Battersea Polytechnic Institute Battersea Polytechnic Battersea College of Technology University of Surrey

The University of Surrey began as the Battersea Polytechnic Institute founded in 1891 under the City of London Parochial Charities Act (1883) scheme to establish Polytechnic Institutes throughout London. Situated in Battersea Park Road, the Institute was the second of three proposed Polytechnics for South London and was formally opened in 1894 with six main departments: Mechanical Engineering and Building Trades; Electrical Engineering and Physics; Chemistry; Women's Subjects; and Art and Music.
The Polytechnic, Institute was dropped from the title in 1898, was well-established by 1900 although courses were mainly part-time. From 1901 the Principal, S.H. Wells promoted the establishment of "feeder" institutes for the Polytechnic, these later came under the London County Council but remained closely associated with Battersea. Through the employment of teachers recognised by the University of London full-time degree courses were established and the Polytechnic enjoyed considerable academic success leading to application for recognition as a School of the University in 1911. The application failed but recognition of its academic status remained a continuing concern for the Polytechnic. The increasingly academic nature of the courses led to an investigation by the City Parochial Foundation but Battersea was able to prove that the majority of its advanced students came from the poorer classes.
During the years 1927 to 1939 the Polytechnic consolidated with a growing emphasis on science and engineering and the addition of metallurgy but the closure of the Art Department. Post-war expansion was curtailed by the site at Battersea despite the separation in 1950 of the Domestic College, successor of the original Women's Subjects Department. However this did not prevent the Polytechnic being designated a College of Advanced Technology in 1957 when the name was changed to Battersea College of Technology. In 1966 it received its charter as a University and the decision to move from London was made. Building began on the site adjacent to Guildford Cathedral and the University of Surrey started the move to its new premises in 1968. The Battersea site was completely vacated by 1970.
In April 1991 the University was awarded the Queen's Award for Export Achievement and in February 1997 the Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in recognition of the University's outstanding achievement in satellite engineering and communications, teaching and research by the Centre for Satellite Engineering and it's associated companies. In 1998 in recognition of the long standing relationship between the University of Surrey and the Roehampton Institute, London the two institutions decided to form an academic federation. This unique partnership was approved by the Privy Council in 1999 and the Federal University comprised the University of Surrey, Guildford and the University of Surrey, Roehampton. On 1st August 2004 Roehampton became a University in its own right as Roehampton University but the two Universities continue to support collaborative activities.