apoplexy’ in the street that had led to him being anonymously committed to St Martin’s Lane workhouse. William Maltby was chosen as librarian in 1809 to replace him.
Maltby carried out the duties of Librarian for the next twenty-five years. During the years 1806-11 more than £36,000 was spent on books and equipment and it was reported in the Gentleman's Magazine for 1811 that the Institution had collected ..."at a large expense, some of the rarest and most splendid specimens of Typography in the kingdom."
In his Biographical Index of the current House of Commons, J. Wilson cites Richard Sharp
as an important figure in the history of this institution and claims that it was "...chiefly owing to his influences and exertions that the London Institute for the improvement of Science and Literature has been established." Many of those who supported the idea of such an educational institution for London were fellow Dissenters who were forbidden to attend Oxford or Cambridge universities because of their religious beliefs.
. The architect of the elegant stone structure was William Brooks
and the contract to build it was awarded to Thomas Cubitt
, it being his first large-scale project in London
The Institution’s new building was completed in 1815 and contained a library, reading-rooms, a lecture-room capable of containing 750 people, a laboratory and other amenities. The opening was marked by a colourful procession through the streets of London conducted by the Lord Mayor. The construction of Cubitt’s new building cost £31,000 and it soon housed 70,000 books by which time the Committee of Managers consisted of the following,
Committee meetings were held monthly and Samuel Woods was the Institution’s secretary. The popular interest being taken in all forms of scientific advance, together with the quickening pace of the industrial revolution, ensured there was a strong demand for the Institution’s resources and there was no shortage of subscribers. Several hundred people paid 75 guineas for the honour of becoming a "proprietor" - the total number being limited to 1000. The cost of ordinary life membership was set at 25 guineas.
A number of strict rules were laid down: members had to apply to the Librarian or an attendant to obtain a book; no books were to be removed from the premises; and ladies could only be admitted as "subscribers to the lectures".
The Gentleman's Magazine reported
The library came to hold over 70,000 volumes and was particularly rich in topographical works, collected while William Upcott
was librarian. Edward William Brayley
was another long-serving librarian.
, John Playfair
, Norman Lockyer, and Sir William Ramsay
, and many other visiting lecturers. The Institution's laboratory was limited in size and facilities, but catered for instruction in practical chemistry. Between 1863 and 1884 it gained the reputation as a significant centre of chemical research under the professorships of James Alfred Wanklyn
and H. E. Armstrong who published frequently in chemical periodicals as 'From the Laboratory of the London Institution'. This role of the Institution declined as universities became increasingly concerned with the systematic study of chemistry.
. In 1912 the London Institution closed, the building having been transferred to H.M. Office of Works
. The Library of over 100,000 volumes was divided between the British Museum (now British Library
), the Guildhall Library
(for works of London topographic interest) and the new School. The School of Oriental Studies, as part of the University of London
, opened to students in 1917, in the buildings of the London Institution. Following the move of the School to Bloomsbury
, the buildings of the London Institution itself were demolished in 1936.
British Institution
The British Institution was a private 19th-century society in London formed to exhibit the works of living and dead artists; it was also known as the Pall Mall Picture Galleries or the British Gallery...
for Promoting the Fine Arts in the United Kingdom founded the previous year, with which it shared some founders). It preceded the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
in making scientific education widely available in the capital to people such as the Dissenters who adhered to non-orthodox religious beliefs and were consequently barred from attending Oxford University or Cambridge University.
The Institution moved into premises at Finsbury Circus
Finsbury Circus
Finsbury Circus is an elliptical square with its long axis lying east-west in the City of London, England; with an area of 2.2 hectares it is the largest public open space within the City's boundaries. It has an immaculately maintained Lawn Bowls club in the centre, which has existed in the gardens...
in 1815 and was particularly noted for the teaching of chemistry. It closed in 1912 and the buildings were used for the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
until their demolition in 1936.
Foundation
The first recorded meeting to discuss the idea of an Institution was arranged by Sam Woods on 27 March 1805, and held at Mr Bodley’s house in Lombard StreetLombard Street
There are several famous Lombard Streets:* Lombard Street , famed for its twists and turns* Lombard Street, London, leading from the Bank of England to Gracechurch Street...
A further meeting was held the following month at the George & Vulture Tavern
George and Vulture
The George and Vulture was built in 1746 as a public house in Castle Court, near Lombard Street, City of London. There has been an inn on the site since 1268....
in George Yard, Lombard Street, when Sir Francis Baring took the chair and at this meeting it was agreed to send an introductory letter signed by William Haseldine Pepys
William Haseldine Pepys
William Haseldine Pepys FRS was an English scientist and founder of learned institutions who contributed significantly to the advancement of the chemical and physical sciences during the first half of the nineteenth century....
to a number of potential patrons, mostly London bankers and merchants. A more formal meeting took place at 12 noon on 23 May 1805, at the London Tavern, again chaired by Sir Francis Baring, to discuss the practical details that would be involved in setting-up a proper "London Institution". The philosophical aim of the London Institution was "to promote the diffusion of Science, Literature and the Arts", and the objects were to provide - A Library to contain Works of Intrinsic Value - Lectures for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge - Reading Rooms for the Daily Papers, Periodical Publications, interesting Pamphlets, and Foreign Journals.
The Institution was to consist of a limited number of Proprietors and Life and Annual Subscribers. It was agreed that the motto of the Institution would be Studio fallente laborem and that its purpose would be to procure "the advancement of literature and the diffusion of useful knowledge".
The Institution was established on 18 January 1806, in the house of Sir William Clayton (Lord Mayor of London in the time of Charles II), at 8 Old Jewry
Old Jewry
Old Jewry is the name of a street in the City of London, in Coleman Street Ward, linking Gresham Street with The Poultry.William the Conqueror encouraged Jews to come to England soon after the Norman Conquest; some settled in cities throughout his new domain, including in London. According to Rev....
in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
at an annual rent of £350. It was modelled on the Royal Institution
Royal Institution
The Royal Institution of Great Britain is an organization devoted to scientific education and research, based in London.-Overview:...
in London's West End. By 21 January 1807, a Royal Charter for the "London Institution for the Promotion of Literature and Useful Knowledge" had been drafted listing the following officers,
President
- Sir Francis Baring Bt, Banker and founder of Barings
Vice-Presidents
- Sir Richard Neave, 1st BaronetSir Richard Neave, 1st BaronetSir Richard Neave, 1st Baronet was a British merchant and a Governor of the Bank of England.Neave was the son of James Neave and Susanna Trueman...
, West Indies merchant and Governor of the Bank of EnglandGovernor of the Bank of EnglandThe Governor of the Bank of England is the most senior position in the Bank of England. It is nominally a civil service post, but the appointment tends to be from within the Bank, with the incumbent grooming his or her successor... - Beeston LongBeeston LongBeeston Long , of Combe House, Surrey, was an English businessman.The son of Beeston Long, a West India Merchant and deputy Governor of the Royal Exchange Assurance Corporation, and brother of Samuel Long and Charles Long, 1st Baron Farnborough, Long married in 1786 Frances Louisa, eldest daughter...
, West Indies merchant and Governor of the Bank of EnglandGovernor of the Bank of EnglandThe Governor of the Bank of England is the most senior position in the Bank of England. It is nominally a civil service post, but the appointment tends to be from within the Bank, with the incumbent grooming his or her successor... - George HibbertGeorge HibbertGeorge Hibbert was an eminent English merchant, politician, slave- and ship-owner, amateur botanist and book collector. With Robert Milligan, he was also one of the principals of the West India Dock Company which instigated the construction of the West India Docks on London's Isle of Dogs in 1800...
West Indies merchant, botanist and book collector - John Julius AngersteinJohn Julius AngersteinJohn Julius Angerstein , was a London merchant, Lloyd's under-writer, and patron of the fine arts. The imminent prospect that his collection of paintings was about to be sold by his estate, in 1824, galvanized the founding of the National Gallery, London.Angerstein was born in St Petersburg, Russia...
, West Indies merchant and art collector
Managers
- Richard Clarke
- Matthew Raine Headmaster of Charterhouse SchoolCharterhouse SchoolCharterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
- Richard SharpRichard Sharp (politician)Richard Sharp, FRS, FSA , also known as "Conversation" Sharp, was a hat-maker, banker, merchant, poet, critic, British politician, but above all - doyen of the conversationalists.-Family background:...
Banker, Member of Parliament and conversationalist - John Smith MPJohn Smith (Wendover MP)John Smith was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1806 to 1835 and a banker.He was the sixth son of Abel Smith, a Nottingham banker who was a Member of Parliament for Aldborough, St Ives, and St Germans, and the brother of Robert Smith, 1st Baron Carrington. He lived at...
Banker and Member of Parliament - Henry ThorntonHenry Thornton (abolitionist)Henry Thornton was an English economist, banker, philanthropist and parliamentarian.-Early life:He was the son of John Thornton of Clapham, London, who had been one of the early patrons of the evangelical movement in Britain...
Banker, Member of Parliament and Abolitionist
Richard Porson
Richard Porson
Richard Porson was an English classical scholar. He was the discoverer of Porson's Law; and the Greek typeface Porson was based on his handwriting.-Early life:...
, poet and scholar, was unanimously chosen as the first Librarian of the London Institution at a meeting on 22 April 1806. With the position went a salary of £200 per annum, a servant and rent-free accommodation. Thomas Campbell, the Scottish poet, had come to London to be considered for the position and had been 'well received' but rejected. A man of Porson’s eminence seemed a coup for the Institution and shortly afterwards the governors were able to buy the library of the Marquis of Lansdowne. However Porson turned out to be unsuited for the post because of his heavy drinking and untidy ways. As his responsibilities grew in proportion to the Institution’s increasing collection of valuable books he failed to meet the challenge. Before any action needed to be taken, he died in September 1808 shortly after a fit of ‘apoplexy’ in the street that had led to him being anonymously committed to St Martin’s Lane workhouse. William Maltby was chosen as librarian in 1809 to replace him.
Maltby carried out the duties of Librarian for the next twenty-five years. During the years 1806-11 more than £36,000 was spent on books and equipment and it was reported in the Gentleman's Magazine for 1811 that the Institution had collected ..."at a large expense, some of the rarest and most splendid specimens of Typography in the kingdom."
In his Biographical Index of the current House of Commons, J. Wilson cites Richard Sharp
Richard Sharp (politician)
Richard Sharp, FRS, FSA , also known as "Conversation" Sharp, was a hat-maker, banker, merchant, poet, critic, British politician, but above all - doyen of the conversationalists.-Family background:...
as an important figure in the history of this institution and claims that it was "...chiefly owing to his influences and exertions that the London Institute for the improvement of Science and Literature has been established." Many of those who supported the idea of such an educational institution for London were fellow Dissenters who were forbidden to attend Oxford or Cambridge universities because of their religious beliefs.
Expansion
The Institution was short of space at Old Jewry and larger premises were needed. After considering a group of seven houses at 16-22 Token House Yard, belonging to the Bank of England, the Institution eventually moved in 1812 to a "capacious house" in King’s Arm Yard, Coleman St, at a modest annual rent of only £40. This soon proved to be inadequate to cope with the Institution’s rapid growth and so plans were made to move to purpose-built accommodation at Finsbury CircusFinsbury Circus
Finsbury Circus is an elliptical square with its long axis lying east-west in the City of London, England; with an area of 2.2 hectares it is the largest public open space within the City's boundaries. It has an immaculately maintained Lawn Bowls club in the centre, which has existed in the gardens...
. The architect of the elegant stone structure was William Brooks
William Brooks
William Brooks may refer to:* William Brooks of Blackburn , cotton supplier* Sir William Cunliffe Brooks, 1st Baronet , British lawyer and politician* William Edwin Brooks , Irish civil engineer and ornithologist...
and the contract to build it was awarded to Thomas Cubitt
Thomas Cubitt
Thomas Cubitt , born Buxton, Norfolk, was the leading master builder in London in the second quarter of the 19th century, and also carried out several projects in other parts of England.-Background:...
, it being his first large-scale project in London
The Institution’s new building was completed in 1815 and contained a library, reading-rooms, a lecture-room capable of containing 750 people, a laboratory and other amenities. The opening was marked by a colourful procession through the streets of London conducted by the Lord Mayor. The construction of Cubitt’s new building cost £31,000 and it soon housed 70,000 books by which time the Committee of Managers consisted of the following,
Committee meetings were held monthly and Samuel Woods was the Institution’s secretary. The popular interest being taken in all forms of scientific advance, together with the quickening pace of the industrial revolution, ensured there was a strong demand for the Institution’s resources and there was no shortage of subscribers. Several hundred people paid 75 guineas for the honour of becoming a "proprietor" - the total number being limited to 1000. The cost of ordinary life membership was set at 25 guineas.
A number of strict rules were laid down: members had to apply to the Librarian or an attendant to obtain a book; no books were to be removed from the premises; and ladies could only be admitted as "subscribers to the lectures".
The Gentleman's Magazine reported
- "In the winter time when the lectures are delivered by leading men of science, the theatre is as full as can well be imagined and it is by no means a quiet resting place…..but the reading room is a treat, and it is pleasant to get away from the City bustle…"
The library came to hold over 70,000 volumes and was particularly rich in topographical works, collected while William Upcott
William Upcott
-Life:Born in Oxfordshire, he was the illegitimate son of Ozias Humphry by Delly Wickens, daughter of an Oxford shopkeeper, called Upcott from the maiden name of Humphry's mother. His father bequeathed to him his miniatures, pictures, drawings, and engravings, as well as correspondence with many...
was librarian. Edward William Brayley
Edward William Brayley
Edward William Brayley FRS was an English geographer, librarian, and science author.-Early life:Brayley was born in London, the son of Edward Wedlake Brayley, a notable antiquary and his wife Anne . His early schooling, in the company of his brothers Henry and Horatio was private and sheltered...
was another long-serving librarian.
Chemistry
As it developed, Chemistry became one of the main activities of the Institution in terms of the volume and variety of its presentations and the high standing of its lecturers. These included Michael FaradayMichael Faraday
Michael Faraday, FRS was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry....
, John Playfair
John Playfair
John Playfair FRSE, FRS was a Scottish scientist and mathematician, and a professor of natural philosophy at the University of Edinburgh. He is perhaps best known for his book Illustrations of the Huttonian Theory of the Earth , which summarized the work of James Hutton...
, Norman Lockyer, and Sir William Ramsay
William Ramsay
Sir William Ramsay was a Scottish chemist who discovered the noble gases and received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1904 "in recognition of his services in the discovery of the inert gaseous elements in air" .-Early years:Ramsay was born in Glasgow on 2...
, and many other visiting lecturers. The Institution's laboratory was limited in size and facilities, but catered for instruction in practical chemistry. Between 1863 and 1884 it gained the reputation as a significant centre of chemical research under the professorships of James Alfred Wanklyn
James Alfred Wanklyn
James Alfred Wanklyn was a nineteenth-century English chemist who is remember today chiefly for his "ammonia method" of determining water quality and for his fierce arguments with those, such as Edward Frankland, who opposed him over matters related to water analysis. Wanklyn was born in...
and H. E. Armstrong who published frequently in chemical periodicals as 'From the Laboratory of the London Institution'. This role of the Institution declined as universities became increasingly concerned with the systematic study of chemistry.
End
At the beginning of the 20th century, the location of the Institution, in Finsbury Circus was becoming increasingly inconvenient for members. In 1908, the Board of Management announced that costly repairs to the buildings were required and in 1909 the Institution came under the purview of the Royal Commission on University Education in London. The Royal Commission proposed that the building be used as a School of Oriental StudiesSchool of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London...
. In 1912 the London Institution closed, the building having been transferred to H.M. Office of Works
Office of Works
The Office of Works was established in the English Royal household in 1378 to oversee the building of the royal castles and residences. In 1832 it became the Works Department within the Office of Woods, Forests, Land Revenues, Works and Buildings...
. The Library of over 100,000 volumes was divided between the British Museum (now British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
), the Guildhall Library
Guildhall Library
The Guildhall Library is administered by the Corporation of London, the government of the City of London, which is the historical heart of London, England. It was founded in the 1420s under the terms of the will of Lord Mayor Dick Whittington...
(for works of London topographic interest) and the new School. The School of Oriental Studies, as part of the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, opened to students in 1917, in the buildings of the London Institution. Following the move of the School to Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury
-Places:* Bloomsbury is an area in central London.* Bloomsbury , related local government unit* Bloomsbury, New Jersey, New Jersey, USA* Bloomsbury , listed on the NRHP in Maryland...
, the buildings of the London Institution itself were demolished in 1936.