A Thumbnail History...Two Hundred Years

Constituted and Denominated

On 1 December 1824, at the Court House in Leeds, members of a nascent Mechanics' Institute "resolved that this Society is now constituted and denominated the Leeds Mechanics' Institute". Throughout 1824, the great and good of Leeds society, among them Benjamin Gott, Edward Baines Jun. and John Marshall mulled over proposals and rules that would lead to the formation of an institute in Leeds. Many were members of a middle-class elite who had formed the Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society in 1818 as a vehicle for much of Leeds's cultural activities. The Phil and Lit would underpin the early success of the new mechanics Institution.  The newly formed Institute was located in two rooms, a library and a classroom on the premises at Park Row. Teaching Mathematics, Chemistry, and other Sciences was a primary concern. The founders hoped to educate artisans and working men of Leeds, fostering a skilled workforce and nurturing moral integrity. The library was considered an important component, and there was much discussion about what type of literature should be stocked. Technical and instruction manuals were favoured, and novels and works of entertainment were frowned upon.

In 1841, the Institute moved to new premises in South Parade and, the following year, amalgamated with the Leeds Literary Institution, forming the Leeds Mechanics' Institute and Literary Society. The Literary Institution was formed in 1834 to provide books and pamphlets on subjects not taught or covered by the library's more scientific and practical bias at the Leeds Mechanics Institute.

Art in Concert

Within the Institute, new schools formed, expanding the educational offering. The Leeds Government School of Design opened in 1846 and received initial practical and financial help from the Government School of Design based in London. The emphasis on art produced in concert with the needs of manufacturing and industry chimed with attitudes held in Leeds, illustrated by the town retitling its art school throughout the 1850s. Subsequently, the School of Design evolved into Leeds School of Art in 1856. From around 1857, the Leeds School of Art had become a hub for disseminating art knowledge and technique, feeding art schools in the towns around the West Riding.  Schools such as Bradford, Keighley, and Huddersfield became affiliated with the central role played by Leeds. In the late 1860s, the focus shifted away from the satellite schools due to new government regulations, which coincided with the building of new premises at Cookridge Street in 1868. In 1927, the school was granted college status and became Leeds College of Art. Perhaps one of the most significant events at the original Leeds College of Art was the split between its Main College, which provided training for Diploma Courses in Art and Design, and Branch College, which catered to vocational and pre–Diploma Courses. The enforced separation caused consternation among staff in both parts of the College. The two elements have now developed into separate institutions: Leeds School of Arts at Leeds Beckett University and Leeds Arts University. One element moved from its Vernon Street site to Woodhouse Lane to form part of Leeds Central Colleges (the forerunner of Leeds Polytechnic) in 1969.

Accent on Practical Training

The Leeds School of Science was formed in 1868, evolving from the first classes in Chemistry and Mathematics. The school was renamed Leeds Technical School in 1896 and Leeds Technical College in 1927. It became the Leeds College of Technology in 1937. From the beginning, the emphasis was on practical training in the various trades and professions that contributed to Leeds's rise as an industrial city. Among the courses taught were those allied to the clothing trade, as well as chemistry, building, printing, sanitary sciences, bakery, and mechanical and electrical engineering. Mechanical Engineering, part of this College, was the first to move to the new Central Colleges site (later Leeds Polytechnic) in 1956.

Strong Links to Business

There is evidence of commercial education before 1898. However, that year marked the incorporation of Commercial Evening Classes into the Leeds Institute of Science, Art and Literature. Commercial education courses gradually grouped into the Leeds Central School of Commerce in the first quarter of the twentieth century. From the beginning courses were vocational in nature and had strong links with the business community of Leeds and district. In 1924, Day Courses were established; in 1926, the school was granted college status and became the Leeds College of Commerce.  The courses were designed to provide the educational needs of the varied professions associated with business and included law, accountancy, sales and commerce, librarianship, secretarial, languages and public administration. The school premises had been in and around the Institute buildings on Cookridge Street, and classes were held in a derelict grocer's shop on the corner of the junction of Portland Crescent and Woodhouse Lane. Other classes were held in the Friends Meeting House and at Harewood Barracks on Woodhouse Lane. In 1934, the College moved into a central site on Woodhouse Lane, the former United Methodist Chapel, opened by Sir Alan Garrett Anderson, president of the Association of British Chambers of Commerce. The College of Commerce and that of Technology were the first to move into the brand-new buildings that formed the Central College complex, a proto-Polytechnic that put Leeds well ahead of other cities in their further education organisation.

New Opportunities

New premises were opened on Cookridge Street in 1868, in a building designed by architect Cuthbert Brodrick. The new building allowed for the expansion of the Institute Library, Leeds School of Art and Leeds School of Science. In 1897, members of the Institute adopted a new name, the Leeds Institute of Science, Art and Literature, to better reflect its educational activities: an improved Library and Reading Room, Leeds School of Art, Leeds Technical College, Leeds Boys' Modern School and Leeds Girls' Modern School. The Leeds School of Music and Commercial Evening School departments were established the following year. The transfer of these privately funded schools of the Leeds Institute of Science, Art and Literature to Leeds Corporation began in 1906 in the wake of the 1902 Education Act, which created the Leeds Education Authority, taking over and expanding the role of the former School Board.

Cookery and Beyond

The Yorkshire School of Cookery in Leeds was formed in 1874 by the Ladies' Honorary Council of the Yorkshire Board of Education, which was founded to train teachers in cookery and laundry work. The school evolved into the Yorkshire Training School of Cookery (1877-1884) and the Yorkshire Training School of Cookery and Domestic Economy (1884-1920). In 1920, the school gained college status and became the Yorkshire Training College of Housecraft, a name retained until 1965. Between then and 1970, it was known as the Yorkshire College of Education and Home Economics. The College resided in a former school building on Vernon Road for many years. In 1967, as plans were developed for a Polytechnic in Leeds, representatives of the 'Pud School' registered their opposition to inclusion in the proposed Polytechnic. Of particular concern was the impact of inclusion on their association and relationship with Leeds University. From 1970, it occupied the new purpose-built F Block as part of Leeds Polytechnic. It aimed to train teachers in home economics for schools and colleges, but it also ran courses aimed at institutional management of schools, colleges, hostels, and other residential establishments.

Training Teachers…Mostly

Elsewhere in Leeds, other educational colleges were established. The City of Leeds Training College was formed in 1907 in temporary accommodation throughout the city. Leeds City Council created a permanent college on the grounds of Kirkstall Grange, which was sold to Leeds Education Authority by Lord Grimthorpe. The President of the Board of Education, J. A. Pearce M.P., opened the new college buildings on 13 June 1913. Almost immediately, in 1914 and during WW1, virtually all the college buildings were transferred to the military for use as a hospital, the 2nd Northern General Hospital, which had a presence on the site until 1927. The College continued by seeking temporary accommodation in houses and schools around Leeds. In 1939, the college campus was evacuated to allow for military purposes, mainly as a Depot and Training facility. The College moved its operation, staff and students to Scarborough for the duration. Following recommendations made in the Robbins Report (1963), The City of Leeds Training College was renamed the City of Leeds College of Education. By this time, a joint governing body ran the College and nearby Carnegie College of Physical Education. Many alums became teachers at all levels of education, including head teachers, writers, educationalists and even politicians.

Sporting Excellence

The Carnegie College of Physical Training was opened in 1933 alongside the City of Leeds Training College. Government educational agencies, Leeds City Council and the Carnegie Trust, perceived a need to address the lack of formal training of male teachers in physical training. Its first warden was Ernest Major, who created the foundation for its reputation for excellence in sports teaching. During WW2, the College was closed, reopening in 1947. In 1947, it was renamed Carnegie College of Physical Education, dropping 'Training' for the more academically focussed 'Education'. Alumni went on to various posts, including Her Majesty's Inspectors for Physical Education, teachers at all levels of education from primary up to university level and those who became members of regional and national sports bodies.

Approaching Polytechnics and What Came Next

In 1964, the City of Leeds Training College changed its name to the City of Leeds College of Education in response to the Robbins Report (1963). The college administration and physical space overlapped with neighbouring Carnegie College, and in 1968, they formally merged to create the City of Leeds and Carnegie College.

In 1966, the White Paper "A Plan for Polytechnics and Other Colleges" began the process of Polytechnic creation, with Leeds at a great advantage, having worked on the concept of a central college for around 40 years. Much of the administrative and campus infrastructure already existed at the Leeds Central Colleges. 1970 Leeds Polytechnic came into being; its first Director was Patrick Nuttgens. From the outset, Leeds Polytechnic set out to teach towards a particular skill, trade or profession, an ethos inherited from its college roots, particularly in Commerce and Technology. As Patrick Nuttgens declared, "learning to some purpose". The polytechnic ethos differed from that of a university in this regard, which tended toward promoting 'education for education's sake'.

The City of Leeds, Carnegie College, and James Graham College (the former Leeds Day Training College, created in 1959) joined Leeds Polytechnic in September 1976. In 1989, Leeds Polytechnic left the Local Education Authority to become a Higher Education Corporation, a process that led to Leeds Polytechnic becoming Leeds Metropolitan University in 1992, which had the power to confer its own degrees and other awards. In 2014, Leeds Metropolitan University became Leeds Beckett University.