Birkbeck, University of London

Birkbeck, University of London began on the evening of 11 November 1823, when about 2000 people gathered at the Crown and Anchor Tavern on the Strand to hear Dr George Birkbeck speak on educating the working people of London. Supporters included Jeremy Bentham, the radical member of parliament Sir John Hobhouse and the educational reformer Henry Brougham, and the London Mechanics' Institute was formally created on 2 December 1823 to teach artisans and craftspeople science, art and economics. In 1830 it became one of the first colleges to admit women as students, and in 1920 it became part of the University of London on the understanding that it would keep offering evening study. It is included here as a college built around access to higher education for people who work.