Bishopsgate Institute
The façade of the Institute by Charles Harrison Townsend (1895)
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 Location within Central London
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| Established | 1895 |
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| Location |
Bishopsgate London, EC2 United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°31′7.28″N 0°4′45.54″W / 51.5186889°N 0.0793167°WCoordinates: 51°31′7.28″N 0°4′45.54″W / 51.5186889°N 0.0793167°W |
| Public transit access |
    Liverpool Street
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| Website | www.bishopsgate.org.uk |
Bishopsgate Institute is a cultural institute in the City of London, located on Bishopsgate, near Liverpool Street station and Spitalfields market. The Institute was established in 1895. It offers a cultural events programme, courses for adults, historic library and archive collections and community programme.
The Grade II* listed building was the first of the three major buildings designed by architect Charles Harrison Townsend (1851–1928). The other two are the nearby Whitechapel Gallery and the Horniman Museum in south London. His work combined elements of the Arts and Crafts movement and Art Nouveau style, along with the typically Victorian.
Since opening on New Year's Day 1895, the Bishopsgate Institute has been a centre for culture and learning.
The original aims of the Institute were to provide a public library, public hall and meeting rooms for people living and working in the City of London. The Great Hall in particular was erected for the benefit of the public to promote lectures, exhibitions and otherwise the advancement literature, science and the fine arts.
The Bishopsgate Institute was built using funds from charitable endowments made to the parish of St Botolph's, Bishopsgate. These had been collected by the parish for over a period of 500 years, but a scheme agreed by the Charity Commissioners in 1891, enabled these to be drawn together into one endowment. Reverend William Rogers (1819–1896), Rector of St Botolph's and a notable educational reformer and supporter of free libraries, was instrumental in setting up the Institute and ensuring that the original charitable aims were met.
Bishopsgate Library is a free, independent library, open every weekday and late night on Wednesdays.
The Special Collections and Archives beneath the Library hold important historical collections about London, the labour movement, free thought and cooperative movements, as well as the history of protest and campaigning.
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