IDENTITY STATEMENT
Reference code(s): GB 0074 CLC/211
Held at: London Metropolitan Archives
Title: CITY AND GUILDS OF LONDON INSTITUTE
Date(s): 1860-1992
Level of description: Collection
Extent: 1351 production units.
Name of creator(s): City and Guilds of London Institute
CONTEXT
Administrative/Biographical history:
The City and Guilds of London Institute was constituted in 1878 following negotiations between representatives of the City Corporation and of several of the livery companies of London who were called together by the Lord Mayor of London from as early as 1872 (for minutes of these meetings see Ms 22000) to consider the promotion and improvement of technical education both in London and nationally. However, although certain individual livery companies took unilateral action to promote specific technological projects, it was not until 1877 that a provisional general committee of livery company members was appointed, together with an executive committee, to prepare a scheme for a national system of technical education with the advice of men eminent in the fields of education and industry.
In 1878, the executive committee recommended the establishment of a central institution for advanced instruction and research in science and technology, the development of local trade schools, the provision of examinations in technical subjects to encourage the spread of technical instruction throughout the country and the grant of financial aid to existing institutions holding classes in relevant subjects.
These recommendations were implemented as follows:
1) TECHNICAL EXAMINATIONS: The examinations in technical subjects previously organised by the Society of Arts since 1873 were taken over and extended by the Institute under the aegis of the Examinations Department, renamed the Department of Technology in 1902.
2) FINSBURY TECHNICAL COLLEGE: In 1879 the Institute established evening classes in applied chemistry and physics in rooms rented from the Middle Class School in Cowper Street, Finsbury (also known as the Cowper Street schools). The success of these classes necessitated the erection of a new building, which was formally opened in 1883 as Finsbury Technical College. It acted as a prototype for technical institutes throughout the country, providing day and evening classes in technical subjects until its closure in 1926. From 1921 to 1926 it was managed by a delegacy appointed by the Institute.
3) SOUTH LONDON TECHNICAL ART SCHOOL: South London Technical Art School began as an extension of Lambeth Art School in Kennington Park Road, which had been founded in 1854. In 1878, the Institute leased nos. 122 and 124 Kennington Park Road, to which it added additional studios, and established classes in applied art. The art school was renamed the Kennington and Lambeth Art School in 1933 and the City and Guilds Art School in 1937. Additional premises were purchased at 118 and 120 Kennington Park Road in 1933. Administrative and financial control of the Art School was transferred to a charitable trust company, the City and Guilds of London Art School Ltd, in 1971.
4) THE CENTRAL INSTITUTION: The Central Institution was formally opened in 1884 in Exhibition Road, South Kensington, on land leased from the Commissioners of the exhibition of 1851, following considerable dispute concerning its possible location. It was renamed the Central Technical College in 1893 and the City and Guilds College in 1911. In 1907 a government departmental committee appointed by the Board of Education proposed the establishment at South Kensington of an institution or group of associated colleges of science and technology for the provision of highly specialised instruction, incorporating the Royal College of Science, the Royal School of Mines and the Institute's Central Technical College. The charter of incorporation of this new institution, named the Imperial College of Science and Technology, was granted in 1907. Provision was made for five representatives of the Institute to serve on the governing body of Imperial College, which was admitted as a school of the University of London in 1908. In 1911, a delegacy was appointed by the Institute to manage the City and Guilds College. Although incorporated under the name of City and Guilds College, the College was known as the City and Guilds (Engineering) College from 1911 until 1935 to emphasise its status as an engineering college.
5) LEATHER TRADES SCHOOL: In 1889 the Institute took over the running of the Leather Trades School, Bethnal Green and provided financial support for the school in conjunction with the Leathersellers' and Cordwainers' Companies and the Boot and Shoe Manufacturers Association. In 1909 the Leathersellers' Company withdrew its support and, after lengthy negotiations, the Cordwainers' Company assumed sole responsibility for the School which was renamed the Cordwainers' Technical College in 1913.
6) GRANTS: Financial aid was granted by the Institute to other institutions holding classes in technical subjects, for example the British Horological Institute, Birkbeck Literary and Scientific Institution and the Society for Promoting the Employment of Women.
7) HEAD OFFICE: The Head Office of the Institute was situated at Gresham College until 1958, when it moved to 76 Portland Place. Since 1996 it has been based at 1 Giltspur Street.
CONTENT
Scope and content/abstract:
Records of the City and Guilds of London Institute. The records comprise those of the Institute itself and those of its constituent parts, including the Central Institution, Finsbury Technical College, South London Technical Art School and the Leather Trades School.
The records of the Institute and its constituent parts are now arranged as follows:
1. RECORDS RE CONSTITUTION AND REGULATION: Ms 21810-11
2. MINUTES: Ms 21812-34, 38278-84
3. ANNUAL REPORTS: Ms 21834-6
4. FINANCIAL RECORDS: Ms 21837-48
5. LETTER BOOKS: Ms 21849-53, 35814
6. ADDRESS BOOKS: Ms 21854-60
7. HEAD OFFICE PAPERS:
i) General:
a) foundation and management of the Institute: Ms 21861;
(b) presidents, governors, hon. officers and professional advisors: Ms 21862-7, 38289-90;
(c) staff: Ms 21868-9;
(d) Corporation of London: Ms 21870;
(e) Livery companies: Ms 21871, 38293;
(f) other institutions: Ms 21872-94, 38293;
(g) Royal commissions, government departments and Parliament: Ms 21895-903;
(h) technical education: Ms 21904, 38291-2;
(i) general administrative papers: Ms 38286-8.
(ii) Examinations department/department of technology: Ms 21905
(iii) Central Institution/ Central Technical College/ City and Guilds College: Ms 21906-9
(iv) Imperial College: Ms 21910
(v) Finsbury Technical College: Ms 21911-24
(vi) Art School: Ms 21925
(vii) Leather Trades School/ Cordwainers' Technical College: Ms 21926
(viii) Scholarships, medals, prizegiving and articles: Ms 21927-34, 38294
8. HEAD OFFICE FILES: Ms 21935
9. PHOTOGRAPHS AND ILLUSTRATIONS: Ms 21936
10. PROGRAMMES FOR COLLEGES AND EXAMINATIONS: Ms 21937
11. EXAMINATIONS DEPARTMENT/ DEPARTMENT OF TECHNOLOGY:
(a) annual reports and examiners' and inspectors' reports: Ms 21938-41;
(b) financial records: Ms 21942-3;
(c) correspondence: Ms 21944, 38295;
(d) programmes: Ms 21945;
(e) candidates' records: Ms 21946, 38296-8
12. CENTRAL INSTITUTION/ CENTRAL TECHNICAL COLLEGE/ CITY AND GUILDS COLLEGE:
(a) annual reports: Ms 38285;
(b) financial records: Ms 21947-50;
(c) programmes: Ms 21951;
(d) candidates' records: Ms 21952;
(e) plans: Ms 21953;
(f) old students' association and students' magazines: Ms 21954-9; 21985-6
13. FINSBURY TECHNICAL COLLEGE:
(a) financial records: Ms 21960-6;
(b) correspondence: Ms 21967-9;
(c) programmes and prospectuses: Ms 21970-1;
(d) students' records: Ms 21972-84, 35815;
(e) old students' associations: Ms 21985-7
14. ART SCHOOL:
(a) annual reports and enquiries: Ms 38299-301;
(b) financial records: Ms 21988-91, 35816-17, 35819, 35821;
(c) correspondence: Ms 21992, 35818-19, 38302;
(d) programmes: Ms 21993;
(e) students' records: Ms 21994-6, 35820;
(f) press cuttings: Ms 38303
15. LEATHER TRADES SCHOOL:
(a) correspondence: Ms 21997
16. "PRIDEAUX PAPERS": Ms 21998
17. LIST OF CONTENTS OF ARCHIVE FILE BOXES COMPILED BY T. G. BUNCE: Ms 21999.
Catalogued by members of Guildhall Library staff in 1985, 2004 and 2006.
ACCESS AND USE
Language/scripts of material: English
System of arrangement:
Ms 21810-999 were arranged in several series prior to their deposit at Guildhall Library in 1984:
1) Volumes of minutes, accounts, reports, programmes etc. (no former reference). Now Ms 21812-826, 21829-832, 21834, 21837-843, 21849-860; 21929, 21937-943, 21945-947, 21950-951, 21953, 21960-968, 21970, 21972-974, 21976-982, 21988-997.
2) Papers formerly held by Walter S. and Walter T. Prideaux, solicitors to the Institute, arranged chronologically (former reference AFB/1-16). Now Ms 21998.
3) Archive file boxes of loose papers arranged by subject (former reference AFB/17-78). Now Ms 21810-811, 21833, 21844-848, 21861-862, 21864-869; 21900-906, 21909-911, 21924-927, 21930-934, 21936, 21944, 21949,21954-959, 21985-987.
4) Papers from head office cabinet marked 'E', which had been thinned, sorted and placed in archive file boxes before their deposit at Guildhall Library (former reference AFB/E). Now Ms 21863, 21868; 21907-908, 21912-923, 21952, 21969, 21971, 21975, 21983-984.
5) Head office files closed in January 1956, arranged alphabetically by name or by subject and thinned and boxed after their deposit at Guildhall Library (no former reference). Now Ms 21935.
6) Duplicate unbound reports and printed material (former reference AFB/A). Duplicates have been returned to the Institute. Remainder now Mss. 21827-828; 21835-6; 21948.
Conditions governing access:
These records are available for public inspection, although records containing personal information are subject to access restrictions under the UK Data Protection Act, 1998.
Conditions governing reproduction:
Copyright to this collection rests with the depositor.
Finding aids:
Please see online catalogues at: http://search.lma.gov.uk/opac_lma/index.htm
ARCHIVAL INFORMATION
Archival history:
A detailed list (Ms 21999) of the contents of the archive file boxes was prepared by T.G. Bunce, formerly assistant secretary to the Institute, before their deposit at Guildhall Library. Former reference numbers have been noted in the catalogue, althoughthe overall arrangement of the collection has been altered. Two minute books, namely those of the Executive Sub-Committee (1877-78) and of the Executive Committee (1878-87) were deposited at Guildhall Library in 1954 (former reference Ms 9917 and 9918), but were withdrawn by the Institute in 1958. They have now been redeposited and renumbered Ms 21813 and 21817/1.
Immediate source of acquisition:
The records of the City and Guilds of London Institute were deposited in the Manuscripts Section of Guildhall Library in 1984 (Ms 21810-999), 1995 (Ms 38278-303 and additions to earlier manuscript numbers) and 1999 (Ms 35814-21 and further additions to earlier manuscript numbers). The Guildhall Library Manuscripts Section merged with the London Metropolitan Archives in 2009.
ALLIED MATERIALS
DESCRIPTION NOTES
Date(s) of descriptions: August to October 2010.