The Surrey Institution was an organisation devoted to scientific, literary and musical education and research, based in London. It was founded by private subscription in 1807, taking the

Royal Institution The Royal Institution of Great Britain (often the Royal Institution, Ri or RI) is an organisation for scientific education and research, based in the City of Westminster. It was founded in 1799 by the leading British scientists of the age, inc ...

, founded in 1799, as a model.
The Microcosm of London
'

Rudolph Ackermann Rudolph Ackermann (20 April 1764 in Stollberg, Electorate of Saxony – 30 March 1834 in Finchley, London) was an Anglo-German bookseller, inventor, lithographer, publisher and businessman. Biography He attended the Latin school in Stollberg, ...

, 1811, reprinted by Methuen, 1904, pages 154–160 The Institution lasted only until 1823, when it was dissolved. (A separate and distinct charity, The Surrey Institution was formed in 1812 with aims to discharge persons confined to gaol in the county for debt. The Surrey Literary, Scientific and Zoological Institution founded in 1831 by Edward Cross was unconnected, being a vehicle for the

Royal Surrey Gardens Royal Surrey Gardens were pleasure gardens in Newington, Surrey, London in the Victorian period, slightly east of The Oval. The gardens occupied about to the east side of Kennington Park Road, including a lake of about . It was the site of Su ...

. )

History

Early meetings were held at the London coffee house on

Ludgate Hill Ludgate Hill is a street and surrounding area, on a small hill in the City of London, England. The street passes through the former site of Ludgate, a city gate that was demolished – along with a gaol attached to it – in 1760. Th ...

.
The History and Antiquities of London, Westminster, Southwark and Parts Adjacent
' volume 4,

Thomas Allen Thomas Allen may refer to: Clergy *Thomas Allen (nonconformist) (1608–1673), Anglican/nonconformist priest in England and New England *Thomas Allen (dean of Chester) (died 1732) *Thomas Allen (scholar) (1681–1755), Anglican priest in England * ...

, Jaques and Wright, 1827 – 1829, pages 542–3 The institution chose its name after a property convenient for its needs was found: the Rotunda Building on the south side of the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after th ...

, at the time part of the county of

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

. The architect employed was Joseph T. Parkinson, son of

James Parkinson James Parkinson (11 April 1755 – 21 December 1824) was an English surgeon, apothecary, geologist, palaeontologist and political activist. He is best known for his 1817 work ''An Essay on the Shaking Palsy'', in which he was the first to desc ...

who owned the Rotunda, opened in 1787. The building had been the final home of the Leverian Museum, housing the collection of Sir

Ashton Lever Sir Ashton Lever FRS (5 March 1729 – 28 January 1788) was an English collector of natural objects, in particular the Leverian collection., Manchester celebrities], retrieved 31 August 2010 Biography Lever was born in 1729 at Alkrington, A ...

, but had fallen into disrepair.
Old and New London
volume 6'',

Edward Walford Edward Walford (1823–1897) was an England, English magazine editor and a compiler of educational, biographical, genealogical and touristic works, perhaps best known for the final four volumes of ''Old and New London'' (Cassell (publisher), Cas ...

, Cassell & Company, page 382 The Institution renovated it to include a large lecture hall capable of accommodating 500 people, and a galleried library of 60 feet in length; it opened on 1 May 1808. Other facilities in the building included committee rooms; a library with lending facilities; a reading room, chemical laboratory and contemporary philosophical apparatus. Costs were met by an initial 458 subscribers contributing thirty

guinea Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...

s each. The library had more than 5000 volumes by 1810. Blackfriars Road Street Map 1817

Staff

Adam Clarke Adam Clarke (176226 August 1832) was an Irish writer and biblical scholar. As a writer and biblical scholar, he published an influential Bible commentary among other works. Additionally, he was a Methodist theologian who served three times as ...

was appointed Librarian in 1808, through the intervention of

Joseph Butterworth Joseph Butterworth (1770 – 30 June 1826) was an English law bookseller and politician. Life He was son of the Rev. John Butterworth, a Baptist minister in Coventry, where he was born. At an early age he went to London, where he learned the la ...

, his connection by marriage (their wives were sisters). The appointment was not a great success, though Clarke resided at the Institution and wrote there. After ten months he resigned and refused the salary. He was given the title of Honorary Librarian.

Thomas Hartwell Horne Thomas Hartwell Horne (20 October 1780 – 27 January 1862) was an English theologian and librarian. Life He was born in London and educated at Christ's Hospital until he was 15 when his father died and he had to work. He then became a clerk ...

, on his own account, became sub-librarian in 1809, with the support of Clarke and Butterworth; elsewhere he is mentioned as Librarian in 1814. Horne's brother-in-law John Millard was assistant librarian in 1813. After Clarke's resignation, Knight Spencer offered to act as Secretary, without salary but with the use of the librarian's apartment. He is recorded as Secretary in 1818.

Surrey Institution lectures

The Institution offered members and visitors lectures on a variety of subjects, the earliest of which included

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

mineralogy Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical mineralogy, optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifact (archaeology), artifacts. Specific s ...

and

natural philosophy Natural philosophy or philosophy of nature (from Latin ''philosophia naturalis'') is the philosophical study of physics, that is, nature and the physical universe, while ignoring any supernatural influence. It was dominant before the develop ...

, given by employed and visiting scientists, scholars and artists.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge Samuel Taylor Coleridge ( ; 21 October 177225 July 1834) was an English poet, literary critic, philosopher, and theologian who was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets with his friend William Wordsworth ...

, for instance, lectured on ''

belles lettres () is a category of writing, originally meaning beautiful or fine writing. In the modern narrow sense, it is a label for literary works that do not fall into the major categories such as fiction, poetry, or drama. The phrase is sometimes used pej ...

'' in 1812–13;

William Hazlitt William Hazlitt (10 April 177818 September 1830) was an English essayist, drama and literary criticism, literary critic, painter, social commentator, and philosopher. He is now considered one of the greatest critics and essayists in the history ...

, on the English Poets in 1817 and the English Comic Writers in 1818;

Goldsworthy Gurney Sir Goldsworthy Gurney (14 February 1793 – 28 February 1875) was a British surgeon, chemist, architect, Construction, builder, lecturer and consultant. He was a prototypical British gentleman scientist and inventor of the Victorian era. Amon ...

found employment there in 1822, and there devised an improved blowpipe for which he won some renown. Other lecturers included: Accum at Surrey Institution

Friedrich Christian Accum Friedrich Christian Accum or Frederick Accum (29 March 1769 – 28 June 1838) was a German chemist, whose most important achievements included advances in the field of gas lighting, efforts to keep processed foods free from dangerous additives, a ...

, from 1809; *

Samuel Wesley Samuel Wesley may refer to: * Samuel Wesley (poet, died 1735) (1662–1735), English poet and churchman * Samuel Wesley (poet, died 1739) (1691–1739), English poet and churchman, son of the above * Samuel Wesley (composer, born 1766) (1766–1837 ...

, in 1809 and 1811. * Gregor von Feinaigle, in 1811; *

John Mason Good John Mason Good (25 May 1764 – 2 January 1827), English writer on medical, religious and classical subjects, was born at Epping, Essex. John Good's parents were the Nonconformist minister Revd Peter Good and Sarah Good, the daughter of anoth ...

in 1811–2; * Olinthus Gilbert Gregory in 1812; *

John Landseer John Landseer (1762/3? – 20 February 1852) was an English landscape engraver. Birth Landseer was born in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, Lincoln in 1769, according to Cosmo Monkhouse, or in London in 1761, according to his son Edwin's biographer ...

in 1813; * John Murray in 1816. *

William Crotch William Crotch (5 July 177529 December 1847) was an English composer and organist. According to the British musicologist Nicholas Temperley, Crotch was "a child prodigy without parallel in the history of music", and was certainly the most dist ...

in 1818. *

James Elmes James Elmes (15 October 1782, London – 2 April 1862, Greenwich) was an English architect, civil engineer, and writer on the arts. Biography Elmes was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, and, after studying building under his father, and a ...

, winter 1819–20.

Related places

The Surrey Institution was one of four such notable organisations in London in the early nineteenth century; its model was the Royal Institution. The other two were: * The London Institution (now defunct) * The Russell Institution (now defunct)

Charles Lamb Charles Lamb (10 February 1775 – 27 December 1834) was an English essayist, poet, and antiquarian, best known for his '' Essays of Elia'' and for the children's book '' Tales from Shakespeare'', co-authored with his sister, Mary Lamb (1764� ...

in a

letter Letter, letters, or literature may refer to: Characters typeface * Letter (alphabet), a character representing one or more of the sounds used in speech or none in the case of a silent letter; any of the symbols of an alphabet * Letterform, the g ...

of about 1807–8 referred to four, though with the Southwark Institution for the Surrey, while alluding to "ten thousand" similar institutions.

Thomas Noon Talfourd Sir Thomas Noon Talfourd SL (26 May 179513 March 1854) was an English judge, Radical politician and author. Early life Talfourd was born at Reading, Berkshire, son of Edward Talfourd, a wealthy brewer, and Ann, daughter of Rev. Thomas Noon, ...

, ''The Letters of Charles Lamb: with a sketch of his life'', vol. 1 (1837), p. 306
Google Books

References

*Christina Parolin (2010), ''Radical Spaces: Venues of popular politics in London, 1790–c. 1845''
Google Books

Notes

External links

British History Online: Sir Howard Roberts and Walter H. Godfrey (editors), ''Survey of London: volume 22: Bankside (the parishes of St. Saviour and Christchurch Southwark)'' (1950), pp. 115–121.
{{authority control 1807 establishments in England Organizations disestablished in 1820 Scientific societies based in the United Kingdom Education in London Defunct learned societies of the United Kingdom