Chelsea College of Science and Technology was established as a College of Advanced Technology on a single site on the corner of Manresa Road and King's Road, Chelsea, London SW3, as part of the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

in 1966. In 1969 it expanded into new premises on Hortensia Road Chelsea to house the Departments of Zoology and Botany and accommodate M.Sc courses in applied biology. It was granted its

royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...

in 1971 at which time it was renamed Chelsea College. In 1985, it merged with

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

History

The site on Manresa Road had been earmarked for the college as early as 1890 and was opened as South West Polytechnic in 1895 and became the Chelsea Polytechnic in 1922. By 1965 Parliament was considering a move of the college to

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

. The then Principal, Malcolm Gavin and the Professor of Science,

Kevin Keohane Kevin William Keohane CBE, KCSG, FInstP (1923-1996) was a British physicist and education administrator. Keohane was the first Professor of Science Education in the United Kingdom, holding the position with the Chelsea College of Science and T ...

were instrumental in the college becoming part of the

, and the creation of Britain's first Chair of Science Education. In 1985 the college merged with nearby

Queen Elizabeth College Queen Elizabeth College (QEC) was a college in London. It had its origins in the Ladies' (later Women's) Department of King's College, London, opened in 1885 but which later accepted men as well. The first King's 'extension' lectures for ladi ...

and soon thereafter the merged college was itself amalgamated into

. It incorporates the old Chelsea Public Library, which is a Grade II* listed building. It was built in 1890, and the architect was

J. M. Brydon John McKean Brydon (1840 – 25 May 1901) was a Scottish architect who developed a practice in designing public buildings, particularly hospitals, in London. He designed the St Peter's Hospital in Henrietta Street, Covent Garden (1880–84), the ...

. The main college building has been converted into privately owned flats.

History

References

Further reading