Publications

An Education in Sport

Competition, communities and identities at the University of Westminster since 1864

In 1882 the noted educator, philanthropist and businessman, Quintin Hogg, brought his Young Men’s Christian Institute from Covent Garden to 309 Regent Street, London. It soon became known as the Regent Street Polytechnic (or, more usually, the Poly). A strong believer in the health-giving properties of sports, Hogg financed a new gymnasium and swimming pool in the Regent Street building, while in the suburbs of London he purchased tennis courts and sports pitches, and built a boathouse at Chiswick. By the time of Hogg’s death in 1903, athletics, boxing, cricket, cycling, fencing, football, hockey, tennis, rowing, rugby and swimming were among many sports at the Poly and Hogg’s sporting legacy has continued to thrive.

Some of the finest athletes of the twentieth century have attended the University of Westminster, including Olympians such as Arthur Wint of Jamaica and Emmanuel McDonald Bailey of Trinidad, Violet Webb, Thomas Lance, Harry Ryan, George Albert Hill, Mary Glen-Haig, David Ricketts and Alan Pascoe MBE. Furthermore, the Polytechnic Harriers athletics club hosted the Marathon at the 1908 London Olympics, and promoted the annual Polytechnic Marathon, the forerunner of the London Marathon.

Dr Mark Clapson, Reader in History at the University of Westminster,draws upon the University’s extensive archives to celebrate a unique and ground-breaking sporting heritage that began in the nineteenth century, and is still very much alive today. His previous publications include A Bit of a Flutter: Popular Gambling and English Society, 1823-1961 (Manchester University Press, 1992) and Working-Class Suburb: Social Change on an English Council Estate, 1930-2010 (Manchester University Press, 2012).

An Education in Sport is the second publication exploring this institution’s long and diverse history. The first instalment – the story of the Royal Polytechnic Institution – is unfolded in The Education of the Eye by Brenda Weeden (Granta, 2008). A third publication detailing the University’s history 1882-1992 will appear in 2013.

Price £20.00 plus p&p. 20% discount for staff, students and alumni £16.00 plus p&p.

Copies can be purchased online at: www.bpccam.co.uk

Or contact:

Granta Editions, 25-27 High Street, Chesterton, Cambridge CB4 1ND, UK
T: +44 (0)1223 352790
F: +44 (0)1223 460718
E: booksales@granteditions.co.uk

The Education of the Eye

- the History of the Royal Polytechnic Institution 1838-1881 by Brenda Weeden

The University of Westminster has always been at the forefront of technological change in the heart of London, providing educational programmes shaped by the changing needs of the capital. It has also contributed to the social and cultural life of London in some remarkable ways.

When the University’s predecessor, the Polytechnic Institution opened to the public in the newly fashionable Regent Street in August 1838, it was committed to the promotion of science.

It achieved this aim by visual means, exploring innovative ways of demonstrating practical science and new technologies to a general audience. The Royal Polytechnic Institution became a major Victorian tourist attraction.

Visitors could be submerged in the diving bell, have their photograph taken in Europe’s first photographic studio, see the new industrial machines in motion, or watch a spectacular lantern show in the Polytechnic Theatre.

The Education of the Eye tells this exciting story for the first time, drawing on an extensive range of primary and secondary sources. In keeping with the Polytechnic's reputation for visual spectacle, it is lavishly illustrated with more than 70 contemporary images, many of which have not been previously published.

We are pleased to offer the book at a 20 per cent discount of £20 inclusive of p&p (for UK addresses only. Overseas p&p on application) against the full price of £25 plus p&p.

For availability and enquiries please contact:

Granta Editions
25-27 High Street
Chesterton
Cambridge
CB4 1ND
Tel: +44 (0)1223 352790
Fax: +44 (0)1223 460718

Or order online : www.bpccam.co.uk/university-of-westminster-history.htm