Birmingham Polytechnic Institution

About Birmingham Polytechnic Institution

According to Wikipedia, Birmingham Polytechnic Institution was a polytechnic formed in 1843 in Birmingham, England. It was supported by leading Liberals in the city such as George Dawson. The Polytechnic mainly taught languages, chemistry and mathematics and had a library of 4,000 volumes. George Battison Haines, who was involved with the local freehold land movement, acted as librarian. Charles Dickens was among the visiting academics who gave speeches at the Polytechnic, he gave a speech for the Polytechnic in the Birmingham Town Hall in May 1846. Other guest lecturers included Sir Robert Peel, who gave a lecture on Switzerland.